Amber

In 1874 Ferdinand Tiemann and Wilhelm Haarmann determined the structure of vanillin and found a way to synthesise it from coniferin, a glucoside in pine bark. Their first vanillin plant in Holzminden, Germany, is now the headquarters of Symrise. Synthetic vanillin made vanilla usable at high dose and low cost.

Around the end of the nineteenth century the house of Georges de Laire released Ambre 83, an amber base built on synthetic vanillin. In 1889 Guerlain released Jicky. In 1925 Jacques Guerlain released Shalimar, built on bergamot at the top and vanilla and balsams in the base. Shalimar has been produced continuously since and is usually treated as the landmark of the family.

Later perfumes extended the family in several directions: Dana's Tabu (1932, Jean Carles) heavy with resins and spices; Estée Lauder's Youth Dew (1953, Josephine Catapano), launched as a scented bath oil; Yves Saint Laurent's Opium (1977, Jean Amic and Jean-Louis Sieuzac), with spices and balsams at high dose. In 1992 Mugler's Angel, composed by Olivier Cresp, used ethyl maltol, a caramel-like note, over patchouli, opening the style the press calls gourmand.

On the renaming: the Fragrances of the World article (2021) gives as reasons that Oriental carries a colonial view and does not describe odour. The SFP classification page currently keeps both words.

The top of an amber composition is usually brief: bergamot, mandarin, sometimes spices such as cardamom or pink pepper. It mainly provides contrast with the heavy base.

The heart can be floral (rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, tuberose, orris) or spicy (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg). The floral direction leads to subfamilies F2, F4, F5, F6; the spicy direction relates to F2. Osmanthus and davana sometimes add a dried fruit facet.

The base defines the family: labdanum, benzoin, vanilla, tonka, Peru and Tolu balsams, styrax, opopanax, frankincense, an ambery facet from ambrette or Ambrox, with patchouli and sandalwood. Animalic notes such as musk and castoreum were once common and are now replaced by synthetic molecules.

Crude Peru balsam (Myroxylon pereirae) must not be used as a fragrance ingredient under the IFRA Standard. Only its extracts and distillates, such as Peru balsam oil and absolute, are allowed within limits. Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 adds Myroxylon pereirae oil and extracts to the expanded allergen list.

Many constituents of balsams and spices were already on the list of 26 labelled substances: coumarin, cinnamal, cinnamyl alcohol, eugenol, isoeugenol, benzyl benzoate, benzyl cinnamate, benzyl salicylate. The 2023 list adds vanillin, cinnamon bark oil, cassia leaf oil, clove oil and patchouli oil. Cinnamal and isoeugenol are also restricted by IFRA because of their sensitisation potential.

Nitro musks were once common in amber bases. Under the EU Cosmetics Regulation musk ambrette, musk moskene and musk tibetene are prohibited; musk xylene and musk ketone are restricted in concentration in Annex III. Current perfumes use polycyclic and macrocyclic musks instead.

The SFP divides the Amber family into six subfamilies: F1 Sweet Amber (Ambré Doux), F2 Floral Spicy Amber (Ambré Fleuri Épicé), F3 Citrus Amber (Ambré Hespéridé), F4 Floral Woody Amber (Ambré Fleuri Boisé), F5 Florientals (Florientaux) and F6 Floral Fruity Amber (Ambré Fleuri Fruité).

F5 is a blend of floral and oriental, naming floral compositions on an amber base. F3 is fresh citrus over a vanilla base; Guerlain's Habit Rouge (1965) is often cited. The word gourmand is not in the SFP table; Angel-style perfumes are usually placed in F1. The SFP website does not list perfumes per subfamily; examples here are indicative.

The classic ambre accord is itself natural: labdanum for warm resin and a leathery facet, benzoin for sweet vanillic resin, vanilla absolute or CO2 for roundness. Tonka adds coumarin; Tolu and Peru balsams (extracts only, not the crude) add softness; opopanax, frankincense and styrax add smoke and resin.

The heart can go floral (rose, jasmine) or spicy (cinnamon, clove, cardamom). Bergamot or mandarin at the top gives the contrast seen in Shalimar's structure. The hard parts to reproduce are the animalic notes and the diffusion of Ambrox; ambrette and labdanum can suggest part of them.

Many materials in this accord are on the EU allergen list and under IFRA limits, notably Peru balsam, cinnamon and clove. This page gives no formula percentages.