Scripture Scents

Galbanum

Hebrew chelbenah

Exodus 30:34

By Mario Andino, Founder and perfumer, Maranatha Parfums · November 6, 2026

Galbanum appears exactly once in Scripture, as an ingredient of the holy incense. It is the odd one out: sharp, green and bitter where the others are sweet.

In Scripture

The Lord said to Moses, “Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part) …
Exodus 30:34 (ESV)

Exodus 30:34 lists galbanum (Hebrew chelbenah) with stacte, onycha and frankincense, in equal parts, to make the incense burned before the Lord. Why include a harsh-smelling resin in a holy perfume? A later Jewish tradition, recorded in the Talmud, observed that galbanum smells unpleasant on its own, yet belongs in the incense, and saw in it a picture of sinners being counted within the praying congregation. Whatever one makes of that reading, perfumers know the practical truth: a bitter edge makes the sweetness around it legible.

What it is today

Galbanum is the gum resin of Ferula gummosa (also listed as Ferula galbaniflua), a giant fennel-like plant of the mountains of Iran. The milky sap is collected from the stems and roots and hardens into a resin. Perfumers use the essential oil, which is intensely green, or a resinoid.

Hand-colored botanical engraving of the galbanum plant with finely divided leaves, a thick stem and a broad head of yellow flowers — The galbanum plant, labeled Ferula galbaniflua on the plate, another name for Ferula gummosa.Plate 153, Köhler’s Medizinal-Pflanzen (1890) · Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In the bottle

MaterialGalbanum
Ferula galbaniflua

FormEssential oil

FamilyGreen

LayerTop note

Sharp, bitter green — snapped stems, green bell pepper and pine. Tiny amounts give a big green blast.

First sniff: Explosively green and bitter — snapped stems, green bell pepper and pine sap. Once it settles: Settles into a balsamic, resinous green that stays surprisingly long. Reminds people of: Snapping a hyacinth stem, raw green pepper, pine sap.

Galbanum smells of green peppers, crushed stems and fresh sap, so powerful that a drop of 1% dilution can fill a room. Used at a trace it gives a blend a startling freshness, and it is the signature of many classic green perfumes. With frankincense it lends a sharp, outdoor quality to incense accords, and with iris or hyacinth it makes florals feel alive. Always start far lower than you think.

Blends well with

Bergamot, Violet Leaf, Iris, Vetiver, Oakmoss, Hedione, cis-3-Hexenol, Frankincense.