Springtime seems to be early here in the Northern hemisphere this year. Nature’s paintbrush has stippled that gorgeous yellowy green onto the branches of the trees and spring bulbs are poking their leaves through. This is the time of green! So, it is only fitting that I should point out that there is an essential oil which is the very epitome of green, so you do not miss it. Introducing you then to one of our new products which may have gone under your radar…galbanum essential oil.
I’m not going to write loads, because all you need to do is to click on the galbanum essential oil product listing, I wrote loads there. But I thought I’d pick up some green associations for you because galbanum essential oil is one of the most popular ways perfumers add a green aspect to their fragrances. It is popular in men’s and women’s fragrances to make them smell fresher, to seem more alive and vibrant.
What Does Galbanum Essential Oil Smell Like?
It has a unique but recognizably fresh dimension that reminds you of cut herbs, peas and mint leaves. But it's not a sweet scent, it has a slightly bitter edge that makes me think of wet paint.
Galbanum essential oil is used as a top note in perfumery and is particularly used to make chypre in many fragrances. These are usually characterized by combinations of citrus top notes with a mossy base. Chypres smell like mornings in the forest, I think, and galbanum adds both the greenery but also a sense that the trees are oozing resin.
Usually though, top notes are ephemeral and fleeting, but not so galbanum essential oil. It has punch, spice and demands attention. It is much more forceful and commanding than its citrus associates and will hang around longer.
What Does Galbanum Essential Oil Blend Well With?
Oakmoss, bergamot and patchouli make complex and elegant fragrances.
Blending galbanum essential oil brings out the greenery and sweetness of flowers, so its much more like you have smelled them in the garden. Galbanum essential oil with flowers is a magical experience. Other accords of course include citrus notes. Not just bergamot though, things like lemon, grapefruit or orange feel vibrant and sparkling sensation.
Galbanum Essential Oil in The Ancient Egyptian Imagination
In Ancient Egypt, Galbanum was sacred to the god of the underworld, Osiris.
Osiris was revered as the inundation of the Nile, which was vital to the fertility of the dry arid plains. If the flood water did not saturate the land, then famine ensured, so Osiris was very important to their year.
Often pictured as having a green face, he was both the putrefaction of the flesh of the body as it decayed after death, and also the fertility of the land. His fragrance was green, that of galbanum.
Galbanum Essential Oil for Putrefaction
Galbanum Essential Oil has many uses, as outlined in our product listing, but interestingly, it is SUPERB if you have a wound that becomes infected.
So…can you live without Galbanum Essential Oil?
Yep.
Should you? Absolutely not. People rarely speak of it, but I promise you folks, try galbanum essential oil once and you’ll be obsessed forever!
