Balsamic
Sweet and Warm
Balsam of Peru
Extrait: Balsam of Peru.
Production: Distilled from resinoid of myroxylon pereirae.
Origin: South America
Use in Perfumery: As a superior fixative in floral blends where it can impart an amber quality.
Safety: Do not exceed 2% in a blend.
Comment: Many balsams appear similar on first encounter and yet each is subtly different as is the effect they can have in a blend. Only familiarity and experimentation will enable a perfumer to utilise their individual characteristics for fine-tuning of fragrances. The non-distilled oil is a sensitizer.
Size 10ml.
| $5.50 | Add to Cart |
Balsam of Tolu
Extrait: Balsam of Tolu.
Production: Solvent extraction from resinoid of myroxylon toluifera.
Origin: South America
Use in Perfumery: Base note with rich sweet balsamic floral quality with a hint of spice and fruit on a back note. Good fixative for heavier floral fragrances.
Safety: Normal usage
Comment: Good choice for imparting warmth and body.
Size 10ml.
| $6.50 | Add to Cart |
Benzoin Resin
Extrait: Benzoin Resin
Production: Solvent extraction from resinoid of styrax tokinensis.
Origin: Thailand
Use in Perfumery: Base note with sweet balsamic vanilla character, which acts as a fixative. Especially good with light floral blends
Safety: Normal usage.
Comment: Add in small increments as too much can hide a blends fragrance.
Size 10ml.
| $5.50 | Add to Cart |
Frankincense
Extrait: Frankincense
Production: Steam distillation from resinous tears of boswellia carterii.
Origin: Arabian Peninsula.
Use in Perfumery: Fresh resinous balsamic slightly green with a hint of lemon base note. A classy fixative and versatile blending ingredient.
Safety: Normal usage.
Comment: Highly valued in the ancient world. Frankincense tears were used as currency and along with the spice and silk routes there was also a frankincense route. Frankincense derived wealth built Petra. This carteri variety is vastly superior to the thurifera. Not popular amongst lapsed Catholics; provoking insight into smell learnt memory relationship.
Size 10ml.
| $6.50 | Add to Cart |
Labdanum (Rock Rose, Cistus)
Extrait: Labdanum (Rock Rose, Cistus)
Production: Solvent extraction from resinous exudates of cistus ladaniferus.
Origin: Mediterranean
Use in Perfumery: A base note, which takes days to dry out. Sweet rich balsamic amber character with warm dry woody backnotes. Indispensable fixative.
Safety: Normal usage.
Comment: Herodotus (5th C BC) observed Arabs combing the resin from the beards of their goats, which had grazed amongst labdanum bushes. It was also listed by him as one of the principal perfume ingredients brought from Arabia. Possibly the ‘myrrh’ referred to in the early chapters of the Bible. Often called amber by perfumers because it resembles ambergris and is used as the raw material for synthetic ‘amber’. Listed as the main ingredient in 33% of modern quality fragrances it blends well with most fragrances. Essential component in Chypre blends. If you pick only one balsamic fixative this is it.
Size 10ml.
| $7.25 | Add to Cart |
Myrrh
Extrait: Myrrh
Production: Solvent extraction from oleo-gum-resin of commiphora molmol.
Origin: Arabian Peninsula.
Use in Perfumery: Warm spicy and at the limit of what could pass for balsamic. Good fixative for woody, Chypre and Oriental blends that imparts sweetness, depth and mystery.
Safety: Normal usage.
Comment: Goes well with oppoponax, labdanum and tuberose.
Size 10ml.
| $6.50 | Add to Cart |
Opopanax Resin
Extrait: Opopanax Resin.
Production: Solvent extraction from oleo-gum-resin of commiphora erythroea.
Origin: Arabian Peninsula.
Use in Perfumery: Fresh warm spicy balsamic resinous and slightly floral base note used a superior fixative in fine perfumery.
Safety: Normal usage
Comment: Another Biblical balsam that goes well in Oriental blends.
Size 10ml.
| $6.50 | Add to Cart |
Tonka Bean Absolute
Extrait: Tonka Bean Absolute
Production: Solvent extraction from dried beans of dipteryx odorata.
Origin: South America.
Use in Perfumery: Rich sweet and warm with hints of vanilla herbs and hay. Delicate and subtle quality fixative for fine fragrance use.
Safety: Normal usage.
Comment: Unlike most of the other balsamics this is very light in colour so if you like your roses red....
Size 10ml.
| $16.25 | Add to Cart |
Vanilla Absolute
Extrait: Vanilla Absolute.
Production: Solvent extraction from cured beans of the orchid vanilla planifolia.
Origin: Madagascar.
Use in Perfumery: Base note with sweet rich warm vanilla character. Blends beautifully with heavier floral and Oriental blends.
Safety: Normal usage
Comment: It is one of a small number of fixatives that holds its odour profile on a smelling strip over many days. Associated by many people with synthetic vanillin and bubble gum notes that we’re told celebritneys smell of. The real thing is rich warm deep mysterious heady and incredibly sexy. It dances all night with jasmine, patchouli, frankincense and sandalwood. Greening vanilla with violet leaf and warming with celery or caraway seed makes it sophisticated and intimate. Produced by co-operative.
Size 10ml.
| $18.10 | Add to Cart |