5 min read

Extraordinary Cistus – The Plant at the Heart of Amber

Written By: Robin Lander

The beautiful flowering shrub Cistus, or Rock Rose, is native to the Mediterranean where it thrives in the wild along hot, dry, sunny slopes. Resilient and responsive, the plant secretes from its leaves a remarkable, sticky, aromatic gum to help protect from the intense heat. Since antiquity, various extracts of Cistus have been used extensively in cosmetics, incense, and perfumery to impart rich, suave sweetness, natural animalic undertones, and deep resinous, Amber-like qualities.

Cistus extractions are at the heart of most Amber ‘base accords’ – an artfully formulated blend of essences that form the foundation of an aromatic composition. In perfumery, the term “Amber” refers to a blend of aromas based on traditional incense and perfumery of ancient Arabia. Amber accords are warm, animalic, resinous, powdery and sensual, and typically include Cistus extractions combined with aromas such as Vanilla, Patchouli, Benzoin, Liquidambar, and Agarwood. Once formulated, Amber accords can be layered with florals, woods, citruses and spices to create rich, unique, and exotic Amber compositions.

Produced through steam distillation or solvent extraction, Cistus extracts can be created by using the leaves and stems, or by using only their resinous gum, known as Labdanum. Deeply complex in aroma and effect, Cistus extracts are prized for their excellent fixative value, helping to increase the longevity of perfume aromas, particularly in Amber accords, floral compositions, and leathery, animalic bases. Read on to learn about our various offerings from this laudable aromatic plant, including our new Cistus Absolute, Fractionated.

Cistus Absolute, Fractionated

Cistus Absolute, Fractionated has a sweet, deep, amber resinous aroma with nuances reminiscent of Frankincense, dried fruit, caramel and tobacco, and woody and mineral notes in the long drydown. This special offering for natural perfumers is created through a proprietary solvent extraction process at our production facility in southern France. Through fractionation technology, we’re able to highlight specific deep, sweet ambery notes found in Cistus that offer unique facets for Amber accords, chypre, animalic, and fantasy perfume compositions. Compared to our Labdanum – Clear, it is much sweeter, more resinous, and even more tenacious, with the added benefit of being an easy to work with, soluble, mobile liquid.

Cistus – Organic Essential Oil

Steam distilled Cistus – Organic essential oil has a deep, warm, sweet balsamic, almost boozy aroma with leather and animalic/musky nuances reminiscent of true Labdanum. Using the whole stems and leaves, the aroma is fresher, more diffusive and less sweet than Cistus Absolute, and with more herbaceous and resinous complexity than Labdanum. As with Labdanum, Cistus essential oil is also considered a substitute for Ambergris (a traditional aromatic expelled from sperm whales) and, in combination with Ambrette, a substitute for true Musk (from musk deer).[1]  Cistus essential oil is also a valuable ingredient in cosmetics where it provides skin conditioning, clarifying and astringent benefits for oily, congested, or mature skin.

Labdanum Absolute – Clear

Labdanum Absolute – Clear is extremely tenacious and has a powerful, deep, rich, sweet balsamic aroma with a faint herbaceous nuance and a persistent ambergris-like backnote. Obtained by solvent extraction of only the oleoresin – the gum that has been exuded from the stems and leaves – Labdanum is a legendary perfume ingredient used extensively in perfumery for its excellent fixative value and to impart a rich, suave sweetness and natural, leathery undertones. Resembling Ambergris, and essential to Chypre blends, perfumer Alec Lawless opined that "If you pick only one balsamic fixative, this has got to be it."[2] Like the gum itself, Labdanum Absolute – Clear is a soft, sticky and very viscous material. To make it easier to work with, we also offer our Labdanum Absolute, Clear – 10%, a pre-diluted blend of 10% Labdanum Absolute, Clear in 90% Sunflower Seed Oil.

Dynamone

Dynamone Extract has an exceptionally smooth, deep amber-balsamic aroma highlighted by mineral and metallic notes and a resinous, animalic and leathery backnote. Created for natural perfumers through our proprietary solvent extraction process, the resulting specialty extract brings through the most sensual and refined elements of the Cistus plant and its aromatic resin, Labdanum, with incredible smoothness and a silky, shimmering quality. Formulators will enjoy the ease of use of this mobile liquid to help create leather bases and amber compositions and to add metallic notes to their creations.

All Cistus extractions result in intense, complex, powerful aromas that are typically used in very low percentages. Invaluable in perfumery and aromatic blends for their fixative value and irresistible Ambery depth, our Cistus offerings are sure to bring long-lasting and deeply unique warmth to your Amber blends, perfumes, soaps, candles, and aromatic creations.

For a delightfully informative read, please see our article covering our Italian team's Trip to Spain, land of Cistus!

1 Rose, Jeanne. 375 Essential Oils and Hydrosols, 1999, p. 97.

2 Lawless, Alec. Artisan Perfumery or Being Led by the Nose, 2009, p. 70.