Sowmya GibishAmber is not actually one ingredient. It is a warm, slightly sweet, resinous blend that perfumers build from things like labdanum, vanilla and benzoin, which is why no two amber perfumes smell quite the same.
So which one is worth your money, and how warm is too warm? Do you want something for cold nights, something that lasts all day, or just something that smells expensive without costing a fortune? These four amber perfumes cover the whole range, from a thirty dollar bottle that fills a room to a French splurge people save for evenings out.
Cold Nights In Maison Francis Kurkdjian Grand Soir
Unisex
Perfumer
Francis Kurkdjian
Fragrance Family
Amber
Notes
Top: amber accord
Middle: labdanum, benzoin
Base: vanilla, tonka bean
Ask online which amber to buy first and this is the name that comes up every time. It is built on a warm amber accord with vanilla, benzoin and tonka, so it smells like sweet resin and candle wax, which sounds strange and somehow works, the same warm family that traces back to the first amber perfume. The catch is performance, it can last all night on one person and fade in two hours on another, so try it before you spend this much.
Big Projection, Small Price Al Haramain Amber Oud
Unisex
Perfumer
In-house
Fragrance Family
Amber Woody
Notes
Top: rosemary, cedar, bergamot, lemon
Middle: spices, cedar, guaiac wood
Base: amber, resins, musk
This one costs around thirty dollars and fills a room like a bottle five times the price. My brother wears it to every family dinner, and you can catch the cedar and citrus opening from across the room before it settles into a warm amber, resin and musk base. The opening reads a little soapy for the first ten minutes, and if you want a deeper oud after this, Tom Ford’s Oud Voyager goes a richer route, but for the money this is hard to beat.
Cold-Weather Date Nights Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb
Men
Perfumer
Olivier Polge
Fragrance Family
Amber Spicy
Notes
Top: pink pepper, elemi, bergamot, grapefruit
Middle: cinnamon, saffron, paprika
Base: tobacco, leather, vetiver
Smells like mulled wine and a leather jacket at a winter dinner. The opening is all pink pepper and bright citrus, then cinnamon and saffron heat it up before it settles into tobacco and leather that lasts a good eight hours. It is useless in summer heat and unbeatable when it is cold, so keep it for the colder months.
The Grown-Up Splurge Dior Ambre Nuit
Unisex
Perfumer
François Demachy
Fragrance Family
Amber Floral
Notes
Top: bergamot, grapefruit
Middle: Damascus rose, pink pepper
Base: guaiac wood, cedar, ambergris, patchouli
My aunt has worn this for years and I still can’t tell if it reads as a man’s or a woman’s, which is the whole point. It pairs warm amber with a soft Damascus rose and a little pink pepper, sitting on a dry woody base that keeps it from turning too sweet. The rose does make it lean slightly feminine, it leaves a strong trail so go easy on the sprays, and it costs proper Dior money, but it smells like the most expensive thing in the room.
Yazhini Manimudi
Sowmya Gibish
