Resin

Resin is a natural product, a base ingredient that is used to make and bind materials such as plastic, dye or textiles, or varnish. Very little known to the general public, but highly valued by perfumers, resin is a natural exudation or one obtained by making incisions in certain plants.

The large family of resins

In perfumery, resins are a large family that includes hard resins, oleoresins, balsams, and gum resins. Among the best known and most appreciated resins is Siam benzoin. This resin is obtained by making incisions in the trunk of styrax tonkinensis, a shrub that grows in Laos and Vietnam.

Benzoin is then obtained through solvent extraction. Labdanum is a gum resin obtained by exudation from the leaves of cistus ladaniferus, a shrub that grows in the Mediterranean basin. Labdanum cistus is highly prized by perfumers, as it offers tonalities that are at once amber, chypre and musky. Olibanum, also called incense, comes from several trees named Boswellia. These are found in Sudan, Somalia, and Ethiopia.

Olibanum essence is obtained by distillation and is widely used as a base note in oriental and woody compositions. Galbanum is also part of the large family of resins. Galbanum is obtained by incising the trunk of Ferula galbaniflua, an herbaceous plant found in Iran. Galbanum essence is obtained through steam distillation and solvent extraction. Galbanum offers extremely green and fresh tonalities. Myrrh is also a resin and comes from the shrub commiphora myrrha. In perfumery, myrrh yields reddish-brown resinoids that give off a scent that is at once warm, spicy and balsamic.

Opoponax comes from a shrub native to the Middle East and Africa. It is nicknamed sweet myrrh, as its scent resembles that of myrrh but softer, less pronounced. Its warm, sweet and balsamic notes are widely used in perfumery.

Elemi is the product of a gum resin extracted from a tree of the canarium luzonicum family found in the Philippines. It gives fragrances a scent that is at once lemony and woody. In the large and beautiful family of resins, one also finds Tolu balsam. This is a resinous and viscous substance collected in cups placed along the trunk of the tree. In perfumery, Tolu balsam offers woody, spicy, sweet, and zesty notes.

Resin and its pairing with olfactory families

All types of resin pair wonderfully in oriental, woody or chypre compositions. Resinous notes are highly prized by perfumers, as they envelop the other notes and act as a link. Resinous notes are found in oriental compositions, such as in Eau des Merveilles by Hermès, Absolu by Rochas, Opium by Yves Saint Laurent, Shalimar by Guerlain, or Poison by Dior. Resinous notes are also found at the heart of floral fragrances, such as in Anaïs Anaïs by Cacharel, or citrus fragrances such as Allure Homme Sport Cologne, by Chanel.