Siam Wood EO

Siam Wood essential oil has a pleasant, warm, creamy, woody-balsamic, opopanax/cedar-like aroma with a clean, sweet-woody back note reminiscent of rosewood in the drydown. For those perfumers who seek to widen their repertoire of wood notes, look no further. Siam Wood is a fine fixative for building base accords that marries particularly well with Frankincense, Patchouli, Vetiver, and Cedarwood – especially the aromatic Atlas and Himalayan Cedarwood oils – and is a cost-effective substitute for Sandalwood when combined with Amyris.

This very special wood oil is an exceptional choice to diffuse during meditation and spiritual practices; its pleasant, grounding aroma promotes an ambiance of peace and well being and invites us to truly inhabit the present moment.

Also known as Bois de Siam, Pemou, Fujian Cypress, Fu jian bai and Fokienia, the tree is a stately, evergreen conifer in the Cupressoideae subfamily of the Cupressaceae (Cypress) family. Native to China, the taller trees – some up to 100 feet – thrive at high elevations along the border with Vietnam or in open spaces where ample sunlight and moisture reach the thirsty populations. What makes this tree so uniquely interesting in its singular place in botany is the fact that it is a ‘monotypic’ genus with only one living species.[1]

Unfortunately, deforestation and selective logging of these highly desirable trees for art and aromatics, furniture and construction projects[2] – even coffins – has created a dire issue of overexploitation since the 1980s. Local groups have successfully lobbied to have the tree given protected national heritage status by the Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment (VACNE), listed as ‘endangered’ in Vietnam by the World Conservation Monitoring Center[3], and registered on the IUCN red list as ‘vulnerable’ (VU).[4] In the last ten years, conservation measures for dwindling populations of Siam Wood specimens are finally emphasizing sustainability. Some of these practices implemented by our supplier include distilling only wood ecologically harvested from downed and dead trees or leftovers from the furniture industry, using spent plant material for mulch or fuel, and implementing ethical trading initiatives – improving the lives of the entire community involved.[5]

Like many other wood oils, Siam Wood is composed of an abundance of the heavier sesquiterpene compounds; two in particular – fokienol and trans-nerolidol – lend a host of aromatic benefits. Siam Wood essential oil is well suited for use in diffusers, massage blends, outdoor sprays, and topical preparations, but it is natural perfumers who will swoon over this enchanting addition to the woody aroma family.