Mastic Leaf / Branch - Organic EO

Our organic Mastic essential oil (also known as Lentisque, Lentisk) has an earthy, radiant, herbaceous, balsamic, sweet coniferous-turpentine-like aroma with highly aromatic, warm, woody tonalities. The distinct green note can be especially strong when first distilled, but softens with time.

Mastic oil is sourced from the aromatic leaves and branches of Pistacia lentiscus, a graceful and resilient evergreen tree that has populated picturesque and legendary groves on the Greek island of Chios since medieval times. This hardy tree is a member of the Sumac family and is adaptable to some of the most inhospitable environments, including arid, rocky, saline, limestone and generally poor soils.

Many of our respected Greek scholars and philosophers as early as the 5th century BCE – including Hippocrates, Herodotus, Dioscorides and Galen – described the benefits of Mastic. The oleoresin (gum) was a central ingredient in the Egyptian Kyphi incense and was burned ceremonially and as an accompaniment to meditation. Chemically, the essential oil sourced from Mastic leaves and branches varies significantly from that of the traditional oleoresin. Generous in monoterpenes, particularly α- and β-pinenes, it currently has a wide range of applications in cosmetics, skin care and perfumery.