Collection: Amber Fragrances

Why is Amber the most significant scent family?

Amber is always perplexing when it comes to perfumes. When the names amber and Ambergris enter the picture, things grow much more complicated. Amber, sometimes known as petrified Amber, is a fancy note in fragrances that derives from plant resin. In contrast, Ambergris is an animal source secreted by several species of sperm whales. The two notes are distinct, and when it comes to describing their smells, there is a significant contrast between them. AMBERGRIS Ambre Gris: Gray Amber in French Source: Excreted by some Physeter catodon sperm whale species. Color: gray to black Odor profile of fresh Ambergris: Fecal odors Aged Ambergris Scent Profile: Salty, musky, sweet with a hint of tobacco leaf, leather-like, and has an animal marine scent. Since perfumers can explain it better when it comes to scent notes, it is worth learning what perfumers Anya McCoy, Mandy Aftel, and Abdussalaam Attar shared in their thoughts on this topic. Perfumer Anya McCoy says I have used Ambergris in several of my fragrances.

 The smell of Ambergris varies depending on the type 

As there are many qualities with different scents, described as a sailor, hay, slightly fecal, warm, creamy. And its scent is only part of the equation: more important are the transformative properties of the perfume formula. It marries and exalts other aromatics in a way no other substance does. Ambergris doesn't even have to be noticeable in the scent. Perfumer Mandy Aftel shares: Ambergris is whale waste. It is transformative. There is a shimmering quality. It reflects light with its scent.

 Amber smells like a precious olfactory treasure

Like other pheromones like musk deer, civet, and castoreum, Ambergris is a pheromone molecule utilized in Ayurvedic and Unani medicine, according to perfumer Abdussalaam Attar. The fragrance of civet and Ambergris is similar to that of a lady. Due to its high cost, Ambergris is no longer widely used in perfumery, supplanted by the synthetic chemical ambreina. AMBERGRIS, also called Ambergris in French, is a gray to the black flammable substance that looks like lumps that can be as small as a ball and as big as the size of ahead. Produced in the hindgut of some species of Sperm whale Physeter catodon. The formation of Ambergris in the sperm whale's gut is thought to be the result of a secretion produced in response to the constant irritation caused by squid and cuttlefish sharp beaks and their indigestible parts, or perhaps it is produced as a means of protection against damage caused by them and excreted regularly. It's thought to be a pathological process, but that's just speculation. It was a substance prized for its medicinal, aphrodisiac, and fragrance qualities in ancient times.

Fresh Ambergris is a dark, semi-viscous substance that smells like feces

Therefore it's useless in perfumery. But as it ages through years of exposure to the sun, air, and ocean, it oxidizes and hardens into a pleasantly aromatic substance that floats on the surface of the sea. It is mainly used in perfumery as a dye to fix delicate odors, and it is said to have a great wake. It is almost entirely volatile in heat, insoluble in water or alkali hydroxides, but soluble in hot alcohol, volatile oils, chloroform, fats, and ether. According to one account, Joseph-Bienaim Carentou and Pierre-Joseph Pelletier, two French chemists, isolated, described, and called amberine, the major aromatic active component in Ambergris, in 1820. Many articles on the chemistry of molecules with a fragrance comparable to Ambergris have been published since then, notably the more fragrant oxidative derivatives of amberine like ambrox. All of these terpenes are labdanoid terpenes, which may be found in a wide range of plants, animals, and microbes.

 What are natural substitutes for Amber?

 Substitutes include Monarda didyma L. bee balm, a source of labdanum, and Cistus ladanifer L., a traditional source of labdanum. These botanical extracts and others are the basis of fixatives and woody and sweet scents in the modern perfume industry, which, for the most part, uses synthetics instead of natural substances. Cistus Labdanum Since Ambergris is expensive and rare, what is mainly used in perfumes are synthetic substitutes. Ambergris contains the active component amberin, which has a pleasant aroma with undertones of caramel and tobacco. Musks, animal notes, and woods are all utilized in conjunction with it. Ambrox or ambroxan, on the other hand, is a sweet, woody, and musky tone. Compared to Ambergris, which conveys the bright and fresh sensation of the sea in which Ambergris is nurtured, salt is another element of smells. We encounter the sweet, animal, and salty aspects of Ambergris through perfumes.

 Scent Profile: Amber, a base harmony of labdanum, benzoin, and vanilla

 Amber is a fanciful note in perfumery inspired by its golden hue. This agreement is subject to change. Amber is a weather-hardened resin that comes from Pinus succinifera and other plants. It's a perfumery dream note, inspired by the resin's golden color and shine. It's a simple blend of labdanum, vanilla, and benzoin that gives perfumes sweetness and warmth, and it's most often used in oriental, chypre, and fern scents. It is an elementary harmony of labdanum, vanilla, and benzoin that lends sweetness and warmth to smells. It is primarily employed in oriental and chypre fragrances. According to perfumer Abdussalaam Attar, In perfumery, all soft resinous things are amber notes. For example, you can count Tonka, Peru Balsam, Tolu Balsam, Benzoin, Labdanum, and cistus. You can add subtle notes of Almond to the mixtures of these scents. Tobacco, vanilla, for example. Amber in perfumery is a subjective fragrance, and it is a note, not an essence.

 It is a kind of ""calculation"" that the sperm whale expels by natural means when it has eaten too many octopuses and squid. Carried by the currents, the amber stones, then in the form of blocks, will be stranded on the deserted coasts of New Zealand and Madagascar.

The warm notes of amber fragrances

The smell of Ambergris varies depending on the origin of the stone blocks and their floating time. As a result, Amber offers many facets. Woody, camphoric, animal, even fecal odors, smells of tobacco, musk, but also notes of sea, seaweed, sea urchins or even dead fish ... Anyway, Ambergris is renowned for its warm notes. Amber gives warmth, tenacity, and even a sweet sensuality to the wearer. In addition, it brings to the compositions a harmony that one rarely finds with other raw materials. A wonderful tribute is paid to him with the perfume "Ambre Gris" by Balmain. The tenacious notes of Ambergris are excellent fixatives, which is why they are mainly found in the base note. Today we only use synthetic materials to reproduce this wonderful fragrance that is Ambergris.

Ambergris and its marriage to olfactory families

Thanks to its fixing power and its natural harmony, Ambergris is found in many compositions. It goes particularly well with notes such as vanilla, sandalwood, labdanum, and white musk. Therefore, we will find it in oriental fragrances, as in the perfume "Ambre Nuit" by Dior, where Amber is naturally positioned as a base note, accompanied by cedarwood and patchouli. Associated with rose and spices, "Ambre Nuit" is the story of nocturnal seduction. Amber can also be found in surprising, floral compositions, such as in Lancôme's "Miracle" perfume. Here, we recognize the Amber is always positioned in the base note. A fabulous floral bouquet composed of jasmine and magnolia brings sensuality amid musky and amber notes in the heart. Results, it is a perfume at the forefront of femininity, dynamic, and above all, very modern.

Initially, Ambergris comes from sperm whales. Graystones wash up on the coasts. Over time, they get different colors and smells. The synthetic materials used in perfumery reflect notes renowned for their warmth and sensuality. Ambergris is an excellent fixer and brings absolute harmony to each perfume. It is true that Amber, like other animal materials, is a pheromone and acts directly on the wearer. An undeniable asset for perfumers!