Benzoin Gums

There are two types of benzoin resin used in incense and perfumery, benzoin Siam and benzoin Sumatra. Benzoin Siam is obtained from Styrax tonkinensis, found across Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Benzoin Sumatra is obtained from Styrax benzoin grown on the island of Sumatra. Both varieties are anti-pathogenic resins, which are exuded from the tree when it is damaged. Benzoin resin or styrax resin is a balsamic resin obtained from the bark of several species of trees in the genus Styrax. It is used in perfumes, some kinds of incense, as a flavouring, and medicine. Benzoin resin is a common ingredient in incense-making and perfumery because of its vanilla ice-cream aroma and fixative properties. Gum benzoin is a major component of the type of church incense used in Russia and some other Orthodox Christian societies, also in Arab States where it is burned on charcoal as an incense. In perfumery, benzoin is used as a fixative.