Benzoin Absolute 50%

Adam Michael has this to say “Benzoin absolute, (20/07/21) if you are familiar with this material you know it is a sticky-solid resinous fragrant mass and rather challenging to get into a pourable state and even added to alcohol it can still take months before you have a perfect dilution, yes months albeit depending on who you buy the absolute from. Easier to handle versions exist from the big corporates that dilute with ease but mostly I find these offerings are Sumatran material which aromatically in resin or liquid form I like far less than Siam. Siam is the more vanillic creamy sweet of the two origins and Sumatra is to my nose more cinnamic themed. For this reason we only offer this absolute diluted at 50% in ethanol and of Siam origin. We also offer Benzoin resinoid in DPG and provided to us through a well respected Grasse based naturals producer and reseller.

Aromatically, layered on the strip, give it a few moments for the alcohol to disperse and you are rewarded with creamy sweet vanillic introduction that slowly morphs into a rich balsamic through to slight woody and sweet-floral affair. As time progresses you will detect spiced hues, lots of warmth presented as a mash up of vanilla, spices, hits of clove buds and cinnamon and the next as mentioned here already, softer notes comparable to pulped coconuts. Not an overly strong smelling material, base note orientated with little to no top that has excellent fixative qualities, lasting hundreds of hours on the smell strip. Uses, very versatile actually, goes hand in hand when building gourmand bases, supports roses accords and amber bases, pairs great with vanillic aromatics, jasmines, ylangs, frankincense, more so rivae over carterii in my opinion, opoponax, myrrh, patchoulis and many woods too.”

Botanical Name: Styrax benzoin

Origin: Siam