Amber Essential Oil (Liquidambar Orientalis)
Amber essential oil is hydro-distilled from the resinous sap of Liquidambar orientalis tree, commonly known as oriental sweetgum or Turkish sweetgum, a deciduous tree in the genus Liquidambar, native to the eastern Mediterranean.
What Is Amber Oil? Since one can't extract an oil from an amber stone, amber oil is derived from extracts from various tree resins — hence the earthy, woody scent.
In English, this oil is known under several names, shortly as Storax to include all sweetgum oils, or as Styrax Levant, Asiatic Storax, Balsam Storax, Liquid Storax, Oriental Sweetgum Oil, or Turkish Sweetgum Oil, and Resin of Rose Maloes. When diluted with a suitable carrier oil, Liquidambar Orientalis is used externally in skin care, massage, and cosmetics. It is a different product from the benzoin resin produced from tropical trees in the genus Styrax.
The Liquidambar Orientalis oil has notes of cinnamon, pine, balsam, floral and spice, with hints of sweet lilac and hyacinth.
Amber Essential Oil Uses and Benefits
Liquidambar is an important source of beneficial to skin compounds. The sap, known as storax, has been used for centuries in beauty and skin care.
Amber oil is widely used in perfumery, and is best used in small amounts to enhance the scent of other formulas, as it acts as a fixative and keeps those aromas stronger for a longer period of time.
Liquidambar pairs well with citrus scents including mimosa, orange, mandarin, and neroli as well as florals such as violet, lavender, vanilla, ylang-ylang, rose, jasmine as well as frankincense, myrrh and patchouli.
