Benzoin Sumatra Resinoid

What Benzoin Sumatra Resinoid smells like

The FAO monograph on gum benzoin treats Siam benzoin (Styrax tonkinensis) and Sumatra benzoin (Styrax benzoin) as distinct products: Sumatra benzoin is dominated by cinnamic acid and its esters, Siam by benzoic acid and its esters. dsm-firmenich lists a Benzoin Sumatra resinoid. A supplier description records its odour as warm, powdery, sweet and balsamic, used mostly as a fixative.

Leading note

Warm balsam

Clear facets

Cinnamic

Supporting facets

Powdery

Character

Warm, tenacious

• balsamic
• cinnamic
• sweet
• powdery
• warm

What makes Benzoin Sumatra Resinoid distinctive

The cinnamic benzoin: drier and less vanillic than Siam.

Where the descriptions disagree: An older herbal text calls Sumatra benzoin less agreeable than Siam; modern perfumery descriptions describe it as warmer and more cinnamic.

How Benzoin Sumatra Resinoid is used

Used as a balsamic fixative in amber, resinous and oriental bases.

Typical role: fixative (slow to evaporate; helps a blend last and holds lighter notes); blender (smooths the joins between other materials).

Formulation considerations

A different species and product from Siam benzoin; the two are not interchangeable one for one. Commonly supplied in a solvent: check its strength. Cinnamic derivatives can be sensitizers; follow the SDS.

Identity and classification

Type

Resinoid

Origin

Natural

Odour family

Amber / Resinous

Note position

Base note

Physical form at room temperature

Viscous liquid

Also known as

Benzoin Sumatra

Botanical source

Styrax benzoin

No CAS number is shown: suppliers use different identifiers for this material, and none could be confirmed as its own.

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

• Benzoin Resinoid (Siam)

  Resinoid · Amber / Gourmand — vanillic, balsamic, sweet, warm

• Labdanum Absolute

  Absolute · Amber / Leather — amber, balsamic, leathery, animalic

• Vanillin

  Aroma chemical · Gourmand / Amber — vanilla, sweet, creamy

Used in formulas and accords

Not currently used in any published formula.

The Formula & Accord Library lists Benzoin Sumatra Resinoid here as soon as a published formula, accord or base uses it.

Further reading

• Building an Amber Accord: Labdanum, Balsams and Vanilla

  What amber means in perfumery (not ambergris, not fossil amber), its building blocks, an illustrative accord, and practical issues of color and sweetness.

Questions about Benzoin Sumatra Resinoid

Sources

• FAO — Gum benzoin (Non-wood forest products 6) — published literature.
• dsm-firmenich — Benzoin Sumatra Res PE 915034 — manufacturer's description.
• ChemicalBook — Benzoin Sumatra resinoid — odour database.
• Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 4 November 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.