Ingredient Guide
Birch is a tree of the genus Betula, also known in Japanese as kaba. The essential oil obtained by drying and distilling its bark is called birch tar and has a smoky, leathery scent. It is used mainly in men’s fragrances, but its use is restricted by IFRA.
How does it smell in perfume?
Birch tar oil used in perfumery is a natural material made by dry-distilling birch bark or wood and then purifying the resulting product. Its very powerful scent recalls charred bark, smoke, phenols, and leather, adding dark, dry depth to leather compositions. For fragrance use, crude birch wood pyrolysate must be avoided in favor of purified products that meet IFRA requirements. The name of the natural raw material, birch tar, does not refer to an entire finished leather or smoky note created from several fragrance materials.
How to Choose Birch Fragrances
If you seek smoke and leather in birch, the presence of fruit can make a difference. Aventus has the brightness of pineapple and citrus, while Silver Oud combines several woods. The sweetness and freshness around the smoke matter as much as its strength.
Comparing Birch Fragrances
Aventus (Creed)
Bright pineapple and bergamot meet smoky birch. The fragrance contrasts fruit with smoke-tinged wood.
Opus XIII Silver Oud (Amouage)
Birch essence, guaiac wood, castoreum and Ambrarome are combined with oud and vanilla. Several woods and a leathery depth take the focus, in contrast to the bright fruit of Aventus.
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.
