September 2011: 21 posts

Amber, ambergris, ambreine, Ambroxan, Ambrox…. These terms found in fragrance descriptions are often among the most confusing, since the only amber most of us know is the fossilized resin with no scent whatsoever. In perfumery, the amber fragrance family is among the most important. As a perfumery student, like many of my colleagues, the first fragrance accord I learned to make was amber, a dark, voluptuous abstract composition. Since the topic of amber in fragrances is a large one, I decided to break it up into two posts. In the first of the “Amber Perfume Notes” articles, I will talk of ambergris. The second part talks about the sweet amber, which is usually based on labdanum.

Precious perfume materials like oud, sandalwood, musk, and rose are surrounded by much mystery and lore, but none is more so than ambergris. Even in ancient times, it was a highly valued material, very much sought after for its medicinal, aphrodisiac and fragrant properties. Meaning “grey amber” in French, ambergris looks like dark grey or black lumps. The touch of a warm hand releases its unique fragrance—sweet, musky, warm, with a salty facet of seaweed and cured tobacco leaf. The most unusual aspect of ambergris is its unique radiance and tenacity. While the scent itself is not heavy or overwhelming, the sillage of ambergris is one of the most extraordinary.

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Last night, I rearranged my perfume library, as Love in the Afternoon played in the background. Because I know the film by heart, I paid little attention to it until I heard Audrey Hepburn say in her delightful way, “Oh, he exports perfume and imports bananas. There’s a fortune in it. Do you realize that for one bottle of perfume you get twelve bananas?” To which Gary Cooper’s character replies, “Twelve bananas for one bottle of – doesn’t sound like such a hot deal to me.” “It’s a tiny bottle of perfume and very large bananas.” I love this exchange so much that I usually play it again.

Then, I started thinking about other great perfume at the movies moments. Whenever I have any cinema related query, Self-Styled Siren’s blog is where I go. Since Siren is a connoisseur of both films and fragrance, I was not surprised to find several fantastic articles on the subject. I would love to share them with you, because not only are they very well-written, they highlight some cinematic and fragrant gems.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Bonus: What Perfume To Wear to the Movies

Still from Love in the Afternoon

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

As I continue to explore By Kilian’s fragrance collection, Prelude to Love remains the perfume about which I feel most ambivalent. On the one hand, I love the combination of iris and orange blossom and its delicate, breezy character. On the other, the price point for what is essentially an orange blossom cologne makes me pause. While the name promises something steamy and dramatic, Prelude to Love can be best described as well-behaved and sophisticated. The sparkling citrus accents are prominent, with the floral notes giving this fresh blend a richer character than one might find in a classical cologne.

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What trend would you like to see in fragrances? And what current trend would you like to go away?

Here is my wishlist: I would love to see a trend for woody orientals that do not rely on candied, sugary notes for their richness. My other wish is for fruity chypres. A recent launch by Annick Goutal, Mon Parfum Cheri, par Camille, reminded me how much I love this genre of fragrance, in which the delicious sweetness of fruit gets tempered by mossy-woody notes.

My negative wishlist is very long. Bland florals, cotton candy and lollipops, copycats of bestsellers–I would like to avoid all of these, but my biggest wish is for the reversal of the current trend of quantity over quality. The insane number of yearly fragrance launches (most of which smell identical) makes the marketplace confusing and the selection incoherent. Finally, I really hope that I do not have to see yet another oud, especially when it has nothing to do with the brand ethos (does Bond No 9 New York Oud make sense to anyone?)

Photograph of fragrant sweet peas © Bois de Jasmin.

Have you ever tasted civet? Civet essence is obtained from the perineal glands of a mongoose-like creature, and it has a penetrating, warm, sweet odor. Pure civet tincture smells fecal and cloying, but diluted, it has a radiant, velvety scent. A discreet touch of civet can give incredible warmth and diffusion to the simplest floral accords. Natural civet has been slowly phased out, having been replaced by synthetics, yet nothing can truly duplicate the natural essence. If you compare Chanel No 5 made pre-1998 (when natural civet was replaced by its man-made analogue) with the perfume available today, the difference is clear. There is an ineffable richness and opulence that makes the rose and jasmine accord of No 5 seem shimmering.

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