- Latin name
- Amyris balsamifera
- Family
- Rue family (Rutaceae)
- Origin
- Haiti, Jamaica, Venezuela
- Parts used
- wood
- Raw materials
- essential oil
- Extraction
- steam distillation of the wood
- Olfactory group
- woody (balsamic)
- Position in the pyramid
- base
- Synthetic substitutes
- sandalwood molecules, woody bases
Amyris is a small tree from the Caribbean islands, often called “West Indian sandalwood”, although it has nothing to do with true sandalwood: it is a relative of citrus.
How it smells: soft, woody and balsamic, with a light sandalwood, faintly honeyed and resinous shade. Amyris sounds quiet, warm and very even, without bright accents.
Amyris oil is an affordable alternative to sandalwood and an excellent fixative: it prolongs other notes and adds a soft woody warmth to the base, so it is often used beneath sandalwood accords.
What it pairs with: with sandalwood — a creamy woody base, with vanilla — warm sweet wood, with rose and jasmine — a floral base, with incense — resinous-woody compositions, with citrus — fresh wood.
Good to know: amyris wood is so resinous that it was once used for torches — hence one of its English names, torchwood.
