Ingredients · Woods · dry-down

Amyris oil

Say itAM-ih-ris oil

Mild, dry woody-balsamic note, faintly sweet and oily, with a slight resinous edge.

What it is

Natural oil from wood of Amyris balsamifera.

Where it comes from

Haiti, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Jamaica

When you smell it

Dry-down: hours later.

What perfumers do with it

Inexpensive fixative and extender for sandalwood-type bases; long history as a sandalwood adulterant.

Worth knowing

Nicknamed 'torchwood' because its oily wood burns like a torch; botanically it belongs to the citrus family.

Also called

West Indian sandalwood; Amyris balsamifera; torchwood