Galbanum smells intensely green, sharp and slightly resinous, like crushed pine needles mixed with freshly cut grass and a touch of pepper. It is one of the greenest materials in perfumery.
The raw material is a gum resin tapped from the roots and stems of Ferula gummosa and related Ferula species, tall umbelliferous plants native to Iran and Afghanistan. The fresh resin is distilled or solvent-extracted to produce essential oil and resinoid. Galbanum has been used in incense and perfume for thousands of years, with mentions in the Old Testament.
Galbanum sits at the very top of a fragrance but carries green character throughout. Perfumers use it as the defining signature of the green family (Vent Vert, N°19, Must de Cartier), to add leafy bite to florals, and to electrify chypres and woody compositions. It pairs brilliantly with iris, violet leaf, oakmoss and hyacinth.
Galbanum performs best in spring, early autumn and transitional weather, and gives fragrance a distinctly modernist, sculptural character.
