Benzoin Siam Resinoid 50

• 📝 Odor Type — Balsamic Sweet

• 📈 Odor Strength — Persistent for more than 24H.

• 👃🏼 Odor Profile — Balsamic, sweet, soft, delicate, vanillic.

• ⚗️ Uses — In perfumery, benzoin is used as a fixative, slowing the dispersion of essential oils and other fragrance materials into the air.

Whay is Benzoin Siam?

Botanical Name: Styrax Tonkynensis

Siam Benzoin is a natural gum-resin or, more correctly, a “balsamic resin”.
The resin is obtained from the small tree, Styrax Tonkinensis, a native of Indochina (Laos and Tonkin). Other species are known to yield similar gum-resins called Siam benzoin. The balsamic latex flows from wounds in the bark and outer wood where incisions are made deliberately. Benzoin is thus a pathologic product (it does not occur in healthy, unwounded trees). It is furthermore characteristic that not all of the benzoin trees will yield a latex after incisions.

The milky latex solidifies by oxidation and exposure to air and sunlight but when the benzoin is collected, it is already semi-solid, and it soon becomes hard and brittle, yellow-reddish, or orange-colored to pale brown. often translucent (thus different from Sumatra types of benzoin). The name Siam is attached to this type of benzoin merely because of the fact, that the merchandise is often exported Via Siam (Thailand) in transit. Benzoin Siam comes in variable sizes of pebble-like, often tear-shaped pieces, hard and brittle, rarely agglutinated. The individual pieces are yellow-orange or yellowish-brown and a characteristic feature is an almost white or cream-colored fracture. The odor is pleasant, sweet balsamic with a distinct note of vanillin. When chewed Siam benzoin becomes plastic. Its taste is a romantic but somewhat acrid bitter and biting. There are several grades commercially available for Benzoin Siam. “Selected tears” or “tears No. 1” are considered superior for perfumery purposes. Lower grades of “tears” are somewhat darker, and they may have more insoluble matter. ‘Almonds” or “Amygdaloid” forms of Siam Benzoin give a very pale tincture or extract, but these grades are less aromatic than “selected tears”. The best grades of Siam Benzoin contain 95% or even more alcohol-soluble matter. - Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin — S. Arctander (1961)

Olfactive Description

• Balsamic, sweet, soft, delicate, vanillic.

• Specific character: Balsamic

Where it grow:

Benzoin Siam is found across:

• Thailand 🇹🇭

• Laos 🇱🇦

• Cambodia 🇰🇭

• Vietnam 🇻🇳 .  

Method of Extraction:

The resin is given by an incision on the tree. The higher is the incision, most of the product is collectible.

How or when use it:

Benzoin is a common ingredient in incense-making and perfumery because of its sweet vanilla-like aroma and fixative properties. Gum benzoin is a major component of the type of church incense used in Russia and some other Orthodox Christian societies, as well as Western Catholic Churches. Most benzoin is used in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf and India, where it is burned on charcoal as an incense. 

It is also used in the production of Bakhoor (scented wood chips) as well as various mixed resin incense in the Arab countries and the Horn of Africa. Benzoin is also used in blended types of Japanese incense, Indian incense, Chinese incense (known as Anxi Xiang), and Papier d'Arménie as well as incense sticks.

In perfumery, benzoin is used as a fixative, slowing the dispersion of essential oils and other fragrance materials into the air. Benzoin is used in cosmetics, veterinary medicine, and scented candles. It is used as a flavoring in alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, baked goods, chewing gum, frozen dairy, gelatins, puddings, and soft candy.

In the United States, Sumatra benzoin (Styrax benzoin and Styrax paralleoneurus) is more customarily used in pharmaceutical preparations, Siam benzoin (Styrax tonkinensis et al.) in the flavor and fragrance industries. [ Wikipedia – Benzoin ]

Apperance:

• It is a dark orange resin (rock hard)

Chemistry:

• It contains around 1% of vanillin, cinnamyl cinnamate, benzoic acid, and cinnamic acid.
  Unlike Siamese benzoin, Sumatran benzoin contains cinnamic acid in addition to benzoic acid.

Impact:

• Impacts in base note, persistent for more than 24H.