Storax is the material that makes “styrax” such a confusing word. It is not benzoin and does not come from a Styrax tree; it is the balsam of sweetgum, Liquidambar, and it has its own long history as incense and fixative.
Source
Two species supply the trade:
- Liquidambar orientalis, the oriental sweetgum, a tree of a small region of southwestern Turkey near Marmaris and Köyceğiz. This is “Levant” or “Asiatic” storax, historically the important one.
- Liquidambar styraciflua, the American sweetgum, from Honduras and Guatemala north to the United States. “American storax” or “sweetgum balsam”.
The balsam does not exude on its own. The tree is wounded, the inner bark produces the balsam, and the bark is stripped, pressed and boiled in water to separate it. The raw product is a grey-brown, opaque, sticky semi-liquid with a strong smell; purified storax (styrax praeparatus) is cleaner, darker and more manageable.
Chemistry
Storax is a cinnamate balsam: free cinnamic acid, cinnamyl cinnamate (“styracin”), phenylpropyl cinnamate, benzyl cinnamate, plus styrene (which was first isolated from storax and named after it), vanillin and resin alcohols. The cinnamates give the warm spice; styrene and the phenylpropanoids give a sweet-floral, hyacinth-like note; the raw gum has smoky, tarry facets from the boiling.
Scent
Leathery, spicy, warm and slightly floral, with a smoky, almost medicinal undertone. There is a lilac or hyacinth facet that surprises people expecting something like benzoin. It is much less sweet than benzoin and darker than tolu. In dilution it becomes soft, balsamic and quite beautiful; undiluted it is intense.
In perfumery
Storax resinoid and absolute are classic fixatives for leather, chypre and oriental bases. They add depth, a leathery-floral warmth, and hold lighter materials down. Old formulae use it constantly; modern regulation (IFRA) restricts it for its cinnamates, so it appears in smaller amounts. It pairs well with labdanum, benzoin, rose, violet and iris.
In incense
Storax is probably the stacte of some ancient sources and was a standard incense of the Greek and Roman world; Pliny describes it. It is in kyphi reconstructions and in compound incenses of the Near East. Because it is a liquid it is usually absorbed into a powder or mixed with other resins rather than burned alone. Its smoke is heavy, sweet-spicy and slightly acrid.
In pharmacy
Storax is a component of compound benzoin tincture (Friar’s Balsam), where it adds its cinnamates to benzoin’s. It was used historically for skin conditions and as an expectorant, and is a recognized contact sensitizer for the same reasons benzoin is.
Buying and using
Sold as raw gum (grey, sticky), purified balsam (dark, thick) or resinoid. For incense the purified balsam is easiest; for perfumery the resinoid or absolute. It is intensely persistent: a small amount will scent a jar, a drawer and your hands. Store sealed and cool. For the difference from benzoin in detail, see Benzoin vs styrax.
Frequently asked questions
Is storax the same as styrax?
In the trade, yes: storax and styrax both refer to the balsam of Liquidambar trees. Styrax is also the botanical genus of the benzoin tree, which is a different plant. Context usually tells you which is meant.
What does storax smell like?
Leathery, spicy, balsamic and slightly floral, with a hyacinth- or lilac-like facet and a smoky, tar-like edge in the raw gum. Purified storax is smoother and sweeter.
Where does storax come from today?
Levant or Asiatic storax comes from Liquidambar orientalis in southwestern Turkey. American storax comes from Liquidambar styraciflua in Honduras, Guatemala and the southern United States.
Sources & further reading
- storax
- styrax
- liquidambar
- balsam
