Amyris is a woody note distilled from Amyris balsamifera, a small Caribbean tree often sold as West Indian sandalwood even though it is not related to true sandalwood. Its oil has a soft, sweet, slightly smoky wood smell with a balsamic undertone, and perfumers use it as an affordable fixative and sandalwood extender.

What does Amyris smell like?

Amyris oil is gentle and fairly linear: a mild, dry wood with hints of resin, a touch of smoke and a faint peppery, almost medicinal nuance at first. It is thinner and less creamy than sandalwood, with little of that milky richness, but it shares a similar soft warmth, which is why it has long been used to bulk out or stand in for sandalwood. Some people also notice a quiet, oily, faintly vanilla-like sweetness in the drydown.

Where Amyris comes from

The tree belongs to the Rutaceae, the same plant family as citrus. It grows in dry coastal scrub in the Caribbean and northern South America, and its wood is so resinous that it burns easily, which earned it the name torchwood. The oil is distilled from the chopped wood, and much of it has been produced in Haiti.

• Also known as: West Indian sandalwood, torchwood, candlewood
• Fragrance family: Woody
• Type: Natural
• Main origins: Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Venezuela
• How it's obtained: Steam distillation of wood and branches
• Key aroma molecules: Valerianol, elemol, β-eudesmol

Amyris in perfume history

Amyris became a commercial oil in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries largely as a cheaper alternative to East Indian sandalwood, used in soaps, incense and inexpensive perfumes. It never had a reputation of its own in fine fragrance and is rarely named as a headline note, which makes its history mainly one of quiet support.

Amyris in modern perfumery

Its role today is as a natural fixative and blender, particularly useful in natural and niche perfumery, where it softens harsher woods and extends sandalwood. It is modestly priced, and as a by-product-friendly Caribbean crop it is a useful supply source for Haitian producers, who also grow vetiver.

How Amyris wears and what it pairs with

Amyris is a base note with good tenacity but low projection. It pairs well with sandalwood, cedar, vetiver, labdanum, benzoin, lavender, rose and ylang-ylang.