Resins are an important ingredient in perfumes, enhancing the scents the perfume contains as well as inhibiting their dispersion into the air. Resins allow the aromas of perfume to last longer as well as retain their integrity. Basically, resins were the first “time-release” element that existed long before the modern concept of gradual release of aromas or other elements of modern life. As such, they are used not only in perfumes but in deodorants, scented sanitizers, or any product that is meant to smell pleasant for an extended period of time.

There are many different kinds of resin used in making perfume. Labdanum, a sticky dark brown substance from a species of rockrose shrub, has a complex scent profile. Woody, smoky and earthy, some say it has slight marshy undertones that aren’t unpleasant but very different. Others think it smells like honey or hints of leather. Its very complexity makes it valuable in perfumery, as each person seems to smell a different aroma. This makes one perfume smell different to and on each person. In Crete, it is still harvested by driving goats into forests overgrown with labdanum bushes then combing the beards of the animals when they return from grazing. Harvesters also drag a mop-like collection of leather strips mounted on a pole across the bushes to gather the resin.

Benzoin resin, a balsamic secretion from tree bark, is a common ingredient in perfume because of its fixative properties and its aroma. Further, there are two different kinds; benzoin Siam and benzoin Sumatra. Benzoin Siam is found in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia while benzoin Sumatra is found in the country of the same name. Both are very fragrant and drastically slow the evaporation of perfume properties.

Frankincense, another prized ingredient in perfumes, comes from the Boswellia tree that thrives in Somalia and the surrounding country. Slashing the bark of the scrawny but hardy tree results in “tears” leaking out which are allowed to harden before being collected. The best resin is the last of the two or three harvests per year, the quality determined by its opacity. Yemen and Somalia produce wonderful frankincense although the resins collected in Omani is said to be the finest. Frankincense supplies are dwindling, however, due to over-tapping trees that in turn produce seeds that are unable to germinate properly.

Other resins include myrrh, Peru balsam and pine, all with their own unique contributions to make.

Tim Walt