What hides behind galbanum, or Ferula galbaniflua – its latin name – king of green notes, and natural leader of the green olfactive family?

Galbanum is a rare ingredient from Asia Minor, originally only grown in the fascinating country of Iran, gifted with an amazing collar from which a milky gum is collected.

The scent of its essential oil is incredibly unique with a one-of-a-kind green, raw, powdery, spicy, perfume – absolutely inimitable. Some even find it metallic and reminiscent of paint!

Dance to the beat of the green drum and uncover the origins of galbanum!

GALBANUM IN OLFACTIVE STUDIO’S PERFUMES

PANORAMA

Panorama gives a panoramic view of senses starting with its top notes: Galbanum’s verdant facet joins those of a distinctive Wasabi accord, Fig leaf, and Bamboo leaf accords. Perfumer Clément Gavarry calls out on our nose with the terpenes from citrus – Bergamot and Lemon. 

Precious Galbanum, shining in all its splendor, infuses a heart of jade with veins of Cardamom, Violet leaf and a fresh-cut grass accord. Greenness flows through the vegetal facets of these heart notes.

Galbanum can be a crude raw material with sharp angles. Myrrh, Fir Balsam, Patchouli and Labdanum round off its edges… We dive into a warm bed of ambery notes alongside sweet Vanilla, Tonka Bean, and mellow musks.

Panorama invites with its robust and intriguing aroma, to travel into a world of emerald!

 

STILL LIFE

Still life or the most in motion of still lives! Galbanum is the key green ingredient among the fragrance’s top notes. The freshness of Pink Pepper, Black Pepper and Szechuan Pepper, is spiced up in a very peculiar olfactive direction: a spicy-green turn taken with Galbanum!

The herbal gum meets a fellow resinous gum: Elemi – the gum from the trunk of a southern Asian tree – together they bring piquant exoticness to Still Life.

At heart, Galbanum’s vegetal green facet perfectly marries Star Anise's aromatic facet in undoubtable naturalness.

The base of the fragrance features Dark Rum absolute, whose spicy-vanilla facet is highlighted by spicy-ambery Galbanum! Allied to Cedarwood and Ambroxan, this powerful green note gains depth and substance. 

Perfumer Dora Baghriche Still Life’s woody citrus scent embodies contrasts, brimming with vitality and vibrancy!

 

 

GALBANUM IN MODERN PERFUMERY

ALL GREEN EVERYTHING

Galbanum is at the very origin of natural green notes. When composing fragrances, it is associated with violets, iris, hyacinth and narcissus. Emblematic of green florals as well, it is used in the gardenia accord.

The dosage of galbanum within a formula must be extremely precise, as its scent can easily become overwhelming!

 

FELLOW IN(GREEN)DIENTS

 

Fellow natural green notes widely employed in fragrances include blackcurrant bud, narcissus, violet leaf and lentisk. On the synthetic side, you’ll come across molecules such as cis-3-hexenol, triplal, stemone, or styrallyl acetate.

 

EMBLEMATIC GREEN FRAGRANCES

 

VENT VERT

 

The frontrunner of green fragrances is undoubtedly the one and only Vent Vert by Balmain. 

It was created by Germaine Cellier in 1947, one of the few recognized female perfumers of her time. After studying chemistry and working for Roure – a fragrance house – she became the most influential woman-perfumer from that era. 

In this mythical fragrance, galbanum was used as an overdosed ingredient for the first time in the history of perfumery!

BANDIT

Bandit by Robert Piguet was also composed by Germaine Cellier a few years earlier – in 1944 – a daring chypre-floral with strong notes among which galbanum is found.

 

CHANEL N°19

Chanel n°19, named after Gabrielle Chanel’s birth date on August 19th was composed in 1970 by perfumer Henri Robert. This feminine floral-green fragrance is one of the most all-time famous green fragrances on the market! 

 

CRISTALLE

Henri Robert strikes again for the famous luxury house, and creates Cristalle – an eau de toilette – in 1974. The citrus-aromatic fragrance is filled with green notes, from basil to galbanum, including green petitgrain.

UPRISING AND DOWNFALL

 

Galbanum was very important in the 80s: up to 150 tons a year were used at the time!

After the revolution in Iran, access to the raw material and its supply became very limited, explaining the decline of the green perfumes tendency.

 

A FIERY ESSENTIAL OIL 

 

You probably have understood it by now, galbanum belongs to the green olfactory family. It’s often described as a terpenic, ambery, spicy, balsamic, raw, intense, vegetable-like, paint-like, scent. 

Regarding its volatility within a perfume, it’s both a top and heart note.

 

GROWING REGIONS

• Iran
• Afghanistan
• Lebanon 
• Turkey 
• Middle East

Galbanum is a dry product, the gum is processed in Europe. The essence is a very pale green liquid after undergoing steam distillation. A resinoid can also be obtained by extraction with a volatile solvent.

 

MAIN CONSTITUENTS

 

• Terpenes in general
• Limonene
• Alpha and beta pinene 
• Delta-3-Carene
• Galbanolene

 

Galbanolene is commonly also called undecatriene. Though present only in traces, it’s the key component that grants galbanum its singular spicy green scent – along with pyrazines!

Galbanum is restricted by the IFRA (International Fragrance Association) and does contain some allergens such as linalool.

 

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

 

It’s not the cheapest raw material out there! The ingredient’s price reaches about 300 euros per kilogram for the essence, and 150 euros per kilogram for the resinoid.

 

A PERSIAN STORY

In Iran, the species flourishes on the inclines of the northern mountain ranges.

Endemic to the country, the galbanum employed in perfumery is also called “soft galbanum” or “Persian galbanum”.

 

GALBANUM BOTANICUM

 

Ferula galbaniflua or Ferula gummosa, both refer to the same species of the Apiaceae family – to which also belong carrots, parsley, or celery.

The herbaceous plant consists of a shrub that grows wild in desert areas. The gum contained in its collar is the part treated.

In botany, the collar of a plant is the "transition zone between the aerial and underground parts of a plant, generally located at the surface of the soil".

 

FERULA GUMS

 

Other gums of diverse qualities are produced by different species belonging to the Ferula genus such as Ferula rubricaulis (southern Iran) or Ferula ceratophylla (Turkistan). 

Although the latter are also employed in the perfume industry, Ferula galbaniflua dominates the market significantly.

GALBANUM PRODUCTION

• Year 0: planting of seeds and plant development

• Year 3: outgrowth emerges at the base of the root

• Year 3 to 7:  outgrowth on the plant’s collar will produce galbanum gum

• May-June:  

1) Plant’s roots and collar become uncovered, therefore attainable, and the latter is notched by men. 

2) A white-yellowish gum-resin exudes from the notches and solidifies when exposed to the air.

• June-September:  

1) Collection of the gum is conducted in the following days with a tool made of wrought iron.

2) Previous cuts will be incised two to three more times  – the amount of exuding gum obtained gradually rises with each successive incision.

 

FROM IRAN TO THE WORLD

 

The harvested gum resin is sold in the markets of Irani villages by traders to bigger wholesalers. These export it to the West (Europe and US) where the processing transforming units are.

Iran remains nowadays the world leader for galbanum gum production with about 15 metric tons – 15 thousand kilograms – produced per year (2006 UN Food and Agriculture Organization reference). 

Neighboring Turkey is also a significant producer of galbanum, but obtaining precise estimates of the production is challenging.

 

TWO COUSIN RESINS

 

1. PERSIAN GALBANUM

• Soft gum resin 
• Yellow to red tears
• Viscous
• Translucent
• Used in fragrances

 

2.  LEVANT GALBANUM

• Hard gum resin
• Easy to break exudate tears
• Crude gum resin contains impurities (sand, water, insects)
• Industrial & pharmaceutical usage

 

Can you place Levant on a map? It’s the geographical region in the Eastern Mediterranean including countries like Lebanon, Syria, and parts of Turkey.

 

A TIMELESS PRODUCT

GREEN INCENSE

 

Galbanum held significant value as a sacred substance among the ancient Egyptians. It's widely believed that the "green" incense referenced in Egyptian antiquity was indeed galbanum.

 

THE BIBLE KNOWS BEST

Galbanum is mentioned in the Bible (Book of Exodus), as a component of Ketoret – a sacred incense mixture. Ketoret and therefore galbanum was used in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple in Jerusalem during ancient Jewish religious rituals.

 

POISON OR ELIXIR?

 

In the first century of our era, Pliny the Elder – Roman naturalist – attributes to galbanum remarkable healing abilities. 

He also wrote in his work: Naturalis Historia, that "the very touch of it mixed with oil of spondylium is sufficient to kill a serpent".

So which one is it going to be?

ONCE A PRIZE, ALWAYS A PRIZE!

Galbanum, cherished since ancient times, remains an invaluable essence in perfumery and cultural heritage. Its origin as a sacred substance, intertwined with ancient civilizations like the Egyptians and ancient Jews, highlights its enduring significance. 

With its pivotal role in crafting natural green notes and its association with floral compositions, galbanum adds a distinctive allure to fragrances. 

Despite the challenges in dosage precision and production estimation, regions like Iran and Turkey continue to be prominent producers, sustaining its global supply.

In essence, galbanum's rich history and indispensable role underscore its priceless value in perfumery and beyond, bridging ancient traditions with contemporary expressions of scent.

 

Anna Grézaud-Tostain @therawmaterialist for Olfactive Studio