Floral Woody Amber is subfamily F4 (Ambré Fleuri Boisé) of the Amber family in the SFP table. The structure has three nearly balanced parts: a layer of white flowers or rose, a woody layer usually led by sandalwood, and an amber base of vanilla, tonka and benzoin.
The branch sits next to B7 Floral Woody in the Floral family. Guerlain's Samsara (1989), recorded on the Floral Woody page, shows that border: the same perfume is placed in Floral or in Amber depending on how large the vanilla and sandalwood are judged to be.
Sandalwood is the most common woody axis of F4. Santalum album oil is rich in alpha and beta santalol and smells of soft, milky wood that pairs well with vanilla. The source is scarce, so many formulas use West Australian sandalwood (Santalum spicatum), New Caledonian sandalwood or synthetic molecules. Cedarwood, vetiver and woody molecules such as Iso E Super make the woody part drier and wider.
In 1985 Dior released Poison, composed by Édouard Fléchier. Descriptions usually list tuberose, jasmine and spices over sandalwood, vanilla and musk. Because it has spices as well as white flowers over wood, different sources describe Poison either as a floral woody amber or as a spicy floral.
Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 adds Santalum album oil, santalol, rose oil, jasmine oil, ylang ylang oil, Atlas cedarwood oil, Juniperus virginiana oil and the tetramethyl acetyloctahydronaphthalenes group (which includes Iso E Super) to the expanded allergen list. New products placed on the EU market after 31 July 2026 must be labelled according to this list.
The SFP website publishes only subfamily names; perfume lists per subfamily are in the printed Classification officielle des parfums. Perfumes named here are commonly cited examples, not official SFP placements.
| Layer | Materials |
|---|---|
| Top | Bergamot, Mandarin, Pink pepper |
| Middle | Jasmine, Tuberose, Ylang-ylang, Damask rose, Iris (orris) |
| Base | Indian sandalwood, Western Australian sandalwood, Atlas cedarwood, Vetiver, Vanilla, Tonka bean, Benzoin, Santalol, Iso E Super, Vanillin |
A natural version can use jasmine, tuberose absolute and ylang ylang in the heart, with sandalwood, Atlas cedarwood and vetiver in the base alongside vanilla, tonka and benzoin. FCF bergamot or mandarin at the top keeps it bright. West Australian and New Caledonian sandalwood are alternatives to Santalum album when that source is hard to obtain.
The dryness and diffusion of Iso E Super have no natural equivalent; cedarwood and vetiver suggest only part of it. The EU allergen list must be checked for the floral and woody oils named. This page gives no formula percentages.
| Name | House | Year | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poison | Dior | 1985 | Édouard Fléchier. Tuberose, jasmine and spices over sandalwood, vanilla and musk. |
| Woody molecules · Santalol · Iso e super · Javanol · Sandalore | Santalol and its substitutes. |
| Sweet base · Vanillin · Benzyl salicylate | Vanillin, benzyl salicylate. |
| Woody layer · Sandalwood east indian · Sandalwood western australian · Sandalwood new caledonian · Cedarwood atlas · Vetiver | Sandalwood, cedar, vetiver. |
| White flowers · Jasmine · Tuberose · Ylang ylang | The floral layer of F4. |
| Amber base · Vanilla · Tonka · Benzoin | Vanilla, coumarin, resins. |
Updated 09/2026. Figures follow the year stated in each source.
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