Perfumes with Galbanum

Galbanum smells intensely sharp, green, slightly bitter and resinous, recalling a snapped stem, crushed pea pods and green bell pepper with a vivid, piercing character. It comes from the gum resin that seeps from the roots of Ferula gummosa, a plant grown mainly in Iran.

Steam distillation of the resin gives an essential oil, while solvent extraction yields a resinoid. Because it is so powerful, galbanum is used in small doses. It mostly sits in the top and heart. It pairs well with violet leaf, iris, hyacinth, bergamot, oakmoss, vetiver and jasmine, and it is central to green floral and chypre perfumes.

Galbanum appears in 2,500 perfumes in the Fisfis catalogue and is used mostly as a top note.