Amber

Based on your responses to our LavenderandSpice.com Quiz, you are most likely to find a fragrance that matches your personality and desires from the sensual, sweet, deep scent of the amber accord.

What Is Amber?

Amber is another fragrance category that refers to a fantasy idea instead of the scent of an actual material. You can purchase fossilized amber essential oil, which smells of gasoline and history, nothing like the amber of perfumery.

The “Amber” perfume category evolved in the late 19th century with the development of synthetic vanillin at a much lower cost than natural vanilla. The amber accord is formed from labdanum, benzoin, and vanilla with the possible addition of tonka bean or Peru balsam. Labdanum and benzoin are both resins, which may have led to naming the scent amber after the fossilized resin. Benzoin has a powdery, sweet, vanilla, but also medicinal scent.

Many people assume that amber includes ambergris, the ossified coprolith from sperm whales, which has been used for hundreds of years as a fixative in perfume. Amber does not include ambergris, but labdanum does smell of ambergris, a sweeter, woodier version.

The end result of combining these ingredients is a warm, powdery, animalic scent that many find to be erotic. As the category refers more to this base accord than to an archetypal perfume, the amber category can go many different directions, including spice, heavy floral, leather, and gourmand.

Why Amber Is the Right Scent for You

If you are a Pisces, you may be an inner seeker, intuitive, mystical, and transcendental in focus, a late winter sign awaiting the rebirth of spring. The idea of amber, beauty frozen in time, yet warm and inviting, captures this sentiment well. Cancer, also a water sign, includes those who feel deeply and are also comfortable focusing within and on close ties. As rulers of the fourth house of home and memory, those born under Cancer have a unique resonance with the prehistoric idea of the amber fragrance. The food focus on those under Cancer is supported by the vanilla note central to the Amber accord.

Given your deep sensual side, you may have experienced (or fantasized) that the best third date is the Sunday morning after meeting someone new on a Friday night. You’ll definitely get the flourless chocolate cake, and the whiskey, perhaps with a scoop of chocolate ice cream, all from room service at 4am.

You first post-COVID trip may be a two-week stay in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, where you explore nature, soak in the sun, check out the decaying ruins of the colonial empire, and connect with the warmth of the Dominican culture and food. Happy is the the narcotic white floral scent of jasmine, sexy the smell of a late night tango hall, refreshed by an ice cold bottle of classic Coca-Cola.

We selected the Top 10 Mountain Chalet scents to help get you out on the trail and on your way to trying on something from this alluring fragrance category.

Top 10 Amber Scents

1) Tauer Perfumes L'Air du Désert Marocain

Perfumer Andy Tauer has established a cult following for scents like this. The cumin and coriander brightened with petitgrain provide an earthy, spicy, musky, bright opening. Some reviewers are bothered by this spice opening, whereas we only wanted more. The rock rose (labdanum) and jasmine support a sweet, resinous, powdery transition to base of vetiver, ambergris, and still sweet labdanum all held in balance with a dry cedar. L'Air du Désert Marocain is not unique in the spice, labdanum, vetiver combination., just very well done.

2) Maître Parfumeur et Gantier Ambre Précieux 

This is straight-up fancy amber, with a nice lavender/myrtle opening, ambergris at the base adding some romance. You do get some spicy, cinnamon notes from Peru balsam and the Tolu balsam. The myrtle brings a camphoreous note that blends with the lavender to bring a fresh, herbal opening. Nothing stands out here. This is a dry, sweet, deep amber that will bring comfort to your day.

Top Notes: Myrtle, Lavender

Heart Notes: Coumarin, Vanilla, Nutmeg, Labdanum Cistus

Base Notes: Peru Balsam, Tolu Balsam, Ambergris

3) Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan

Released in 1993, this scent by perfumer Christopher Sheldrake sets the architecture for much of his and Lutens’ releases in the following thirty years. This is a reference amber because of the drydown. Amber fans will ignore an off opening note if the long-lasting piece is satisfying. There are camphoreous notes, some smoky incense, hints of patchouli, but this is powdery, medicinal, sweet, deep, mysterious amber. One reviewer noted that when the entire category of perfumes comes down to the central accord, be picky about every aspect of that core. This amber accord is so good that it has remained at the center of the amber perfume debates for decades.

Notes: Amber, Cistus, Vanilla

4) Histoires de Parfums Ambre 114

For all of the notes listed, this is a warm buttery, powdery amber that you either love or hate. There are spices, and some lightness. This is a well-balanced amber that you should try as you find your signature amber.

Top Notes: Thyme, Nutmeg

Heart Notes: Rose, Geranium, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Cedar, Vetiver

Base Notes: Amber, Vanilla, Tonka bean, Benzoin, Musk

5) Profumum Ambra Aurea

The depth from this scent comes from Ambergris. There is the expected sweet, deep, powdery amber. This is almost an incense focus more than amber, but then the incense fades and you get the amber/ambergris accord for the long drydown. Yes, there is incense, but the myrrh note suggested by Profumum gives this a funky, leathery, confusing incense that makes this a lot more interesting than a drydown into ambroxan and white musk blend.

Notes: Ambergris, Incense, Myrrh, Musk