The oriental (amber) family in perfumery
Coralie Frébourg
Vanilla, incense, tonka bean, resins, spices: the oriental family, increasingly called “amber”, is warmth and sensuality in a bottle. It has never been so popular. Let's decode it.
What is the oriental family?
Orientals are one of the six original olfactory families defined by the French Society of Perfumers (SFP), alongside floral, citrus, woody, fougère and chypre.
Today, people increasingly speak of the “amber” family: a more descriptive term that avoids the clichés of a fantasized Orient. The family is booming: almost every brand, prestige or niche, has its amber.
Where does the word “amber” come from?
Originally, amber is an animal material: ambergris, a concretion produced by the sperm whale. Unlike civet, castoreum or deer musk, the animal didn't need to be killed to obtain it, but the yield is almost non-existent: it's one of the rarest and most expensive materials in perfumery. More in our guide to animalic notes.
In perfumery, the “amber accord” today means a warm blend of vanilla, labdanum and resins, which has little to do with the whale anymore.
What do orientals smell like?
To create an oriental, you need very warm, sensual notes: benzoin, vanilla, tonka bean, labdanum, myrrh, incense, opoponax… Modern orientals often have a very gourmand, sweet facet: a family that could almost dethrone florals.
They are mostly heart and base notes, the ones that give a perfume warmth and balsamic richness and last long on the skin.
Key raw materials
Natural materials are marked with an asterisk.
Resinous and smoky
- Frankincense essence*: dry, resinous, dusty
- Benzoin resinoid*: vanilla, animalic, cinnamon
- Myrrh essence*: licorice, mushroom, balsamic
- Opoponax resinoid*: mushroom, incense, woody
- Labdanum absolute*: balsamic, honey, incense
Vanilla
- Vanilla absolute*: vanilla, honey, spicy
- Vanillin: cocoa, almondy, hay
- Ethyl vanillin: carnation, vanilla, caramel
- Peru balsam*: vanilla, honey, cinnamon
Almondy
- Tonka bean absolute*: almondy, hay, honey
- Coumarin: almondy, floral, hay
- Heliotropin: floral, almondy, cherry
- Benzaldehyde: bitter almond, cherry
Warm and smooth
- Beeswax absolute*: chocolate, honey, floral
- Styrax*: cinnamon, leather, floral
- Maté absolute*: tobacco, dried fruit, tea
- Diacetyl: butter, hazelnut
Woody and dry
- Ambroxan: woody, dry, musky
- Amberketal: woody, iris-like, fruity
Iconic perfumes
- Jicky, Guerlain (1889), Aimé Guerlain: oriental
- Habanita, Molinard (1921): oriental
- Shalimar, Guerlain (1925), Jacques Guerlain: spicy oriental
- Opium, Yves Saint Laurent (1977), Jean-Louis Sieuzac: spicy oriental
- Angel, Mugler (1992), Olivier Cresp: vanilla oriental
- L'Eau d'Ambre, L'Artisan Parfumeur (1993): oriental
- A*Men, Mugler (1996), Jacques Huclier: woody oriental
- Ambre Sultan, Serge Lutens (2000), Christopher Sheldrake: oriental
- Ambre Narguilé, Hermès (2004), Jean-Claude Ellena: spicy oriental
- Wazamba, Parfum d'Empire (2009): oriental
- La Petite Robe Noire, Guerlain (2012), Thierry Wasser: vanilla oriental
This list is not exhaustive: there are many beautiful launches, some iconic, others more commercial.
Where to find these notes at Versatile?
We don't sort our perfumes by family (no influence, no pressure), but warm gourmands are kind of our thing. The incense, amber rum and sandalwood of Gueule de Bois. The vanilla and caramel of God Bless Cola. The tonka bean of Croissant Café. The cinnamon and cardamom of Oh My Chaï. And the ambery vanilla of Bonne Poire. Discover them in our Les Réconfortants Discovery Box.
FAQ
Oriental or amber: what's the difference?
None: it's the same family. “Amber” is simply the more current, more descriptive term.
Does the amber in perfumes come from fossil resin?
No. Yellow amber (the stone) has almost no smell. The “amber” in perfumes is an accord of vanilla, labdanum and resins, historically inspired by ambergris.
Are amber perfumes for winter?
That's the cliché! They're comforting in cold weather, but nothing stops you from wearing them in August. We prove it in Which perfume for which season?
