Mastic POM

Introducing the material

The smell of Mediterranean scrub, compressed into a leaf.

Mastic carries its landscape with it. Crush the fresh leaves and an immediate green bitterness appears, but underneath are resin, dry wood, warm vegetation and something almost peppery.

Pistacia lentiscus is deeply associated with Mediterranean landscapes. Although it is often known through its resin, the leaves reveal another side of the plant: greener, leaner and more aromatic.

This material is distilled fresh from wild male plants around Jebel Bargou.

The opening

Vivid green leaf with an immediate resinous tension. Bitter vegetal facets give the opening an almost tactile sharpness.

The development

The leaf begins to warm. Balsamic, woody and lightly peppery facets appear underneath the greener top, giving the material surprising density.

The drydown

Dry, resinous and gently earthy. The fresh foliage slowly disappears into warm wood and aromatic Mediterranean scrub.

The material in composition

Green freshness with backbone.

Mastic can make green structures feel less decorative and more physical. It gives aromatic compositions dryness, adds tension to woods and resins and can provide a bitter counterpoint to softer florals.

Its resinous undertone also allows it to travel further into a fragrance than many conventional green notes.

The origin of the material

Male Pistacia lentiscus from Jebel Bargou.

The batch is made from fresh leaves harvested from wild male plants around Jebel Bargou.

The leaves enter distillation without a drying stage, preserving the tension between vivid foliage and the heavier resinous character of the species.

Three olfactory evaluations follow how the material moves from fresh leaf toward warmer, more resinous and woody facets.

Wajdi Saidi
Distillation Operator

Wajdi Saidi is our Tunisian partner, coordinating its forest and agricultural projects across the region. He works closely with local growers, harvesters and production teams to connect each material with the landscape, people and practices behind it.