If you have read about resins for more than an afternoon you have run into the problem: a text says “styrax” and you cannot tell whether it means the benzoin tree, the benzoin resin, or the completely different balsam from Liquidambar. This article is the disentangling.
The names
- Styrax (italic, capitalized) is a botanical genus. The benzoin trees belong to it.
- Benzoin is the resin of Styrax tonkinensis and Styrax benzoin. In old texts it is sometimes called “gum benjamin” or, confusingly, “styrax”.
- Storax (also styrax, liquid storax, styrax balsam) is the balsam of Liquidambar orientalis (Turkey) or Liquidambar styraciflua (the Americas). These trees are sweetgums, family Altingiaceae, nothing to do with Styrax.
The mess began in antiquity. The Greeks had a resin, styrax, from the Mediterranean shrub Styrax officinalis. That source dried up, Liquidambar balsam from Asia Minor took over the name, and later Linnaeus named the benzoin tree after the original Greek word. Everyone since has been paying for it.
Side by side
| Benzoin | Storax (styrax) | |
|---|---|---|
| Tree | Styrax spp. (Styracaceae) | Liquidambar spp. (Altingiaceae) |
| Origin | Laos, Sumatra | Turkey; Honduras, Guatemala, USA |
| Form | Brittle solid tears and blocks | Viscous grey-brown semi-liquid balsam |
| Chemistry | Coniferyl benzoate/cinnamate, benzoic and cinnamic acids, vanillin | Cinnamic acid, cinnamyl cinnamate, styrene, phenylpropyl cinnamate, resin alcohols |
| Scent | Sweet, vanillic, powdery, balsamic | Leathery, spicy, slightly floral (hyacinth), smoky, less sweet |
| In perfumery | Sweet fixative, amber bases, gourmands | Leather, chypre and oriental bases; adds depth and a “lilac-leather” note |
| In incense | Sweet base for church blends, Papier d’Arménie | Historically in Greek and Near Eastern incense; heavier and more medicinal |
| In pharmacy | Tincture of benzoin | Component of compound benzoin tincture |
What they share
Both are true balsams: cinnamic acid and its esters are important in both, which is why Sumatra benzoin, the cinnamate-rich benzoin, smells closer to storax than Siam does. Both are fixatives. Both are sensitizers for the same reason. And both appear together in Friar’s Balsam, where storax adds a darker, more medicinal note to the benzoin.
How to tell them apart in the hand
Benzoin is a solid. It snaps, shows a glassy or milky fracture, and warms only slowly in the hand. Storax is a thick, sticky, opaque liquid, like tar that has not quite set; it is usually sold in jars or as a purified, semi-solid “prepared storax”. Smell them and there is no doubt: one smells of vanilla, the other of leather and spice.
When you want which
- Sweetness, softness, a vanilla drydown: benzoin.
- Depth, leather, a floral-smoky undertone: storax.
- A classic amber: labdanum and benzoin, optionally a little storax for darkness. See How to build an amber accord.
- Church incense: benzoin, with storax as an occasional addition.
For the material itself, see Storax. For the botany, see The Styrax tree.
Frequently asked questions
Is styrax the same as benzoin?
No. Benzoin comes from Styrax trees (family Styracaceae). Storax, also called styrax, is a balsam from Liquidambar trees (family Altingiaceae). The shared name is a historical accident.
Which smells sweeter, benzoin or storax?
Benzoin, clearly. Benzoin is sweet and vanillic. Storax is leathery, spicy and slightly floral, with a hyacinth-like note, and much less sweet.
Can I substitute storax for benzoin?
Not one for one. In an amber base they play different roles: benzoin brings vanilla sweetness, storax brings leathery, spicy depth. Using both is common; swapping one for the other changes the character.
Sources & further reading
- benzoin
- storax
- styrax
- comparison
