Poplar bud oil comes from the sticky resinous buds that open in spring. Bees collect the same resin to make propolis, which is why the smell is familiar to beekeepers. Alpha-bisabolol leads, the same gentle compound that makes German chamomile soothing, with benzyl salicylate adding sweetness.^[1] The result is warm, balsamic and honeyed. Most published work on poplar buds is on extracts rich in flavonoids, which do not distil into the oil.^[1]