Amber

Styrax

Note Profile

Botanical 465 perfumes

Also Known As

Liquid Amber, Styrax balsam

About

Sweet, balsamic resin with cinnamic and vanilla character

Scent Profile

Styrax has a sweet, balsamic aroma with pronounced resinous facets, underscored by warm cinnamic and subtle vanilla-like notes. It can also display leathery and slightly smoky undertones as it dries down. The scent is rich and enveloping, contributing depth and softness to compositions.

ScentWheel

Breadthmedium

EnvelopeBase · ~36h lasting

Family Amber · Musk · Leather, Woody & Earthy, Spicy, Sweet & Gourmand

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

What this is made of

Styrax resin

A natural extract

CAS 8046-19-3

Styrax resin (IFRA NCS), Liquidambar. Balsamic-cinnamic.

Restricted: An IFRA Standard limits how much of this a perfumer can use the limit applies to the perfumer, not the wearer

These are facts about the substance, not about any perfume with this note.

Why that matters

A perfume that names Styrax can use a different extract, a reformulated version, or a synthetic reconstruction. It can also hold less than the amount that requires a declaration. We cannot tell which applies. These rows cover only the substances we hold a link for.

How the layers join

Origin

Styrax, also called storax, is the balsam of Liquidambar orientalis and Liquidambar styraciflua - trees of the family Altingiaceae, NOT of the Styrax genus the name suggests. The balsam forms in the sapwood after the bark is wounded and is collected, boiled and solvent-extracted for perfumery. The naming is a genuine trap: Styrax the GENUS yields benzoin, which this vocabulary publishes separately and which smells sweet and vanillic with no leather at all.

Usage in Perfumery

Perfumers use styrax mainly as a base note, valued for its fixative properties and its ability to round out and enrich amber, oriental, and chypre accords. It blends well with vanilla, labdanum, spices, and woods, and is often used to impart warmth and complexity.