What does Styrax smell like?
Open a bottle of styrax resinoid and the first thing you get is warm rubber. Then comes a cinnamon sweetness and a dried-flower side, close to hyacinth. The base is leathery and slightly tarry. Styrene, which takes its name from this balsam, explains the smoky edge. On skin it softens quickly and gives amber a dark grain that vanilla alone lacks.
Origin and production
Perfumers' styrax does not come from the Styrax genus, which gives benzoin. It comes from sweetgum trees: Liquidambar orientalis in Turkey and Liquidambar styraciflua in Central America. The bark is wounded and the tree oozes a thick balsam that is collected and purified. It is used as a resinoid or a distilled oil. Turkish styrax remains the richest.
How perfumers use it
Styrax is a fixative. It slows evaporation and stretches the base. It gets along with labdanum, vanilla and tobacco. Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan, composed by Christopher Sheldrake in 1993, pairs it with dry herbs in a resinous amber. Maison Margiela Jazz Club uses it for the smoke of a rum bar. Parfums de Marly Hamdani sets it under spiced oud, and Diesel Only The Brave tucks it beneath a sweet leather.
How to wear it
Styrax belongs to winter evenings. One spray at the neck is enough for Ambre Sultan. Midnight in Paris is lighter and can take two.