Sumatra Benzoin

Note Profile

Botanical

About

Sumatra benzoin is the cinnamic-acid-ester grade of benzoin resin. Premiere Peau and VIPSEN both tie the smell to the chemistry: p-coumaryl and coniferyl cinnamate dominate, and there is less vanillin than in the Siam grade. The result is a resin whose sweetness has an edge on it. Cinnamic spice comes up immediately, there is a styrenic sharpness, and the drydown runs towards unsweetened cocoa and smouldering wood. It is still a balsamic resin first. It is not a gourmand.

Scent Profile

Amber_resinous dominates and is the one thing every source agrees on. It is a balsamic resin and Premiere Peau places its sweetness closer to frankincense than to vanilla extract. Warm_spice is next and is structural, not decorative: both chemistry-citing sources name cinnamic acid esters as the dominant constituents, and Premiere Peau says Sumatra grades show an immediate cinnamic bite absent from Siam. Sweet_vanillic is real but held below the published benzoin's 0.50, because the same source says Sumatra carries less vanillin. Smoky is the smouldering-wood end of the drydown, named by two sources. Coffee_cacao is the dark chocolate and unsweetened cocoa undertone, which Premiere Peau names twice in separate sentences and which is the clearest single marker separating this grade from Siam. Below these, dry_woody, powdery and nutty sit small.

ScentWheel

Breadthmedium

EnvelopeBase · ~30h lasting

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

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

Origin

The resin is tapped from Styrax benzoin and related species grown in Sumatra. Note that the perfumery material called styrax is a different thing: that is the balsam of Liquidambar, published here separately. Siam benzoin comes from Styrax tonkinensis in Laos and Thailand and is rich in benzoic acid, benzyl benzoate and vanillin. Sumatra is rich in cinnamic acid and cinnamates. That single chemical difference is what both trade sources use to explain the difference in smell.

Usage in Perfumery

27 Parfumo placements across 18 brands. Fragrantica does not carry the qualified term. It is used where benzoin is used, as a base fixative and a sweetener, but a formulator picks the Sumatra grade when the composition wants spice and a slight burnt edge rather than the clean vanillic haze of Siam. VIPSEN reports Siam is generally considered the more refined and premium grade, which is a market judgement, not an olfactive one.