Opoponax is myrrh’s easygoing sibling. It comes from the same genus and the same dry scrublands of the Horn of Africa, but where myrrh is bitter and austere, opoponax is warm and sweet, which is why perfumers have used it for a century as the “friendly myrrh” in amber and oriental bases.
Two opoponaxes
The name carries a historical tangle. The classical opopanax was the gum resin of Opopanax chironium, a Mediterranean umbellifer related to parsnip, used in Greek and Roman medicine. That material faded from trade centuries ago. The opoponax of modern perfumery and incense is the gum resin of Commiphora guidottii (and to some extent C. erythraea), a small thorny tree of Somalia and Ethiopia. Only the second is discussed here.
Harvest and appearance
Like myrrh, the resin exudes from natural cracks and from cuts in the bark, and is collected as it hardens. Opoponax comes as irregular pieces and tears, yellow-brown to reddish, softer and more translucent than common myrrh, with a slightly oily surface and a stronger, sweeter smell in the raw state. Somali hebbakhade and related trade names refer to it.
Scent
Warm, sweet, balsamic and honeyed, with a myrrh-like resinous depth kept in the background. There is a soft floral facet, often compared with lavender, and a faint animalic warmth. On the heater it is rich and sweet with a mild bitterness, far more approachable than myrrh burned alone. The essential oil is dominated by sesquiterpenes, notably (E)-beta-ocimene and alpha-santalene in some analyses, with furanosesquiterpenes lower than in myrrh, which accounts for the reduced bitterness.
In perfumery
Opoponax resinoid and absolute are standard base materials. They round out amber accords, add warmth to chypres, and give body to oriental florals. The classic pairing is with benzoin and labdanum: benzoin supplies vanilla sweetness, labdanum leathery depth, and opoponax the honeyed, balsamic bridge between them. Guerlain’s Shalimar is often cited as a benchmark opoponax base. See Resins in perfumery.
In incense
Opoponax burns more gently than myrrh, with a sweeter smoke. It suits church-style blends, Arabian bakhoor and any mixture that wants myrrh’s depth without its full bitterness. Combine with frankincense and benzoin for a rounded sacred profile.
Buying
Look for pieces rather than powder, with a sweet resinous smell and no sourness. It is less common than myrrh and often mislabelled; a supplier who names Commiphora guidottii and Somalia is a good sign. Store sealed and cool; it stays slightly soft.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between myrrh and opoponax?
Both are Commiphora gum resins. Common myrrh (C. myrrha) is bitter, dry and medicinal. Opoponax (C. guidottii, sweet myrrh) is warmer, sweeter and more balsamic, with a honeyed, slightly animalic character.
Is opoponax the same as the Mediterranean plant Opopanax?
No, despite the near-identical name. Opopanax chironium is an umbellifer whose gum resin was a classical medicine and is no longer traded. Modern perfumery opoponax is the Commiphora resin from the Horn of Africa.
What does opoponax smell like in perfume?
Warm, sweet, balsamic and resinous, with a honey and lavender-like softness over a myrrh-like depth. It is used in oriental and amber bases and reads as rounder and less bitter than myrrh.
Sources & further reading
- opoponax
- sweet myrrh
- commiphora
- perfumery
