Ingredients · Amber & resins · dry-down

Benzoin Sumatra resinoid

Say itBEN-zoh-in soo-MAH-truh REZ-ih-noyd

Balsamic, cinnamon-tinged and resinous; drier and less vanillic than Siam benzoin.

What it is

Natural resin extract from resin tapped from Styrax benzoin trees.

Where it comes from

Sumatra, Indonesia

When you smell it

Dry-down: hours later.

What perfumers do with it

Inexpensive balsamic fixative for ambers, incense and soap perfumes; adds a storax-like cinnamic warmth.

Worth knowing

Rich in cinnamic esters rather than Siam's benzoates, which is why the two benzoins smell so different.

Also called

Sumatra benzoin; gum benjamin (Sumatra)