Common name: Elemi Coeur (an Elemi essential oil fraction)

Botanical name: Canarium luzonicum

Supplier: Hermitage

Odour Note: Citrus

Pyramid Note: Top

Diffusion: Medium

Dilution: 10%

Blends well with: cardamon, cinnamon, clove, frankincense, lavender, lemon, lemongrass, myrrh, nutmeg and rosemary (Quinessence)

The elemi resinoid on the other hand has the spicy peppery and woody-grassy facets more pronounced making it pair perfectly with pepper, woods (patchouli and vetiver especially), and sweet grass… (Perfume Shrine)

Chemical components: terpineol, elemicine, elemol, dipentene, phellandrene and limonene (Esoteric Oils)

The clear yellow liquid has a thin rather than thick consistency and it surprises with its lemony “clean” aspects which are exotic, yet fresh. This is accountable to limonene (a prime lemon molecule) that comprises more than half of the fragrant constituents of the material make-up. The odor profile of elemi is akin to a dill pickle, with a peppery and fennel facet, discernible citrus piquancy, but less tart than expected from that reference. For those reasons elemi oil blends perfectly with notes that share this uplifting fresh quality within their bouquet, be it materials classified as “aromatic” (such as lavender, clary sage and rosemary) or those in the “resinous fresh” category (such as frankincense—which also shares a lemony top-note—and myrrh). It has long being used to extend citrus products thanks to its higher resistance to heat. (Perfume Shrine)

Their nose: rose spicy marine berry peppery peony (TGSC)

At approximately 2%, it brings a very fresh, zesty, pink berry, pepper and peony top note to modern floral bouquets. (Robertet via TGSC)

My nose: The opening of Elemi Coeur is lemony, citrusy, high-pitched, cool, tangy, tart, fresh, incense-y too, clean, polished, thin, bracing and alert. Then 15min later it becomes very thin, reminding me of wood polish, lemon, citrus, simplistic, it seems stripped bare, luminous and zippy in character. 30min and it seems to evolve into a layer of transparency, a minimalism that is balmy and lemony, uplifting yet cautiously playful. At times it’s fizzy and a bit hollow like an echo of the Elemi resin. It begins to fade rather quickly around 45min becoming a veneer of polished politeness. Composure is what it represents to me now, succinct and smooth. It retains its lemony, tartness, but seems to have lost most of its bite, feeling more like a sip of warm lemonade on a hot day. At the 1hr mark I sense a cleansing quality about this oil as it clears my senses with a deep breath. Fresh, breezy, refined and tense although it’s light the movement is unexpectedly slow and not scattered. 2hrs later is’s still very thin, the fading has slowed down now, evolving into the dry down inch by inch, what struck me was that I was able to perceive this movement and yet it remained invigorating and light. 3hrs and all I get is one of it’s main chemical components, terpineol, it’s literally screaming this note, coming across a bit more shrill, citrusy, tart and sour. After 7hrs the evaporation has sped up again and now I can pick out a spice, not sure which one but one used in curry; I smell commonalities with Ambrette seed eo., too. It seems to be getting stale, paler and milder. I have to blow on it a few times at 10hrs to  wake it up, there’s still life left on the strip, and I can pick out the citrus, lemony quality floating around. There is a twiggy texture to it now and it’s not holding up well, quite honestly it seems to be falling apart structurally during the dry down, becoming much more vague. The final evaluation at 24hrs and the lemon note has just about disappeared but it still smells like Elemi, so it pulled itself together in the basenotes to reflect the core attributes of the Elemi resin.

Right! So that’s all for today, I hoped you liked the introduction to Elemi Coeur essential oil and can find wonderful uses for it in your perfumer palette.

Have a lovely day!

MC