Fresh As

The forest! Here, now, thanks to the wonderful fresh scent of pine and fir extracts.

Pines and firs are very resistant resinous conifers. These tall and wide trees are generous: they provide timber, oleoresin, medicines, aromatic extracts, and many other essential products. The oldest pine known is 4,800 years old; hence it’s a symbol of longevity in many countries.

At Lush, we’ve been using the great natural gifts of the Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and the balsam fir (Abies balsamea), among others. Oils, absolutes, needles, and resins let us add a relaxing woody scent to our products.

For some, the scent of pine recalls walks in the wet Caledonian forest; for others, it is a shaded path to the beach, and for others still, it is choosing a Christmas tree... it is rare not to have memories linked to pine when you live in the northern hemisphere. From the coldest tundras to the warmest Mediterranean coasts, they’re everywhere, stretching the landscape and fueling folklore.

Lush’s perfumer Alina Gliwinska describes pine essential oil as fresh, terpenic, green, woody and sharper than fir absolute. She says: “Fir needle absolute is sweeter and richer. It has balsamic and sugary, coumarin-like base notes. Fir balsam resin is not as sweet. It is also balsamic and smooth but in a green, fresh way."

Pine and fir will also act differently in a perfume. Alina adds, "In my opinion, pine oil is a good top-middle note. It will stand up strongly as a coniferous scent, while fir extracts will be used as base notes. Fir’s sweet, balsamic nature makes it easy to mix with other accords and notes in the perfume. They balance the scent and boost the coniferous notes."

The fir balsam resin found in Lush products is harvested from the Boreal forests. These account for 28% of the world's forested areas. They’re a vital sanctuary for migratory birds during their summer breeding season and see three to five billion of them migrate in the autumn to reach warmer regions of North and South America.

Our suppliers of fir resin reside in northern Quebec, Canada. They cherish and protect the forest. The harvests are carefully managed in the wild, over controlled areas. They also utilise leftover materials to generate additional value and employment opportunities for local communities. The resin stays fluid and only needs a simple filtration process, without alcohol or solvents,  to ensure its cleanliness.

Wholeheartedly convinced that you're going to love pine and fir scents? You can find both in many of our products, especially in winter. For the rest of the year, fir resin regularly appears in our bath bombs, while pine oil teams up with patchouli in our best-selling fragrance, Karma.

Benzoin has been used in incense and perfumes for centuries. Its sweet, spicy and slightly earthy aroma brings comfort and calm to the mind.

Benzoin is a natural resin that can be collected from two types of styrax trees: Styrax benzoin, native to Sumatra, and Styrax tonkinensis, which grows in Southeast Asia. 

Resin is a natural bandage for trees. It drips from wounded trunks and hardens in the open air, protecting the wounds from possible disease, fungus, and insect attack. Resin is full of potent aromatic compounds, which probably inspired humans to try and make something out of it centuries ago. Some trees produce a lot of it, making it easy to harvest. Once hard, the resin can be burned pure, ground into powder, or refined with solvents to produce a fragrant extract called resinoid.

Its sweet, balsamic and powdery scent is a delightful sensory treat.

It soothes the skin and keeps it healthy and firm.

Its thick consistency creates a thin protective and conditioning film on the skin and hair, which helps prevent moisture loss and gives hair shine.

As a fixative, it helps other fragrance ingredients to blend well and last longer on the skin.

Lush purchases a tincture of benzoin from a UK-based company and a resinoid from a supplier in Laos. The latter works with 80 farmers who collect resin from Styrax tonkinensis trees, using traditional methods and focusing on quality. The trees are grown and harvested sustainably, and the forest is managed according to agroforestry principles. Farmers receive fair payments and labour security and safety. 

Find out more about each of our benzoin ingredients on their dedicated pages:

Benzoin Resinoid

Tincture of Benzoin

Benzoin Gum Powder

Or browse through two collections of iconic Lush scents: The sleepy range, which combines sweet benzoin and tonka with calming lavender, and our gourmand selection of irresistible fragrances.