Elemi
Fresh lemon peel, piney incense, and a light peppery resin warmth.
You may know it from freshly opened pine resin
Where it comes from
Steam-distilled from resin tapped from the Philippine elemi tree.
Botanical name: Canarium luzonicum
About elemi
Elemi is the oleoresin of Canarium luzonicum, a large evergreen tree native to the Philippines that grows to about 30 m. It belongs to the Burseraceae, the family that also gives frankincense and myrrh. Production is still centred in the Philippines, and ScenTree puts the yield of a single tree at up to 5 kg of resin a year. The tree is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.
Perfume was never its main trade. Commercially the resin has gone chiefly into varnishes and lacquers, and into certain printing inks. The Premiere Peau glossary says Manila elemi entered European pharmacopoeias only after Magellan's 1521 arrival in the Philippines.
In a formula it works as a bridge. Perfumers place it between the top and the heart, linking citrus to resin, and it is classed as a head-volatility material with spicy, cool-spice, incense, zesty and citric facets. The smell opens sharp, citric and peppery, then settles into a woody-balsamic dry-down once the light terpenes fade. Solvent extraction of the resin gives a resinoid, which is thicker, more balsamic and more tenacious than the distilled oil.
ScenTree calls elemi the main source of natural elemol, a woody sesquiterpene alcohol. It lists uses in fougere, eau fraiche, coniferous, spicy and amber work, and suggests the oil as an interesting replacement for frankincense or pink pepper oil. ScenTree also notes no IFRA restriction on the oil under the 51st amendment. The oil contains a little elemicin, which can cause irritation in high doses.
Accords it shows up in
How many of the fragrances listing Elemi in our catalogue also carry each accord. We counted this ourselves.
Often paired with
The notes that appear next to Elemi most often in our catalogue.
Well-known fragrances with Elemi
Fragrances that list it in their notes, most-rated first.
Houses that use it most
Ranked by how many of their well-known fragrances list Elemi.