Useful in brown notes and vanilla. Flavor creation of brown notes, red fruits
Benzoin is a gum derived from the bark of different tree species found in Southeast Asia. dsm-firmenich sources its benzoin from the Styrax Tonkinensis tree to harvest Siam benzoin in Laos and from the Styrax Benzoin tree for the Sumatra variety in Indonesia. Collectors make incisions in the bark and outer layers of the trunk. After about 6 months, the dried bark offers benzoin fragments collected with heavy hand tools in the shape of “tears”. The resulting benzoin resinoids are too thick for direct use in perfumery, so they are usually diluted in a solvent (at the request of some customers, 100% pure benzoin crystals / absolutes can be prepared).
Indonesia
Benzoin comes from the area of Dolok Sanggul in North Sumatra, Indonesia. Local tappers often climb high up in the trees to incise the trunk and collect the hardened resin. They clean and filter it to remove dust and debris before drying it and grading it. The Benzoin is then sent to a dsm-firmenich factory or to one of our specialist suppliers for further purification and extraction.