Resinous, turpentine-sharp, and warmly balsamic. The original turpentine -- before pine sap claimed the name, terebinth (Pistacia terebinthus) defined the smell of Mediterranean resin.
Resinous, turpentine-sharp, and warmly balsamic. Like scraping resin from a terebinth trunk on a Aegean hillside -- the sap is warm, golden, and sharp with terpene freshness, but underneath there is a soft, balsamic warmth. The ancestor of all turpentine smells, but softer than pine.
The sharpness settles. Warm, balsamic, rounded resin.
After a few days
After a few days
A persistent, warm, resinous residue.
Grades & Aging
Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.
The Full Story
The terebinth tree (Pistacia terebinthus, Anacardiaceae family) is a small deciduous tree native to the Mediterranean basin and the Near East. It is the original source of turpentine -- the word itself derives from terebinth (via the Greek terebinthos and Latin terebinthina resina).
The resin (Chian turpentine, from the Greek island of Chios) has been used since antiquity as incense, medicine, and varnish ingredient. Its aroma is warm, resinous, and balsamic, with the characteristic turpentine-like sharpness from alpha-pinene and beta-pinene, but softer and more rounded than modern pine-derived turpentine.
The tree is closely related to mastic (Pistacia lentiscus) and pistachio (Pistacia vera). Its resin shares some aromatic characteristics with mastic but is warmer and less fresh.
In perfumery, terebinth functions as a historical, Mediterranean resinous note. It provides a warm, balsamic, turpentine-inflected quality for compositions seeking ancient or classical character.
This note in Première Peau. Simili Mirage · Gravitas Capitale. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.
The terebinth is mentioned multiple times in the Hebrew Bible (Genesis 12:6, Genesis 35:4, Judges 6:11) -- Abraham is said to have pitched his tent near the terebinth of Mamre. The Septuagint translators sometimes rendered the Hebrew elah as terebinthos, linking the tree to some of the earliest recorded religious narratives.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: The resin (Chian turpentine) is collected by bark incision. Steam distillation yields terebinth essential oil. Production is artisanal and limited, primarily from Turkey, Greece, and the Levant.
Heart-to-base note in Mediterranean, classical, and resinous compositions. Functions as a warm, historical resinous element. Alpha-pinene and beta-pinene provide terpene sharpness; the balsamic body softens and warms. Related to mastic but warmer. Ancient and place-specific.
