- Latin name
- Pistacia lentiscus
- Family
- Cashew family (Anacardiaceae)
- Origin
- the Mediterranean (Chios, Corsica, Morocco)
- Parts used
- leaves, twigs; resin (mastic)
- Raw materials
- essential oil, mastic absolute
- Extraction
- steam distillation, extraction
- Olfactory group
- aromatic, resinous
- Position in the pyramid
- heart and base
- Synthetic substitutes
- alpha-pinene, resinous bases
Lentisk (the mastic tree) is an evergreen Mediterranean shrub, a relative of the pistachio. It yields two perfumery materials: an oil from the leaves and twigs, and mastic — a fragrant resin gathered as “tears” from the trunks on the Greek island of Chios.
How it smells: resinous, fresh and green: piney resin, a light citrus and balsamic shade, a faintly salty breath of the seashore. Lentisk smells like the sunny Mediterranean maquis above the sea.
Mastic is one of humanity's oldest chewing gums: it was chewed in ancient Greece to freshen the breath. Its resinous, slightly piney aroma is still recognisable today in Greek sweets and mastiha liqueur.
What it pairs with: with myrtle and cypress — the Corsican maquis, with frankincense — bright resinous compositions, with lemon and bergamot — Mediterranean freshness, with marine notes — coastal fragrances, with fig — warm summer compositions.
Good to know: true Chios mastic has a protected origin: the trees in the south of the island give a resin that is not harvested in such quantities anywhere else in the world.
