In short
Myrrh oil is distilled from the resin of Commiphora myrrha. It is a warm, bitter, balsamic resin note.
What Myrrh Oil smells like
Myrrh is warm-balsamic and sweet, somewhat spicy-aromatic, sharp or pungent when fresh but never turpentine-like, in Arctander's description of the crude resin as quoted by Scentspiracy. The oil is warm-spicy, often with a peculiar sharp-balsamic, slightly medicinal top note. A PerfumersWorld-style entry lists balsamic, spicy, camphoraceous, rich, medicinal and warm; Firmenich's sheet emphasises sweetness, amber and liquorice-like undertones.
- Leading note
- Warm balsamic resin
- Clear facets
- Spicy
- Supporting facets
- Medicinal, sharp
- Faint facets
- Liquorice, amber, camphoraceous
- Character
- Warm, sharp, rich
What makes Myrrh Oil distinctive
A warm, spicy balsam with a medicinal sharpness — darker and more bitter than frankincense.
Where the descriptions disagree: Arctander and suppliers stress warm, sweet balsam; some glossaries stress bitterness and medicinal notes.
How Myrrh Oil is used
Used in incense, oriental, amber and chypre compositions, and in traditional preparations.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend); fixative (slow to evaporate; helps a blend last and holds lighter notes).
How Myrrh Oil differs from similar materials
- Frankincense Oil (Olibanum)
- Frankincense is fresher, lemony and terpenic; myrrh is warmer, more balsamic and sharper-medicinal. (compared directly by a cited source)
- Opoponax Oil
- A forum perfumer finds opoponax powdery, sweet and woody-rooty, and myrrh spicier, without the rooty note. (compared directly by a cited source)
- Myrrh Resinoid
- Myrrh resinoid is the deeper, richer extract, balsamic with amber and liquorice facets.
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
Viscous; may thicken further with age. Commiphora species have been listed in CITES Appendix II since March 5, 2026, and the listing covers essential oils, so importing or exporting the bulk oil needs CITES documents.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Essential oil
- Origin
- Natural
- Odour family
- Resinous / Spicy
- Note position
- Base note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Viscous liquid
- Botanical source
- Commiphora myrrha (T.Nees) Engl.
- CAS number
- 8016-37-3
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
CITES: Commiphora spp. (listed from March 5, 2026) is listed in Appendix II. Extracts, including resins, gums and essential oils, and powder, except finished retail products such as perfumes. Checked on Species+ on 11 October 2026; see CITES and perfume materials.
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
-
Opoponax Oil
Essential oil · Resinous / Amber — balsamic, sweet, warm, honeyed
-
Labdanum Absolute
Absolute · Amber / Leather — amber, balsamic, leathery, animalic
Myrrh Oil is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Mastic Oil and Myrrh Resinoid.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 4 published formulas
Myrrh Oil is an ingredient in 4 perfume formulas in the Formula & Accord Library.
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Myrrh Oil
Is Myrrh Oil natural or synthetic?
Myrrh 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 Myrrh Oil?
8016-37-3, 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 Myrrh Oil?
Myrrh Oil is used in 4 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Citrus Censer, Dune Spice Market and Myrrh Lantern. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — substance 135326586, checked 19 October 2026.
- CITES — Species+, checked 11 October 2026.
- Scentspiracy — Myrrh (quoting Arctander) — distributor's description.
- The Good Scents Company — myrrh oil — odour database.
- Basenotes — Opopanax (forum, comparing myrrh) — published perfumery reference.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 24 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.