In short
Mastic oil is distilled from mastic, the resin of Pistacia lentiscus grown on the Greek island of Chios. It has a fresh, piney and balsamic odour.
What Mastic Oil smells like
Mastic (lentisk) oil differs by source. The leaf and branch oil is earthy, radiant, herbaceous, balsamic and sweetly coniferous-turpentine-like (Eden Botanicals), or very fresh and terpenic, slightly woody and resinous with cypress notes behind (Biolandes); The Good Scents Company lists balsamic, terpenic, green, spicy, juniper and woody. Oil from the hardened resin is clean, balsamic, crisp, dry-woody and pine-needle fresh. A glossary finds the resin closer to pine sap than to church incense.
- Leading note
- Fresh balsamic resin
- Clear facets
- Terpenic, pine
- Supporting facets
- Green, herbaceous, juniper, cypress
- Faint facets
- Spicy
- Character
- Fresh, radiant, clean
What makes Mastic Oil distinctive
A Mediterranean resin that smells of pine sap rather than incense — fresh, green and balsamic.
Concentration and dilution
The green note is strong when first distilled and softens with time, in Eden Botanicals' account.
How Mastic Oil is used
Used to add naturalness to fougère, cologne and fresh-balsamic compositions.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Mastic Oil differs from similar materials
- Frankincense Oil (Olibanum)
- Frankincense is lemony-fresh with pepper and an incense-like balsamic base; mastic is closer to pine sap, greener and more terpenic. (compared directly by a cited source)
- Cypress Oil
- Cypress is drier and smokier; mastic is fresher and more balsamic-green, with cypress only in the background.
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.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Essential oil
- Origin
- Natural
- Odour family
- Resinous / Aromatic
- Note position
- Top to heart note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Also known as
- Lentisk resin oil
- Botanical source
- Pistacia lentiscus
- CAS number
- 61789-92-2
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
Biolandes' safety data sheet for mastic oil gives H226, H302, H304 (aspiration hazard), H315, H317 (skin sensitiser), H400 and H410, with the signal word Danger. An older sheet from the Chios Mastic Growers Association reports no specific hazard known. Products and CAS numbers sold as mastic oil differ, so use the sheet for your material.
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
-
Frankincense Oil (Olibanum)
Essential oil · Resinous / Citrus — incense, resinous, lemony, smoky
-
alpha-Pinene
Aroma chemical · Aromatic / Woody — piney, resinous, fresh, turpentine
-
Elemi Oil
Essential oil · Resinous / Citrus — resinous, lemony, peppery, fresh
-
Myrrh Oil
Essential oil · Resinous / Spicy — resinous, bitter, balsamic, medicinal
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 4 published formulas
Mastic Oil is an ingredient in 3 perfume formulas and 1 accord in the Formula & Accord Library.
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Mastic Oil
Is Mastic Oil natural or synthetic?
Mastic 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 Mastic Oil?
61789-92-2, 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 Mastic Oil?
Mastic Oil is used in 4 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Bright Resin Accord, Citrus Censer and Pine Tar Sauna. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — substance 485460383, checked 19 October 2026.
- Biolandes — Mastic oil safety data sheet (P82411502000) — safety information, read 26 October 2026.
- Chios Mastic Growers Association — Mastic oil safety data sheet — safety information, read 26 October 2026.
- Eden Botanicals — Mastic leaf / branch — distributor's description.
- Biolandes — Mastic — manufacturer's description.
- The Good Scents Company — mastic oil — odour database.
- Premiere Peau — Mastic or lentisque — published perfumery reference.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 21 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.