RUŌOD Lab

Galbanum Oil

Essential oil · Green / Resinous

green, sharp, bitter, resinous — top note.

Aroma illustration for Galbanum Oil: green leaves and drops of golden resin, for its galbanum, green and resinous notes. It illustrates smell associations, not the material or its source.Illustration of yellowish galbanum gum-resin tears beneath finely divided green leaves.
Aroma View: an illustration of what Galbanum Oil smells like (galbanum, green, resinous), drawn by RUŌOD Lab — not its appearance or its source.An original illustration of the botanical source by RUŌOD Lab — not a photograph of the material.
Images

By the RUŌOD Lab TeamRevision 1Updated

In short

Galbanum oil is distilled from the gum-resin of Ferula gummosa from Iran. It is one of the most intense green naturals in perfumery.

What Galbanum Oil smells like

Galbanum oil is one of the most intensely green materials in perfumery: very powerful, sharp and bitter, often likened to sliced green bell peppers, snapped stems and hyacinth leaves. Beneath the green it has a resinous, woody-balsamic body, and the distilled oil carries a pine-like top note that the resinoid lacks. Distributors describe a metallic edge to the opening and a drift towards the balsamic base as it dries down. Much of its character comes from trace constituents: Perfumer & Flavorist identifies 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine and an undecatriene as the most important contributors to its harsh green note.

Leading note
Sharp green, like cut green pepper
Clear facets
Resinous, woody-balsamic
Supporting facets
Bitter, pine-like top
Faint facets
Metallic, hyacinth leaf
Character
Sharp, bitter, green, powerful
  • green
  • sharp
  • bitter
  • resinous

What makes Galbanum Oil distinctive

It is a natural green with weight. Synthetic galbanum-type materials such as allyl amyl glycolate add fruit; galbanum oil instead pairs its cut-pepper greenness with a resinous, balsamic body, which is why it reads as a living plant rather than as fruit or grass.

Concentration and dilution

Very powerful; its green dominates at full strength. Distributors describe the sharp, metallic green fading over time into a woody-balsamic, resinous drydown.

How Galbanum Oil is used

Used for green tops and green-floral and green-chypre structures, where a small amount gives a bitter, leafy edge. It is frequently adulterated with pine oil, so its quality is worth checking.

Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).

How Galbanum Oil differs from similar materials

Allyl Amyl Glycolate
Allyl amyl glycolate is a synthetic galbanum-type note with pineapple fruit attached; galbanum oil is resinous and balsamic beneath its green, with no fruit.
Cyclogalbanate
Cyclogalbanate gives a herbal, cool galbanum effect with a pineapple side; galbanum oil is sharper, more bitter and more resinous.
Dynascone
Dynascone is a far more powerful synthetic with a hyacinth and green-pineapple character; galbanum oil is the natural, resinous green it is designed to recall.
2-Isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine
The pyrazine is one of galbanum oil's own key trace constituents — the raw green-pepper note on its own, without the resin, pine and balsamic body of the oil.
Stemone
Stemone is a lighter fig-leaf and ivy green that one supplier says can partly replace galbanum oil; galbanum is sharper, bitter and resinous.

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

Powerful; small amounts dominate a blend.

Identity and classification

Type
Essential oil
Origin
Natural
Odour family
Green / Resinous
Note position
Top note
Physical form at room temperature
Liquid
Botanical source
Ferula gummosa Boiss.
CAS number
8023-91-4

The CAS number was checked on 19 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

Galbanum Oil is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Acetaldehyde Ethyl Phenylethyl Acetal, Anther, Dynascone, Galbanum Resinoid, Glycolierral and Isocyclocitral.

Used in formulas and accords

Used in 11 published formulas

Galbanum Oil is an ingredient in 10 perfume formulas and 1 accord in the Formula & Accord Library.

RUŌOD House Originals

Original compositions by RUŌOD House.

Further reading

Questions about Galbanum Oil

Is Galbanum Oil natural or synthetic?

Galbanum Oil is natural. It is a volatile oil obtained from plant material by steam distillation or, for citrus peels, by cold expression.

What is the CAS number of Galbanum Oil?

8023-91-4, the registry number for the essential oil as a substance rather than a single molecule. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.

Which published formulas use Galbanum Oil?

Galbanum Oil is used in 11 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Bracken Moon, Galbanum Courtyard and Green Fig Shade. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.

Sources

Your own records, next to the reference

Keep your own record of Galbanum Oil — supplier, cost, stock, dilutions and where it is used — in RUŌOD Lab's material library.

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