Amber · Natural material · Heart notes, Base notes
Myrrh
Myrrh is a resin from small, thorny Commiphora trees in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, known in Indonesian as mur. It smells bitter, warm and resinous, with an earthy side and a touch of smoke. In perfume, myrrh usually sits in the heart or base and is often paired with incense.
· Written by the FRAG team
What myrrh smells like
Myrrh smells darker and more bitter than frankincense. It opens sharp, a little like balm, then turns into a warm resin with hints of earth, thin smoke and a faint animalic note. After a while on skin, myrrh becomes sweeter and softer.
Myrrh gives a blend an antique feel, like an old wooden cabinet or a room where incense has been burned for years. Because it is not very sweet, myrrh is useful for balancing vanilla and other sweet materials.
Where does myrrh come from?
Myrrh is the gum resin of several Commiphora species, mainly Commiphora myrrha, a small thorny tree that grows in Somalia, Ethiopia, Yemen, Oman and parts of Saudi Arabia. Harvesters cut the bark until the gum bleeds out, and the gum hardens into glossy reddish-brown tears.
For perfume, myrrh tears are steam distilled into an essential oil, or extracted into a resinoid, absolute or CO2 extract that stays closer to the raw resin. Since ancient times, myrrh has been burned as incense and used as a fragrance. It also appears in religious texts, including the story of the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Myrrh in a perfume blend
Myrrh is almost always placed in the heart or base because it evaporates slowly. It adds depth and a bitter edge that balances sweet materials, so the blend does not feel cloying.
The classic partner for myrrh is incense, or frankincense. Myrrh also pairs with benzoin, labdanum and vanilla in amber blends, and with rose and oud in Middle Eastern styles.
When to wear a myrrh perfume
The antique, dense feel of myrrh is at its best in the evening, at formal events or in air-conditioned rooms. For daytime, pick a myrrh blend lifted with citrus or fresh incense and keep it to a spray or two.
