Ingredient Guide
Balsam is a substance that differs somewhat from resin. Resin forms from a gum-like liquid that seeps from trees like tears, whereas balsam does not necessarily come from trees and is often obtained from flower pods or twigs.
The two types mainly used in perfume are Peru balsam, whose principal producing country is El Salvador, and Tolu balsam, which is native to Colombia. Peru balsam has a scent combining cinnamon and vanilla facets with earthiness and bitterness, while Tolu balsam has cinnamon and vanilla notes alongside a soft floral scent.
What Does It Smell Like in Perfume?
Balsam is not the name of a single molecule, but a broad term encompassing resin-derived natural fragrance materials and materials that recreate their scent. Peru balsam, for example, has a rich fragrance in which sweet powder, vanilla, cinnamon, and amber are layered with the depth of resin and wood. Alongside natural resinoids, there are also blends that reconstruct the scent of Tolu balsam. Because balsams give sweetness a warm resinous character and body in perfume, looking at the specific material name makes differences in scent easier to understand.
How to Choose Balsam Fragrances
What surrounds the warm resin helps distinguish balsamic fragrances. Tolu brings the brightness of flowers and herbs; Benjoin Bohème offers the depth of patchouli. Both have sweetness, but very different surroundings.
Comparing Balsam Fragrances
Tolu (Ormonde Jayne)
Tolu resin is brightened by flowers and herbs. Orange blossom, clary sage, frankincense, amber and tonka surround the sweet, warm resin.
Benjoin Bohème Eau de Parfum (Diptyque)
Benzoin, Peru balsam, rockrose and patchouli create resinous, patchouli-rich depth, quite different from Tolu’s flowers and herbs.
Find Your Next Fragrance
To explore more perfumes, open our Fragrance Finder. Choose “Favorite fragrances & notes” on the home screen, then search in the “Favorite notes” field. Select a note you like from the results and press “Next” to continue. You can start with notes even if you do not yet have a favorite perfume.
