When writing about the Cymbopogons last week, I should have
mentioned my old post on Cymbopogon validus, aka African bluegrass, yet another
one of the grasses that yield perfumery materials. It’s an excellent material
that is hardly ever used, but it’s in a few of my perfume formulas, especially
the Devil Scent series. The oil gets better with age, as I found out after
getting a new batch that smelled “raw”.
It needs to sit for a year or more to mellow, so I’ll always have one
bottle to use and one to age.
I thought about where to go from the Cymbopogons, and
decided to stick with the “green” theme until I exhaust it.
One natural material that’s always thought of as “green” is
galbanum, although I think that reputation comes from the fact that it is often
combined with other “green” materials, as in the famous Balmain Vent Vert,
which dates back to the mid 1940s.
Incidentally, I just obtained a vintage Vent Vert mini from the 1950s or
early 60s, and it smells absolutely amazing, nothing like the current version.
Galbanum comes from a plant that looks like a giant fennel
plant, Ferula galbaniflua (also called Ferula
gummosa), native to Iran and other parts of the Middle East. The galbanum
essential oil I have comes from Turkey. The essential oil is distilled from a
resin exuded from cracks in the mature stems of the plant. For many thousands
of years galbanum has been burned as incense, so it has a long history of use
in scent-making. To me, galbanum essential oil smells more bitter-resinous than
green, so it’s useful for giving scents a bitter-woody, almost mineral-like
note that lasts pretty much throughout. I have heard the scent of galbanum
described as being like old cigarette ashes, and I can sort of see their point,
but it’s cleaner. It would be a good addition to any perfume that aimed to
recreate a landscape with semi-dry grass, bark, and stones. I don’t know why I
don’t use it more because, wearing pure galbanum oil, I really like it. 
Ferula asafoetida is a relative of galbanum, but with a
different scent entirely, made from the sap exuded by the root of the plant,
which also looks like a giant version of fennel. The smell of the resin is
completely unique, and is used mainly in Indian cuisine, where it is known as
“hing”, and in Ayurvedic medicine for a variety of purposes. I like to use hing
in cooking, partly because I like the flavor and partly because it enhances the
effect of other spices. There is an essential oil of asafetida, but its use in
perfume is extremely limited. I tried to use it in one perfume, in extremely
diluted form, but no matter how little I added it ended up hijacking the
fragrance and I gave up. I may give it another go at some point, but for now
the oil is sequestered in a double plastic bag to prevent it spreading to other
things.
Do you like galbanum as a perfume note and, if so, what is
your favorite scent that contains galbanum?
I always thought that galbanum was a haughty fragrance, very difficult to approach. It is the No. 19 in EdT and Silences Jacomo where it can be found as dominant note, in Untitled by Margiela is almost pure but these are the only examples I know, all the others are compositions with galbanum in accompaniment, always some very fresh green fragrance.
ReplyDeleteThe only one I like is L'Eau de Nercisse Bleu by Hermes(Ellena), the galbanum's bitterness is mixed with a very-very powdery, milky, musky notes who created a remarkable contrast that I find just sublime.
Frederic, I have not tried Hermes "'Eau de Narcisse Bleu, but will have to do so!
DeleteHi Ellen,
ReplyDeleteGalbanum is one of my favorite notes. I also remember the plant and the flowers from the old days in Iran.
Azar
Azar, of course there would have been galbanum in Iran! like galbanum, but I like mastic better. The effect is similar.
DeleteI love galbanum! I admit I've never worn it as a single note; perhaps I should try that. To me it seems like it's necessary as the bottom of a green scent.
ReplyDeleteIs 'hing' the same stuff called 'devil's dung'?
Laurie, yes, hing is also called "devil's dung". The smell of frying hing is uniquely delicious! I hadn't worn galbanum as a single note until I was doing research for this post, but I really enjoyed it. You should try it!
DeleteGalbanum and hing smell too sulfurous for me, though my first big perfume love was Cristalle. A smidge of galbanum cools a scent, and I do like that effect. My DH doesn't get the sulfur at all, so he loves them. I think it's a genetic thing, like our perception of the odor of cilantro. To some it smells gross and soapy, to others, like me, delightfully green and fragrant. Like you all, I too love mastic, so much so I made a cologne centered on the note, yum!
ReplyDeleteMarla, it's true that galbanum and hing have that sulfurous note (especially hing), but so do eggs and some cheeses, and a lot of other things that we eat. To me, it's not a deal-breaker. I love the smell of cilantro! I can understand why people thing it smells like lemon-scented dishwashing soap, but again, that's not off-putting to me when it's in food. Did you send me a sample of your mastic cologne?
DeleteOne of my favorite vintage perfumes is Vol de Nuit. I read somewhere that it was heavily reliant on galbanum. Interestingly, I can not abide Chanel No 19 which is also suppose to have a high concentration of galbanum. However, I've only tried non vintage versions of the Chanel.
ReplyDeleteAnne, I think you'll find that vintage versions of all the old, famous perfumes are vastly different from the modern reformulations and usually much better. I was absolutely blown away when I smelled vintage Vent Vert.
DeleteSorry for reading this only now. But hing in fragrance? In its raw form? I HAVE to appreciate your urge to try it out. We use vanilla, lemon, cinnamon, vetiver in food and scents. So yeah....I agree, why not hing?!
ReplyDelete