Birch Tar Essential Oil
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Description
Birch Tar Essential Oil has a powerful smoky-leathery aroma with tar, phenolic sharpness, bitter wood, and a dark burnt edge. It should not be confused with Sweet Birch, which smells wintergreen-like. Birch Tar belongs to a much darker scent family: campfire smoke, old leather, tarred wood, saddles, incense ash, and traditional leather perfumery.
The first impression is forceful and almost abrasive. Once the first lift recedes, the smoke becomes more leathery and the tar note leaves a long bitter residue. Used in tiny amounts, Birch Tar can give leather accords, incense-style perfumes, soaps, tobacco blends, and dark bases a sense of age, weight, and lived-in character.
This is not a soft background oil. It needs restraint and appropriate formulation guidance. Too much can become harsh, dirty, medicinal, and overwhelming, with a smoky residue that dominates everything around it.
Essential oils can be applied topically once diluted with a carrier oil. They are widely used in cosmetic goods and handmade crafts.
Details
| Botanical Name | Betula pendula |
| Origin | USA |
| Family | Betulaceae |
| Plant Part | Bark |
| Extraction | Steam Distillation. The tar is produced from the bark of various birch species by slow destructive distillation. |
| Note | Base |
| Colour | Dark brown |
| Consistency | Thick and Viscous |
| Scent | Reminiscent of tar, charred wood and smoke. Many have compared it to the scent of a campfire. |
| Blends With | Earthy, minty and woodsy oils. |
| Group | Earthy |
Cautions
Never use pure oils on the skin without diluting, never use internally, keep away from children and eyes, always check if there are any medical issues which could cause a problem. Seek help if you have any doubts.
