Resins: Labanum
In her excellent book, Plant Resins: Chemistry, Evolution, Ecology, and Ethnobotany Jean H. Langenheim defines resins as “…primarily a lipid-soluble mixture of volatile and nonvolatile terpenoid and/or phenolic secondary compounds that are (1) usually secreted in specialized structures located either internally or on the surface of the plants and (2) of potential significance in ecological interactions.” In other words, they are those sharply-fragranced, sticky globs of stuff clinging to a conifer, glistening on a cannabis bud, or hardening on the trunk of a frankincense tree. Our love affair with aromatic resins likely began very early in our history, whether by simply burning resinous wood or using lumps of resin in ceremonies as incense. It is certainly apparent in the insect world where bees use resins in their nests for construction and defense against fungus and where Euglossine bees make perfume from scented resins. The regular use of resins over time by bees is indicated by their presence in the fossilized resin we know as amber. Resin is usually pre-formed by the plant and stored in specialized structures for secretion but can also be spontaneously induced due to injury. It is interesting that Langenheim specifically refers to ecological interactions of resins. While we may generally think of pines and other conifers as resin-producing plants, broad-leaved plants like cannabis and members of the Burseraceae family that contains frankincense, myrrh, and copal also produce resins.
Cistus flower
Labdanum is a resinous product of the Mediterranean shrub Cistus ladanifer, aka rock rose, and is most often available for perfumery as a solvent-extracted absolute from the plant, however, the gummy resin was traditionally combed from the beards of goats that grazed on the hot, dry hillsides.
Cistus plants grow in an environment that is hot and dry in the summers, often harshly so, and the leaves are covered with resin-secreting trichomes. In this instance, resin provides protection from sun and dry, hot summers. An amber-colored absolute, labdanum is a thick and viscous aromatic with a deep and ancient fragrance that is resinous, rich, earthy, and uniquely incensy. Terpenes are the main constituents of both essential oil and absolute. The fragrance of both essential oil and absolute are somewhat alike and share some similarities with the musky notes of ambergris. It is, however, the dark and mysterious stickiness of the absolute that is most often used in perfumery and it contains some larger, smoother-smelling molecules such as phenols that are extracted along with waxes in a solvent extraction. Phenolic components of resins that occur on the surface of plant structures may be protective in nature, including in cistus plants.
Labdanum Drops
My first experience of the smell of labdanum absolute is entirely owing to my course in natural perfumery with Mandy Aftel, who recommends a set of essential oils and absolutes to her students. The first step in perfumery is to know your ingredients intimately and deeply, teaching your nose to recognize a wide variety of fragrances. I gathered the various little amber bottles in my beginner’s collection and worked my way through some familiar aromatics like citruses and woods and then came to the little bottle marked ‘labdanum’ and took a sniff.
Before I go on, I ask you to think back to when you smelled something entirely new to your nose and brain, something for which you had no words, something that perhaps opened a new path for you. My sniff took me deep into the mystery of complex resinous-but-not-resinous, mysterious and indescribable labdanum. Although it was over 15 years ago, I remember the sensory overload and yet the feeling of “I get this!” My love for labdanum only increased as I found it to be an essential ingredient in the amber bases I use for my perfumes. Long-lasting, balsamic, caramel-like with subtle notes of complex vanilla, and enticingly, mysteriously attractive, amber is amazing as a perfume fades down to those last base notes on the skin that can haunt you for the rest of the day and into the evening.
If you have smelled labdanum in any form, how would you describe the scent?
Do you have a favorite amber fragrance, and does it have that hint of deep mystery to it?
Describe an evocative fragrance that has deep meaning for you.
I began writing about aromatics just over 11 years ago and began with an ancient and iconic group, resins, and came back to the subject in writing my book. Scent: A Natural History of Fragrance begins with fire and smoke, exemplified by the resins. So many thanks are owed to Michelyn Camen of ÇaFleureBon (cafleurebon.com) for inspiring me and supporting me as I began my writing journey. Michelyn was patient and thorough in helping me to find a voice that imparted information and data on so many fascinating aromatic compounds and families but that was also a voice that inspired readers to understand the appeal.
