Taking note of the scents that inspire us.

How many “new favorites” can you have? Not sure, but adding this one to my list anyways. It’s called “lentisco” here in Italy. It’s known as “mastic tree” or “lentisk” in English and “Pistacia Lentiscus” (yes, part of the pistachio family), more scientifically.

This wonderfully omnipresent shrub grows quietly throughout the Mediterranean region. Easy to overlook, quiet and unassuming, tucked in among olive trees, myrtle, and coastal oak trees. It’s evergreen leaves are simple in their pointed oval shape; not too big, not too small. In the autumn small clusters of red berries appear turning almost black as the months roll by.

In the region, though, it’s a noble plant with a long history of use in flavorings and herbal remedies. The name, “mastic”, comes from the Greek word for chewing, “mastichien”. Scoring the bark releases the ivory-colored mastic resin, also called “Chios tears”, that is used as a flavoring for its strong, herbal-balsamic characteristic and for its gum qualities (chewing gum).

Now that we’ve gotten the back story out of the way, let’s talk about the scent!

The leaves are beautifully scented when you break them. The first thing that dominates are fresh, green woodsy notes, not unlike galbanum; an important ingredient in perfumery (and another “favorite”) that has similar intense green and woodsy notes. There are also a light musk and spice (mildly camphorous) facets to the scent as it moves past the initial burst. It’s quite elegant in its composition. It’s a fantastic ingredient to use to get freshness that toes the line between aromatics (herbs) and wood notes that can lead down a darker path. We have used galbanum in a number of our fragrances such as i’khana eau de parfum and Drawing Room room scent (as well as an upcoming perfume to be release later this year) for this effect. But, as we work on new fragrances lentisco is a certainly an ingredient we look forward to including as an ode to our new home in Tuscany.