One of the most interesting and weird notes used in perfumes is ambergris. When you think of a perfume ingredient, your brain picks up flowers, fruits, woods or citruses. But who thinks about a fish’s ejected substance, right?
But,in the past, ambergris or other animal-based notes have been used in perfumes. And, you being all curious about it is quite normal.
I have learnt many unknown facts about ambergris after reading lots of articles and doing research.
To know about all the details, please do keep reading.
Is ambergris still used in perfume?
No, perfumers do not get to ambergris anymore. From the beginning, ambergris is very rare to find floating in the sea. For having such a minimum supply, its price is very high in the market. Not all perfume brands can afford it. Most of the perfumes contain synthetic ambergris now giving the aroma of ambrosia. Only a few expensive perfumes contain natural ambergris.
What is ambergris?
One of the species of whale called ‘sperm whale’ intakes a large amount of octopus and squids. The beaks and pens from such intake can injure the walls of their digestive system so they are vomited out by these whales. And, in rare circumstances, the beaks are moved to the intestine and slowly become a solid mass which stays there for many years. It is then released by ejecting it through natural channels. These floating vomit or solid mass released in the water is called ambergris.
The longer the ambergris floats on the surface of the water, the better it gets. It is very rare to find in the sea as only 5% of sperm whales create ambergris.
The quality of ambergris varies with color. The color range starts from pure white to black. Black has the least appreciation as it contains the least ambergris.
Ambergris also gets oxidized when it reacts with air while floating in water. This causes a change in color in a long period of time.
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When ambergris is released by a whale right away, it gives a very strong fecal smell. However, the smell becomes more pleasant as it is dried. Mostly, it smells like musk.
Ambergris contains ambrein which is a colorless alcohol and this is the main reason why perfumes contain ambergris. It helps the perfume to last longer.
Not only in perfumes, ambergris was used in medicines and incense in the early Arab Civilization.
What brand of perfumes uses ambergris?
For being very expensive and rare, ambergris is only used by niche or very well known designer perfume houses. Brands like Creed, YSL, Jo Malone, Le Labo contain some fragrance with ambergris.
Here are some perfumes which contain ambergris:
- Creed Green Irish Tweed: a refreshing muscular masterpiece which contains green, clean and citrusy accords. It is a very safe option as everyone will like this kind of perfume. And ofcourse, it has a great longevity for the ambergris.
- Yves Saint Laurent L’Homme Parfum Intense: if you love amber then it is a must buy from you. It is sweet from amber and powery from orange blossom. Ambergris, wood and leather will take your breath away in the end.
- Le labo Another 13: it is a clean, floral, woody and creamy perfume. It is not everyone’s cup of tea. So, buy a decant before committing to a full bottle.
- Ambra Eau De Parfum: it starts with lots of orange. Ambergris takes its place quite early here. It is appropriate for cold weather; day or night. The perfume is super well-blended and could be worn in both casual and formal occasions.
What does ambergris smell like?
When ambergris is released from the whale, it smells just like any other animal stool which is terrible and disgusting. However, with time, it floats in the sea and the smell completely changes into something very sweet. It is still a mystery as to how it happens.
Many say it smells just like cow dung. I mean, what else do you expect a fish stool to smell like after it releases from its body?
After floating in the salty water for many years, the texture of ambergris becomes hard, smooth and waxy. And it also takes a round shape. Then the dung smell is completely and not only that, it becomes one of the most expensive notes used in perfumes.
The smell becomes sweet, musky and earthy, in other words, people say the smell is indescribable. Ambergris is not only used in perfumes for its smell. When the perfume is sprayed, it sticks to the surface of the skin for a longer period of time and helps it evaporate at a slower rate.
And the biggest shock is not that ambergris is used in perfumes, it is also used in food making for adding high-end favors.
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What is the price of ambergris?
It is sold at $40000 per kilogram if you check the latest statistics. Ambergris is very rare and it is treated as water’s gold; being way more expensive than water. Not all whales eject ambergris so when it is found the price is sky high as it has many uses.
In 2021, the most recent case, ambergris was found by a fisherman in Thailand which was worth 1 million. It was never discovered there before. Even after the price being this high, the demand for ambergris is not decreasing.
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Collections believe ambergris is something worth storing and researchers want it to find the untold mystery behind a whale’s vomit or stool. Till this day, they do not know how ambergris can be so beneficial.
Why is ambergris illegal?
Illegality of ambergris varies from state to state. Some states have made it illegal to collect ambergris as it was putting the whales’ lives at risk. When people started to realize how important and expensive ambergris is, they all wanted to get their hands on it. Therefore, the hunting of whales increased immensely to take out ambergris from their body.
To protect whales and many other species of fish like dolphins and porpoises, laws and regulations were made. One of the laws made it illegal to collect ambergris.
However, this law is not applicable in all states. In some countries, collecting ambergris is either still legal or it falls under a gray area.
Even, in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), ambergris is considered as a waste product of sperm whales which float on the sea naturally, making it legal to collect it.
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Conclusion
Ambergris is floating gold in the sea. It has many uses which makes it very expensive and demanding.
However, is it worth killing and torturing whales to make some perfumes and adding some flavors to your food? That is the question we should ask yourself before looking for ambergris based perfumes.
If you have any further queries, please feel free to ask them in the comment section, and I would be happy to answer them.
