The drawing: gurjun balsam, tapped trunkThe drawing: gurjun balsam, balsam jar
Gurjun balsam

Ingredients · Woods · dry-down

Gurjun balsam oil

Say itGUR-jun BAWL-sum oil

Mild, warm woody-balsamic, faintly earthy and sweet.

What it is
Natural oil from distilled oleoresin of Dipterocarpus trees.
Where it comes from
India and Southeast Asia
When you smell it
Dry-down: what stays.
What perfumers do with it
Cheap woody fixative and blender; supports patchouli, amyris and floral bases.
Worth knowing
Long used to cut patchouli oil—fraud betrayed by allo-aromadendrene, a molecule true patchouli lacks.
Also called
Dipterocarpus spp.; gurjun