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What is the famous Creed note made up of?!?

post #1 of 16
Thread Starter 
What is the famous Creed note made up of?!? I get it in MI, SMW, GIT, Erolfa, and NS... I guess there are a lot more, but what is it actually? I love it!!! ;D
post #2 of 16
It's ambergris. I don't know if Creed uses real or synthetic ambergris though.
post #3 of 16
Quote:
Originally Posted by teflondog

It's ambergris. I don't know if Creed uses real or synthetic ambergris though.

Ambergris is whale vomit, so IMO, it would have to be synthetic.
post #4 of 16
ambergris hardens and washes up on shore. So, it could very well be real and not synthetic. For the price of creed, it better be real.
post #5 of 16
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambergris

Although rare, the going rate for raw ambergris seems to not exclude the possibility that Creed may indeed use the real stuff. However, in the Wikipedia entry it mentions the illegality of importing into the US any part of an endangered animal. Would not the processed ambergris, even in a perfume, be illegal to import? If that were the case, then I'm guessing Creed uses synthetic.
post #6 of 16
i've heard it's real whale puke. which is way better than... fake... whale... puke... :-/
post #7 of 16
Quote:
However, in the Wikipedia entry it mentions the illegality of importing into the US any part of an endangered animal.

The Wikipedia entry is wrong in that ambergris is not considered to be "part of an ... animal".
post #8 of 16
Quote:
Originally Posted by dcampen

Quote:
However, in the Wikipedia entry it mentions the illegality of importing into the US any part of an endangered animal.

The Wikipedia entry is wrong in that ambergris is not considered to be "part of an ... animal".

Isn't there a fragrance out there that uses bits of real panther?
post #9 of 16
You can learn more about ambergris AKA gray amber at these two sites-I don't know how to insert a link but the sites are

http://www.netstrider.com/documents/ambergris/
http://www.ambergris.co.nz/identification.htm

I've read them, and I fear while ambergris is an excretion of the sperm whale, it does not exit via the mouth of the whale. Fresh ambergris is a black, sticky, foul smelling....manure. It oxidizes when exposed to air and sunshine in the sea, and washes to shore transformed and hardened, still containing the beaks of squid and cuttlefish eaten by the whale.

It is apparently quite unique and subtle, not so much changing a scent as transforming it to a three dimensional experience. The effect has been described as listening to music on a small radio, then hearing the same recording but on a CD with full stereo surround. Its the same song, but a totally different experience.
post #10 of 16
You can learn more about ambergris AKA gray amber at these two sites-I don't know how to insert a link but the sites are

http://www.netstrider.com/documents/ambergris/
http://www.ambergris.co.nz/identification.htm

I've read them, and I fear while ambergris is an excretion of the sperm whale, it does not exit via the mouth of the whale. Fresh ambergris is a black, sticky, foul smelling....manure. It oxidizes when exposed to air and sunshine in the sea, and washes to shore transformed and hardened, still containing the beaks of squid and cuttlefish eaten by the whale.

It is apparently quite unique and subtle, not so much changing a scent as transforming it to a three dimensional experience. The effect has been described as listening to music on a small radio, then hearing the same recording but on a CD with full stereo surround. Its the same song, but a totally different experience.

Sorry for Round Two! But I'm happy to know "inserting a link" just means typing the address as usual...not so mysterious as ambergris!
post #11 of 16
While most people would not consider it part of a whale since it's washed up on shore and there's no violent means of collection (no whales have to be hurt or die to collect ambergris) - BUT, it is indeed illegal in the USA because of the endangered species act that says no part of an endangered animal can be owned or sold.

Creed is produced in France, which as far as I know has no regulations on the collection and trade of ambergris, so I believe it falls through the cracks.

I'm 95% certain Creed uses real ambergris.
post #12 of 16
Quote:
BUT, it is indeed illegal in the USA because of the endangered species act that says no part of an endangered animal can be owned or sold.

No, ambergris is _not_ illegal in the USA because the federal agency that regulates trade in endangered species and marine mammals does not consider ambergris to be "part of an ... animal". You may consider ambergris to be "part of an ... animal" but that is irrelevant wrt questions of legality in the US since you are not the Federal agency that enforces these laws.
post #13 of 16
Hmmmm...Well, thanks in part to my susceptable nature, positive comments on Luca Turin's blog Perfume Notes (RIP), and this thread, I just ordered 16ml of ambergris tincture from www.profumo.it for 68.80. Clearly they sell it, since several people had good things to say about it, including someone who had used it in their shop in central California. It is authentic natural material, the real whale regurg (on further study, it does seem to be the ocean's answer to the common terrestrial hairball). So, if I suddenly stop posting, you'll know I was picked up by the old whale puke police.
post #14 of 16
Madini sells real ambergris.

It is quite a unique smell. Nothing I wold wear by itself, but you can definitely see how it would add depth and character to a perfume.
post #15 of 16
From dictionary.com

am·ber·gris Audio pronunciation of "ambergris" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (mbr-grs, -grs)
n.

A waxy grayish substance formed in the intestines of sperm whales and found floating at sea or washed ashore. It is added to perfumes to slow down the rate of evaporation.
post #16 of 16
Thread Starter 
Are there any other non-Creed frags around where I find this distinctive ambergris note? I haven't smelt it anywhere else, I must admit...
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