declared opoponax to be the noblest of fragrant resins. About three weeks ago I ordered Opoponax essential oil from
a terrific supplier located in the Pacific Northwest. Opoponax, also known as
Sweet Myrrh is a gum-resin that comes from a small plant that grows in various countries’
that surround the Mediterranean & Black Seas as well as the Indian Ocean
and has been used for its fragrant and healing qualities for thousands of
years. Early on it was mostly used as incense; however it has become a staple
used in fine perfumes over the past hundred or so years and more recently it is
even found its way into high-end candles. The particular sample I received is
from Kenya and has a very earthy-sweet slightly medicinal smell which I could
best describe as a combination of an anasic lavender, isopropyl alcohol and
balsam. In its pure form, it may seem harsh and unpleasant to some so it is
almost always blended when used for personal and home fragrance. I have chosen
to mix it with a bourbon vanilla and bergamot and the ending aroma is a both
regal and exotic. Now that I’ve given the blend of oils a week to marinade in my
test tube, I will blend a larger portion and use it in a candle; which if
successful will join the Whitehall Essentials Line.
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