Scent Almanac
Amber
Warm, sweet, resinous and slightly powdery, with vanilla and soft woods underneath. Round and cozy; heavier versions can feel cloying.
- Made from
- A blended fragrance oil — no natural oil of this exact scent exists; it's built from aroma chemicals and sometimes natural extracts. It is usually built around labdanum, benzoin, vanilla and ambery synthetics.
- Strength
- ●●●●○
- Cost
- Moderate
- Moods
- CozySensualRomantic
- Seasons
- Autumn, Winter
- Rooms
- Living room, Bedroom
Cautions
- Discolors soap or wax (usually tan to dark brown)
No special cautions at normal use; follow the supplier's IFRA certificate.
How it behaves
CandlesGreat
Throws well and acts as a fixative for lighter notes in a blend.
Wax meltsGreat
Reed diffuserGood
Room & linen sprayWorkable
Electric (water) diffuserAvoid
Cold-process soapGood
Most amber oils contain vanillin and will turn soap tan to brown; plan the design around it or use a vanilla stabilizer.
Melt-and-pour soapGood
Laundry & cleaningWorkable
Pairs well with
Vanilla
Base · Gourmand
Fragrance oil
Sandalwood
Base · Woody
Essential oil
Oud
Base · Woody
Fragrance oil
Patchouli
Base · Earthy
Essential oil
Bergamot
Top · Citrus
Essential oil
Rose
Middle · Floral
Absolute / CO2
Tonka Bean
Base · Gourmand
Absolute / CO2
Labdanum
Base · Resinous & amber
Absolute / CO2
Leather
Base · Smoky & leather
Fragrance oil
Benzoin
Base · Resinous & amber
Absolute / CO2
Don't have it? Try Labdanum, Benzoin.
In these blends
Salt & Driftwood
A windy afternoon on the beach — salt spray, warm sand and sun-bleached wood.
Coconut · Sea Salt · Atlas Cedarwood · Bergamot · Freesia · Amber
RefreshingCalmingSummer
Amber Hearth
A wool blanket, a lamp's warm glow and soft vanilla-amber on the skin of the room.
Bergamot · Almond · Cardamom · Vanilla · Amber · Cinnamon Leaf
CozyCalmingSensualAutumnWinter
Pomegranate Noir
Jewel-dark pomegranate, violet and a smoky trail of patchouli.
Pomegranate · Violet · Amber · Geranium · Black Pepper · Patchouli
SensualRomanticAutumnWinter
A little lore
Fossil amber has almost no scent; the perfume 'amber' is a warm resin-and-vanilla accord, and the word originally referred to ambergris.