What does Peru Balsam smell like?
Peru balsam smells of dark vanilla, soft cinnamon and warm wood. There is also a balsamic, almost boozy side that recalls rum. The whole is drier than pure vanilla and less smoky than benzoin. In perfume it never shouts. It thickens a base and gives it a velvety texture. On skin it lasts for hours and melts into sandalwood.
Origin and production
The balsam comes from Myroxylon balsamum var. pereirae, a tall Central American tree. Production is centred in El Salvador. The name comes from Callao in Peru, the port the Spanish shipped it from. The bark is cut and heated, then the resin is soaked up with rags. The IFRA bans the crude balsam in perfumery because of its allergy potential. Perfumers use permitted extracts or distillates instead.
How perfumers use it
Peru balsam works in the base with vanilla, benzoin and sandalwood. It also rounds out white flowers. Guerlain Nahéma (1979) sets it under a thick rose. By the Fireplace (2015) mixes it with smoky notes and chestnut to suggest a log fire. Tom Ford Velvet Orchid (2014) pairs it with honey and rum. Louis Vuitton Heures d'Absence (2020) uses it with more restraint, under mimosa.
How to wear it
Peru balsam belongs to November through February, ideally at night. Two sprays of By the Fireplace on a wool scarf last all day.