Elemi Resinoid

What Elemi Resinoid smells like

Scentspiracy, listing a Firmenich product, describes elemi resinoid as fresh, terpenic and spicy-peppery with a lemon nuance and a woody-balsamic drydown, a pale yellow semi-solid used as a fixative. Première Peau describes the resinoid, made by solvent extraction of the crude resin, as thicker, more balsamic and more tenacious than the distilled oil. Parchem's specification gives the odour as fresh, terpeney, peppery, lemony, woody and balsamic.

Leading note

Lemony, peppery resin

Clear facets

Balsamic

Supporting facets

Woody, terpenic

Character

Fresh, tenacious

• lemony
• peppery
• balsamic
• resinous
• woody
• fresh

What makes Elemi Resinoid distinctive

Elemi's citrus-pepper brightness, held in a balsamic resin rather than given off by a volatile oil.

Where the descriptions disagree: Scentspiracy and Première Peau describe a solvent extract (acetone or hexane); Parchem describes the non-volatile residue of distillation. Scentspiracy gives the resinoid CAS 9000-75-3, Parchem 8023-89-0, and Première Peau gives 9000-75-3 to the crude gum and 8023-89-0 to the oil.

How Elemi Resinoid is used

Scentspiracy names it a fixative for cologne, citrus, spice and aromatic fougère compositions that also brightens them; Première Peau gives elemi the roles of modifier, blender and freshness.

Typical role: fixative (slow to evaporate; helps a blend last and holds lighter notes); modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).

How Elemi Resinoid differs from similar materials

Elemi Oil*

Première Peau describes the resinoid as thicker, more balsamic and more tenacious than the distilled oil, which is lighter, fresher and more citrus-piney. (compared directly by a cited source)

An asterisk marks a difference that a cited source states directly. The others compare the published descriptions of each material. Smell varies with grade, supplier and dilution; compare them side by side on blotters before substituting one for another.

Formulation considerations

Sources disagree on how it is made — a solvent extract of the crude resin, or the non-volatile residue left after distilling it — and on its CAS number (9000-75-3 or 8023-89-0, which another record gives to elemi oil), so none is given here. Première Peau lists methyl eugenol and elemicin among elemi's constituents; methyl eugenol is restricted by IFRA, so check the supplier's analysis.

Identity and classification

Type

Resinoid

Origin

Natural

Odour family

Resinous / Citrus

Note position

Heart to base note

Physical form at room temperature

Semi-solid

Also known as

Manila elemi resinoid

Botanical source

Canarium luzonicum (Blume) A.Gray

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

• Elemi Oil

  Essential oil · Resinous / Citrus — resinous, lemony, peppery, fresh

• Frankincense Oil (Olibanum)

  Essential oil · Resinous / Citrus — incense, resinous, lemony, smoky

• Lemon Oil (Cold-Pressed)

  Essential oil · Citrus / Aldehydic — citrus, sharp, zesty, juicy

Used in formulas and accords

Used in 1 published formula

Elemi Resinoid is an ingredient in 1 accord in the Formula & Accord Library.

• Honeyed Rose Accord

  Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Elemi Resin”

Further reading

• Incense and Resins in Perfumery: Olibanum, Myrrh and Balsams

  Olibanum, myrrh, elemi, labdanum, benzoin, balsams and styrax: their characters, incense accord styles, viscosity, haze, color and restrictions.

Questions about Elemi Resinoid

Sources

• Scentspiracy — Elemi Resinoid — distributor's description.
• Première Peau — Elemi — published perfumery reference.
• Parchem — Elemi resinoid — distributor's description.
• 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.