In short
Beeswax absolute is a solvent extract of beeswax. It is an animal-derived natural used to soften and round a composition and as a long-lasting fixative.
What Beeswax Absolute smells like
Fraterworks describes beeswax as an animalic product for perfumery that contributes softness and a natural rounding of scents and is a long-lasting fixative. It notes that ordinary beeswax absolute is mostly insoluble waxes that must be chilled and filtered out, and that LMR's glazed grade removes them, leaving pure beeswax odour. Perflavory lists Firmenich's beeswax absolutes with honey, hay, balsam, tobacco and nut facets, and Albert Vieille's as balsamic with a slight animalic facet.
- Leading note
- Beeswax
- Supporting facets
- Honey, waxy
- Character
- Soft, rounded
What makes Beeswax Absolute distinctive
An animal-derived softener and fixative that rounds a composition, rather than a strongly characterful note.
How Beeswax Absolute is used
Used to soften and round compositions and as a long-lasting fixative, particularly in honey and floral accords.
Typical role: fixative (slow to evaporate; helps a blend last and holds lighter notes); blender (smooths the joins between other materials).
How Beeswax Absolute differs from similar materials
- Bran Absolute
- Bran absolute is a cereal note, biscuit, bran and hay; beeswax absolute is a softer honey-wax, used to round and fix.
Each difference compares the published descriptions of the two materials. Smell varies with grade, supplier and dilution; compare them side by side on blotters before substituting one for another.
Formulation considerations
An animal product, from the honeycomb of bees. Ordinary grades contain insoluble waxes that have to be chilled and filtered out; some suppliers sell a glazed grade with them removed.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Absolute
- Origin
- Natural
- Odour family
- Gourmand / Animalic
- Note position
- Base note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Semi-solid
- CAS number
- 8012-89-3
The CAS number was checked on 24 October 2026 against a PubChem substance record that gives it for this material. A natural material is a mixture, so it has no single formula; its composition varies with origin and processing.
Safety and compliance
This page is general information, not a safety assessment or a specification. Confirm identity, composition, IFRA status and allergen content from your supplier's documents for the lot you hold.
Materials it works with
-
Hay Absolute
Absolute · Green / Gourmand — hay, coumarinic, tobacco, herbal
-
Labdanum Absolute
Absolute · Amber / Leather — amber, balsamic, leathery, animalic
-
Tobacco Absolute
Absolute · Leather / Gourmand — tobacco, honey, hay, leathery
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 11 published formulas
Beeswax Absolute is an ingredient in 9 perfume formulas and 2 accords in the Formula & Accord Library.
Community formulas
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Beeswax Absolute
Is Beeswax Absolute natural or synthetic?
Beeswax Absolute is natural. It is a concentrated extract obtained from plant material with a solvent, then washed with ethanol to remove the waxes.
What is the CAS number of Beeswax Absolute?
8012-89-3, the registry number for the absolute as a substance rather than a single molecule. It was checked against PubChem on 24 October 2026.
Which published formulas use Beeswax Absolute?
Beeswax Absolute is used in 11 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Beeswax Throne, Dried Fruits Accord and Fig Jam Brioche. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — substance 485240476, checked 24 October 2026.
- Fraterworks — Beeswax Absolute, Glacé (LMR) — distributor's description.
- Perflavory — beeswax absolute (Firmenich, Albert Vieille) — odour database.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 26 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.