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Peru Balsam

post #1 of 5
7/4/09 at 11:50am
Thread Starter 
Compiled from the Note Identification Project thread:

Peru Balsam: faint, sweet, pine resin, overrripe peach

Peru Balsam, unknown origin, Eden Botanicals Complex, sweet, woody, dry paper, amber, clashing evergreen or juniper undertones. Im not fond of this one. A bit of urine odor.
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post #2 of 5
1/2/11 at 9:39am
My peru balsam samples come from various essential oil shops, and I am unsure of their origins prior to those shops.

Sticky. No matter where I get my samples from, they are always STICKY. Difficult to work with for that reason, and so the first shop owner I bought from recommended reconstituting in a bit of ethanol.

The smell? Not the kind of balsam-wood smell you get from those pieces of balsam that one can purchase from Hobby Lobby or Michael's craft shops that one could use to made model planes. Deep, sour, smell. Reconstituted it is a little easier on the nose, less sour and dark.

I guess because of the stickiness, it is useful as a base note, lending longevity to lighter more volatile oils.

Still because of its sour smell, I use it sparingly. I am unsure if a higher quality resin would have a less sour smell. Some say it has a vanilla undertone. I guess. Still, its sour nature overpowers whatever vanilla I might enjoy in it. Asha is correct in that it's almost urine-like.
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post #3 of 5
1/13/11 at 5:02pm
i love balsum of peru mixed with benzoin, vanilla and sometimes a touch of labdanum, it extends the vanilla well and anchers the benzoin, but i heat it on a radiator or in hot water to use it as it is so viscous.
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post #4 of 5
5/7/11 at 7:41am
Peru Balsam essential oil, Eden Botanicals: Sweet, mellow and vanilla-like, with a faintness similar to Mysore sandalwood oil (in terms of general performance). It also possesses subtle woody and urinal nuances that don't intrude too much.
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post #5 of 5
1/26/13 at 9:53pm
It's funny that someone should mention "sour". That's exactly how my wife described this.
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