Amber

What Does It Smell Like?

Amber smells like warmth itself has been bottled. Imagine sun-baked resin, honey left out on a hot day, and the comforting scent of your skin after lying on a warm blanket. There's sweetness here—almost vanilla-like—but deeper, earthier, with hints of powdered spices and the faint smokiness of incense. It's simultaneously creamy and slightly bitter, like caramelised sugar with a woody undertone. It wraps around you like cashmere, never sharp or jarring.

Origin & History

True amber comes from fossilised tree resin millions of years old, but perfumery's "amber" is almost entirely synthetic now. Perfumers use ambroxan (a molecule isolated from ambergris, the waxy substance from sperm whales) and labdanum—a sticky resin from Cistus plants grown in Spain and Crete. Labdanum, harvested by combing shrubs or steam-distilling leaves, provides the rich, honeyed base. Synthetic ambroxan, created in laboratories since the 1950s, offers cruelty-free, consistent warmth. This shift revolutionised amber's accessibility and ethics.

In Perfumery

Amber is perfumery's great connector and finisher. It grounds top and middle notes, creating smooth transitions whilst adding sensuality and longevity. Perfumers layer it to deepen compositions without dominating, lending soft power and impressive staying power. It's the comfortable embrace holding a fragrance together for hours.

Pairs Beautifully With

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