Animalic

Ambergris

Note Profile

Animal 2,281 perfumes

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Also Known As

Ambergris Accord, ambergris nuances, Grey Amber, Orcanox (Ambergris)

About

Marine, animalic

Scent Profile

Ambergris opens marine and saline over a dry mineral warmth. That warmth is sun-heated sea stone and salt-bleached driftwood rather than open water. A waxy quality runs under all of it, the smell of the hard, pale material itself. Below sits the amber-resinous core that gives the note its fixative power, with a clean, skin-adjacent musk, a quiet animalic depth and the faintest trace of tobacco leaf. It carries a dry woody thread, like seasoned timber, through the base.

ScentWheel

Breadthmedium

EnvelopeBase · ~48h lasting

Family Amber · Musk · Leather, Elemental, Waxy & Fatty

Read off the wheel, not a label applied to the note.

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ScentArt

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Materials That Can Make This Note

Perfumers can build Ambergris around this material.

Ambroxide labdanum · ambergris · cedar

Smell words come from published sources.

A given perfume with this note may use this material, or something else.

Origin

Ambergris is a rare substance formed in the digestive system of sperm whales and is found floating in the ocean or washed ashore. Most modern perfumery uses synthetic substitutes like ambroxan.

Usage in Perfumery

Perfumers use ambergris primarily as a base note, valued for its fixative properties and its ability to round out and harmonise other ingredients. It blends well with woods, musks, florals, and resins, imparting a luxurious, long-lasting character to both oriental and marine compositions.