Juniperberry "Resinoid"

#### Juniperberry "Resinoid". A few European (mainly French) manufacturers of perfumery raw materials offer a product which is extracted from the dried, ripe fruit of **Juniperus Communis**, the juniper tree (see monograph on **Juniper Berry Oil**). One producer will label his material "**Juniper Berry**** ****Resinoid**", while another may call it "**Juniper**** ****Berry**** ****Concrète**", etc. According to our definitions (see Part One of the present book), an extraction of juniper berries with a hydrocarbon solvent will yield a concrète since the fruits contain a certain proportion of waxy or fatty matter (fixed oil) and only insignificant amounts of resins. The botanical material is a harvested, live material, not an exudation. Accordingly, the term "resinoid" is misleading. However, the commercial product is usually transformed into a resinous, viscous and sticky substance by the addition of natural or synthetic "resins". The viscous matter in commercial juniperberry "resinoid" may thus be an artificial replacement for the fixed oil which has been eliminated during the extraction. When juniper- berries are extracted with a hydrocarbon solvent, the extract may contain 4 to 8 times as much resin as it contains of essential oil. To produce a pour- able extract, the manufacturers add certain diluents, high-boiling odorless solvents, plasticizers, etc. The perfumery effect of a good juniperberry oil, particularly that of a monoterpeneless oil, has inevitably tempted the manufacturers—or perfumers—to produce an extract from the fruits. The extracts are produced in France and Hungary. Reports on the Hungarian production and suggestions for the use of these extracts have been published in perfumery literature during 1959. **Juniperberry "Resinoid" **(juniperberry **Concrète**) is a viscous syrupy substance or a semi-solid mass, hardly pourable at room temperature. It is clear and olive-green of color, homogeneous and attractive of appearance. Its odor will usually present a topnote of the solvent (benzene or petroleum ether) which can be "aired" out. The beautiful, rich, balsamic-sweet, delightfully ambrelike fragrance of the resinoid is, however, of a surprisingly poor tenacity. Juniperberry concrète is an interesting material which can be used with advantage in chypres, Oriental bases, high-class pine needle fragrances or forest notes, ambres and aldehydic bases, etc. It blends extremely well with labdanum absolutes, benzoin, opopanax, sage clary, galbanum, cinematic in general, oakmoss products, cedarwood derivatives, vetiver and sandalwood oils, methylionones, etc. The present production of **Juniperberry**** ****Concrète**** **("resinoid") is negligible.