Peru balsam oil

Say itPeru BAWL-sum oil

Sweet, creamy vanilla-cinnamon balsam, softer and cleaner than the crude.

What it is: Natural oil from distilled or solvent-extracted from Peru balsam.
Where it comes from: El Salvador
When you smell it: Dry-down: hours later.
What perfumers do with it: Rounds ambers and gourmand orientals with sweet balsamic warmth; blends with benzoin, tonka and vanilla.
Worth knowing: Dermatologists patch-test Peru balsam as a standard marker for fragrance allergy.
Rules: Limited. IFRA caps extracts and distillates; the crude balsam is banned.
Also called: Peru balsam distillate, resinoid or absolute

On the label of 4 of the 232 perfumes read so far

Named by the house, not on the label, in 2

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