A solid perfume is the simplest finished product a hobbyist can make with resins: no alcohol, no maturation, no equipment beyond a saucepan and a few tins. Benzoin is the ideal resin for it, because it is sweet, it fixes whatever else you add, and it is available cheaply as tears you can tincture yourself.
What you need
- Beeswax, pellets or grated, 10 g
- Carrier oil: jojoba is best (it does not go rancid quickly); sweet almond or fractionated coconut oil also work, 30 g
- Benzoin concentrate: a benzoin tincture reduced by gentle evaporation until it is a thick syrup, or a benzoin resinoid, or a few drops of absolute
- Optional essential oils for the top and heart: lavender, bergamot, cardamom, rose, sandalwood
- Small tins or lip-balm pots (about 15 ml), a heatproof jug, a saucepan, a scale
This makes roughly 40 g, or three tins.
Making the benzoin concentrate
If you are starting from tears, make a tincture first: crush 20 g of benzoin and cover with 100 g of high-proof ethanol, shake daily for two weeks, filter. Then pour a portion into a shallow dish and leave it somewhere warm and ventilated (not near flame) until most of the alcohol has evaporated and a thick, sticky amber syrup remains. That syrup is your concentrate. A tablespoon of tincture yields roughly a gram of concentrate. See Benzoin absolute vs resinoid.
The method
- Weigh the beeswax and oil into the jug and set it in a saucepan of simmering water until the wax has melted and the mixture is clear.
- Take it off the heat and let it cool for a minute; hot wax will burn off the lighter aromatics.
- Stir in the benzoin concentrate, about 1 g (roughly 2–3 % of the batch). It should disperse; if it clumps, the mixture is too cool, so return it to the water bath briefly.
- Add essential oils if using: 20–30 drops total for this batch, which is about 2–3 %. A simple combination is 12 drops lavender, 8 bergamot, 6 cardamom.
- Pour into tins and leave undisturbed until set, about 20 minutes. Cap when fully cool.
Ratios and variations
- Firmer balm (hot climates): 12 g wax to 28 g oil.
- Softer balm: 8 g wax to 32 g oil.
- Richer resin base: replace half the benzoin with labdanum resinoid for an amber balm.
- Vegan: candelilla wax at about half the beeswax weight; it is harder.
Safety
Benzoin extracts are sensitizers. Keep the total benzoin (and any styrax, tolu or Peru balsam) at low single-digit percentages of the finished balm and stay within IFRA guidance for leave-on products; the figures above are within a conservative range. Patch-test on the inner forearm and wait 48 hours before regular use. Do not use on broken skin, and keep balms with citrus oils off skin that will be exposed to strong sun. See Benzoin safety and allergies.
Using it
Rub a fingertip across the surface and apply to the wrists, behind the ears and the base of the throat. The wax holds the scent close to the skin; expect a few hours of soft, sweet, resinous warmth. Because the balm is oil-based it also conditions the skin, which is why the same recipe, with less fragrance, was historically a lip balm and a hand salve.
Frequently asked questions
Can I put benzoin resin directly into a balm?
Not the raw tears; they do not dissolve in oil or wax and the grit stays. Use a tincture reduced to a concentrate, a resinoid, or an absolute, and keep the total low to avoid skin sensitization.
How much benzoin is safe in a solid perfume?
Keep benzoin extract to a low single-digit percentage of the finished balm, and lower if you are sensitive or the product will be used on the face. Patch-test on the inner forearm before regular use.
How long does a solid perfume last?
On skin, a few hours; benzoin extends this. In the tin, about a year if kept cool; the carrier oil eventually goes rancid.
Sources & further reading
- diy
- solid perfume
- benzoin
- beeswax
