Natural resins

Natural resins are secretion products of many plants; shellac, secreted by the insect "Coccus lacca", is an exception due to its animal origin. Under this name, we find substances exuded by plants in the form of resins, oleoresins, gums, balsams or latex. They are either harvested from living plants (natural harvest resins), pine resin being one of the most representative, or collected in a fossilized state in the soil (natural fossil resins).

In the past, natural resins were used in a wide variety of applications (paints, varnishes, lacquers, printing inks, paper sizing agents, polymers, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, perfumes, etc.); however, due to growing demand, production costs and supply problems, the various user industries have increasingly turned to synthetic substitutes. Today, however, even if the use of natural resins is declining, some of them are still of industrial importance, thanks to their quality for specific applications.