Styrax in perfumery usually means storax, a thick balsam from sweetgum trees (Liquidambar), not the Styrax trees that give benzoin. It has a sweet, balsamic smell with a distinctive smoky, leathery and faintly floral edge, and is used to add depth to leather, amber and incense compositions.
What does Styrax smell like?
Styrax combines sweet cinnamon-balsam warmth with a smoky, almost rubbery or leathery facet and a surprising hint of hyacinth or lilac, thanks to its styrene and cinnamic content. The crude balsam can smell sharp and tarry; refined resinoids and distilled oils are cleaner and more balsamic. Compared with benzoin it is darker, less vanillic and more animalic.
Where Styrax comes from
Two trees supply most styrax. Oriental sweetgum (Liquidambar orientalis) grows in south-western Turkey, where the balsam is scraped from wounded bark and pressed; American sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) yields a similar material in Central America, especially Honduras. The crude balsam is purified before use in perfumery.
- Also known as: Storax, Levant storax, American storax, liquidambar
- Fragrance family: Amber (balsamic-leathery)
- Type: Natural
- Main origins: South-western Turkey; Honduras and Central America
- How it's obtained: Collection of balsam from wounded bark, then purification, solvent extraction or distillation
- Key aroma molecules: Styrene, cinnamic acid, cinnamyl cinnamate, phenylpropyl cinnamate
Styrax in perfume history
Storax was burned as incense and used in cosmetics and medicine in the ancient Mediterranean; Dioscorides described it, and it later travelled along Arab trade routes. In modern perfumery it became a valued component of Russian-leather accords and dark ambers, helping to create the smoky, tanned smell of cuir de Russie styles.
Styrax in modern perfumery
Styrax is still used in leather, tobacco and incense perfumes, though in controlled amounts. Supply of Turkish storax is limited because oriental sweetgum is a relict species with restricted forests, so American material and reconstructions are common alternatives.
How Styrax wears and what it pairs with
A base note that adds heft and smoky warmth, styrax pairs well with birch tar, labdanum, benzoin, vanilla, cinnamon, hyacinth, iris and frankincense.
Safety and regulation
Crude styrax is not permitted by IFRA; only prepared extracts and distillates meeting purity criteria can be used, with limits on their concentration. It also contains cinnamyl compounds that are declarable fragrance allergens in the EU.
