Labdanum

Labdanum

Cistus ladanifer

Base note Resinous & amber Smoky & leather Absolute / CO2

Deep, sweet and balsamic with leathery, ambery and slightly animalic facets. It's the backbone of most classic amber accords.

Made from: Extracted from the sticky resin on the leaves and twigs of rock rose, usually by boiling the plant material and then solvent-extracting it into a thick absolute.
Strength: ●●●●● a little goes a long way
Cost: Pricey
Moods: Sensual Cozy Grounding
Seasons: Autumn, Winter
Rooms: Living room, Bedroom

Blend with it

Cautions

Discolors soap or wax (usually tan to dark brown)

No special cautions at normal use; follow the supplier's IFRA certificate.

How it behaves

CandlesGood

Very thick and dark — warm the bottle and pre-blend with lighter oils before adding. A little anchors a whole blend.

Wax meltsGood

Reed diffuserGreat

Pre-dilute in the base; excellent fixative.

Room & linen sprayWorkable

Electric (water) diffuserWorkable

Too viscous for most water diffusers.

Cold-process soapGood

Anchors well but its dark color can tint soap tan.

Melt-and-pour soapGood

Laundry & cleaningWorkable

Pairs well with

Vanilla

Base · Gourmand

Benzoin

Base · Resinous & amber

Frankincense

Base · Resinous & amber

Patchouli

Rose

Middle · Floral

Sandalwood

Oud

Tobacco Leaf

Base · Smoky & leather

Amber

Base · Resinous & amber

Leather

Base · Smoky & leather

Don't have it? Try Amber, Benzoin.

In these blends

Desert Sanctuary

Sage brush and sun-warmed wood at the end of a quiet desert hike.

White Sage · Grapefruit · Lavender · Palo Santo · Bergamot · Labdanum

Top 31% Middle 44% Base 25%

GroundingCalmingSummerAutumn

A little lore

In ancient times labdanum was gathered by combing the sticky resin out of the beards of goats that had grazed on rock rose.