Fir

In perfumery, fir mainly designates balsam fir, Abies balsamea, from North America. Its needles yield by distillation a green, resinous oil; solvent extraction draws from them a sweet, almost jammy absolute, used as a fixative. Siberian fir, fresher, completes the palette.

Balsam fir

Balsam fir grows in northeastern North America, notably in eastern Canada. Its essential oil is obtained by steam distillation of the needles and gives a green, resinous note, carried by beta-pinene, bornyl acetate and delta-3-carene.

The absolute, drawn from the needles and small twigs by solvent extraction, is sweet, fruity, almost jammy and frankly balsamic; it serves as a fixative and anchors the more volatile top notes of other conifers. The resin of balsam fir, Canada balsam, is also used as a fixative in perfumery.

Siberian fir

The oil of Siberian fir, Abies sibirica, extracted from the needles and twigs of this conifer of the boreal forests of Russia and Mongolia, is richer in bornyl acetate and camphene. It stands out for a fresher, lighter and more mentholated profile than that of balsam fir, which is sweeter and more balsamic.

In perfumes

The note sits in the base of L.12.12 Blanc Eau de Parfum by Lacoste in 2021 and Ibiza ’87 by Horace in 2026, and in the heart of L’Eau d’Issey pour Homme Eau de Parfum in 2025, Pacific Rock Swell by Goldfield & Banks in 2026 and Qaed Al Fursan by Lattafa. See also the Fir resin note.