What is Amber in Perfume
By Emmanuelle Moeglin, Founder & Perfumer · Classically trained at ISIPCA, 20 years in fragrance
Amber is the blend of ingredients that gives a fragrance its warm, enveloping glow. Here is what amber really is, where it comes from, and the three ingredients perfumers reach for to build it.
What is amber, and where does it come from?
The smell of amber triggers a comforting, almost primal response in most of us. Contrary to popular belief, amber is a "fantasy" note: there is no single ingredient called amber. It is a blend of natural and synthetic materials, vanilla, patchouli, labdanum, styrax, benzoin and a few more, that together create a warm, powdery, sweet effect. It is the backbone of oriental fragrances, rich, spicy and powdery.
There is no single ingredient called amber.
Natural by nature
True natural amber, the fossil kind, takes millions of years to form. It is not sap from any old tree but soft, sticky tree resin fossilised over time, the very stuff you see insects preserved in. It has a stunning fiery yellow, red or orange colour, but very little scent, unless burned, when it gives off a pine-like aroma.
The word "amber" comes from the Arabic ambar and French ambre, both relating to ambergris, a waxy substance once found in the gut of the sperm whale. We no longer use ambergris in perfumery, for obvious reasons, but it inspired a remarkable synthetic, ambroxan, which we will come to shortly. For a natural, plant-based amber note, perfumers turn to labdanum absolute, and benzoin resin brings an amber aroma with sweet, smoky, balsamic warmth.
Synthetic by scientists
We say it often, but synthetic ingredients are essential to the perfumer's organ. They add variety to what can otherwise be a one-dimensional scent and open up far greater creativity. Ambroxan, the synthetic amber, is one of the most popular molecules in modern perfumery. It is so beautiful you could wear it on its own.
Ambroxan is so beautiful you could wear it on its own.
Three ambery ingredients for a rich, warm, ambery fragrance
1. Ambroxan
Ambroxan has natural origins: it occurs in ambergris, which the whale releases and which then spends years floating in the salty sea under the sun until it hardens and develops its sweet, mineral smell. Since we no longer use animal materials, chemists created a synthetic version. The crystal powder is synthesised from sclareol, a molecule extracted from clary sage. Ambroxan has warm woody, leathery and spicy facets, leaving a lasting sweet, creamy, musky impression. It is rightly known as the modern ambergris, animalic and sensual yet remarkably subtle.
2. Labdanum absolute
You have heard of "hair of the dog", but what about hair of the goat? Labdanum was once collected from the coats of goats that had brushed against the plant. Today we go straight to the source: the gum of the Cistus ladaniferus, a rockrose that grows around the Mediterranean. The solid resin is warmed until soft before use. Labdanum has a heavier, balsamic, caramelised, slightly burnt and syrupy scent with an aromatic edge. Its lighter essential-oil counterpart from the same plant, cistus oil, is fresher and more aromatic.
3. Benzoin
With its hints of vanilla, benzoin (or styrax benzoin) is a plant resin from the bark of the styrax tree. Traditionally burned as incense, it has become a much-loved base note in perfumery. It arrives as small rock crystals that are heated and diluted in solvent before use. Benzoin smells strong and sweet, close to vanilla but with balsamic, spicy, faintly burnt and animalic facets. It is also a brilliant fixative, slowing the release of other materials so your fragrance lasts longer. If you like whisky, you may love benzoin for its smoky side.
Want to build an amber accord yourself? Our guide on how to create amber in perfume walks through combining these materials into your own warm, golden base.
Frequently asked questions about amber in perfume
▾ What is amber in perfume?
Amber is not a single ingredient but a "fantasy" accord: a blend of natural and synthetic materials such as labdanum, benzoin, vanilla and ambroxan, combined to create a warm, sweet, powdery, resinous effect.
▾ What does amber smell like?
Warm, sweet and powdery, with resinous and balsamic depth and a faint spice. It feels enveloping and golden, which is why it anchors so many oriental fragrances.
▾ Is amber a natural ingredient?
No. Fossil amber barely has a scent, so the amber you smell in perfume is reconstructed from natural resins like labdanum and benzoin alongside synthetics like ambroxan.
▾ What is the difference between amber and ambergris?
Ambergris is a marine material once taken from the sperm whale and no longer used. Amber in perfume is a blended accord, and ambroxan is the synthetic molecule that recreates the ambergris effect.
▾ Is amber the same as ambroxan?
No. Ambroxan is one molecule, warm, woody and musky, often used within an amber accord. Amber itself is the larger blend that ambroxan helps build.
▾ Which ingredients create an amber accord?
Most commonly labdanum, benzoin, styrax and vanilla for warmth and sweetness, with ambroxan for a modern, radiant, long-lasting amber.
