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Amyris oil is obtained by steam distillation of the wood from the tree Amyris balsamifera L. (Rutaceae), which grows in the Caribbean (Haiti) area and around the Gulf of Mexico. It is a pale yellow to amber, slightly viscous liquid with a mild wood odor.
d2020 0.946–0.978; n²⁰_D 1.505–1.510; [α]²⁰_D+10° to+60; solubility: 1 vol in 1 vol of 90% ethanol at 20°C; solutions sometimes become opalescent on dilution; acid number: max. 3.0; ester number (after acetylation).

The volatile oil is obtained by the steam distillation from the wood of Amyris balsamifera L. The yield is approximately 2.5 to 3.0%. Amyris oil has a wood-like odor reminiscent of sandalwood with a burning taste. It is used as a fixative in perfumery and in flavors, such as Oriental specialties and liqueurs

It is a clear, pale-yellow liquid. It is soluble in most fixed oils and usually in mineral oil. It is soluble in an equal volume of propylene glycol, the solution often becoming opalescent on further dilution. It is practically insoluble in glycerin.

Extractives and their physically modified derivatives. Amyris balsamifera, Rutaceae.

The oil is sometimes incorrectly called West Indian sandalwood oil. However, its composition and odor are different from those of the oils obtained from sandalwood species. The major components of amyris oil are sesquiterpenoids such as elemol [639-99-6], ??-eudesmol [473-15-4], and epi-??-eudesmol [15051-81-7]. Annually～50 t are produced.

The essential oil has the following constituents: alcohols: valerianol 21.5%; elemol 9.1%; cadinol 50.1%; β-eudesmol 7.9%; γ-eudesmol 6.6%; 10-epi-γ-eudesmol 9.7%; α-eudesmol 4.8%; 7-epi-α-eudesmol1 0.7%; dridemol 1.1%. Terpenic hydrocarbons: cadinene 10.7%; curcumene 1.5%; β-sesquiphellandrene 4.7%; β-bisabolene 0.8%; α-zingiberene 2.4%; seline 3,7(11)-diene 2.5%. Carbonyl and lactonic compounds: α-agarofuran 0.5%; bisabolone 0.9% (CoE, 2000).