Propolis

Note Profile

Animal 1 perfume

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About

Propolis is the resin honeybees gather from tree buds and rework with wax and enzymes to seal the hive. In perfumery it reads as a warm balsamic resin with a beeswax and honey body and a clove-like spice. It is darker and more resinous than honey, and warmer than frankincense. Evidence is thin. No supplier data sheet with an odour description was found.

Scent Profile

Propolis smells of warm amber resin, balsamic and sticky rather than sharp. A beeswax and honey body sits under it, with a clove and cinnamon spice. Some batches turn sweet and boozy, close to molasses. A faint smoky, medicinal edge shows in places, with a musky, animal warmth from the hive.

ScentWheel

Breadthmedium

EnvelopeBase · ~36h lasting

Family Amber · Musk · Leather, Sweet & Gourmand

Read off the wheel, not a label applied to the note.

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ScentArt

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Origin

Apis mellifera collects resin from tree buds, mostly poplar in Europe, and mixes it with beeswax and enzymes. The raw material is a dark brown to reddish-brown sticky solid. It is about 50 to 70 per cent resin, 30 per cent wax and 10 per cent essential oil, plus pollen. Named volatiles include cinnamate esters, benzyl benzoate, vanillin, eugenol and terpenes. The smell changes with season, place and the plants the bees visit. For perfume the wax is often removed, and the resin is used raw or as a tincture in alcohol.

Usage in Perfumery

Used as a base material for warmth and depth. It gives a natural balsamic quality with a hive character that plain amber materials do not carry. Odour strength is medium, so it supports rather than leads. It sits between beeswax and a tree-resin incense and can bridge the two. Parfumo lists 89 perfumes with the note (2026-10-10).