Resin Incense – BENZOIN SIAM 15g

* Amount pictured is not the volume in each pack, and is for illustration only. Choose your pack size (if applicable) before adding it to the cart.
* Quality fine natural ‘peasize’ resin incense pieces / powder suitable for burning on self-igniting charcoal disks (listed separately).

Resin incense, botanical powders, flowers, leaves and woods can be burned for their natural scent, either over a charcoal disk or using a candle warmed censer (burner) – see our DISCOVER pages for our easy to follow PHOTO TUTORIAL on burning charcoal tablets.

Sometimes called gum benzoin or gum benjamin, BENZOIN is a balsamic resin obtained from several species of trees in the genus Styrax. The resin is collected by milking the sap through a deliberate incision in the outer wood of the tree, and then allowing it to dry.

Benzoin a common ingredient in incense-making and perfumery because of its sweet vanilla-like aroma and fixative properties – it mixes well with other incense resins to create complex blended aromas. Benzoin was a favourite of the ancient Egyptians and is still very popular, used in many cultures and a major component of church incense used in Russia and other Orthodox Christian societies, as well as Western Catholic Churches.

The two most common types of benzoin used in incense are Benzoin Siam and Benzoin Sumatra.

Benzoin Siam (this listing) is named so because it is typically exported via Thailand, and is sourced from the Styrax tonkinenses, which is found across Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. It is usually yellow-orange or yellow-brown in colour, often with a milky, cream-coloured inclusion, and the scent is pleasant – sweetly balsamic with a distinct note of vanillin

See our other listings for Benzoin Sumatra, which is obtained from Styrax paralleloneurus and Styrax benzoin, which grows predominantly on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. Benzoin Sumatra typically has a dusty brown or greyish appearance, Unlike Siamese benzoin, Sumatran benzoin contains cinnamic acid in addition to benzoic acid.