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Ambrette Seeds?

post #1 of 9
12/3/09 at 7:18pm
Thread Starter 
How does the musk sourced from ambrette seeds differ from other musk sources?
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post #2 of 9
12/5/09 at 8:34pm
Thread Starter 
Anyone?
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post #3 of 9
12/5/09 at 8:54pm
In what way? In how ambrette seeds smell, in their chemical composition, in how they are used? The original question is just too broad.
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post #4 of 9
12/5/09 at 8:56pm
Thread Starter 
How they smell and how they are used
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post #5 of 9
12/5/09 at 9:04pm
I believe it smells slightly fecal (animalic) and is used in fragrances like Lutens' Muscs Koublai Khan.
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post #6 of 9
12/11/09 at 10:55am
As someone who's done a bit of home perfumery (but not nearly as much as others), I've used and smelled natural ambrette (essential) oil. My experience with it is that It's got a nice light smell, though a little nutty, like sunflower seeds minus the salt or something. It's got more of a light vegetal quality, rather than a heavy animalic smell. And there's a slight sweetness to it. I can imagine that a synthetic form of ambrette might enhance the sweetness and general muskiness. For perfumers, you have to use a light touch with this oil, or it'll dominate your blend. And supposedly too much can give it a stuffy "old lady" smell, though I never used that much!

I had Chanel Egoiste for a while way back when, which has ambrette seed as a base note. I thought that's what gave Egoiste its sweetness. However, having later smelled natural ambrette oil and the way it smells in a finished blend, my opinion is that the sweetness, almost fruity/honey sweetness in Egoiste comes more from the rose, coriander and vanilla. Of course, you have rosewood as a topnote, which adds a dry cherry (and yes, woody) type of scent.
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post #7 of 9
12/11/09 at 4:20pm
It differs from other musks in two ways:
1. It is not from an animal source;

2. It is from a natural source.

Other musks, the ones most used (since animal musk is now all but impossible to find), are synthetic, and there are many of them.

In character, most people describe it as being somewhat reminiscent of amber; it is described as soft, balsamic, sensual, and animalic. Although it is called a vegetable musk, its odor is closer to ambergris. It is expensive to produce, yielding a very small amount of absolute; therefore, its use its restricted to more expensive compositions.
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post #8 of 9
12/11/09 at 5:31pm
Chanel No. 18 from the Les Exclusifs line is all about the ambrette seed, from what I was told by a Chanel SA.
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post #9 of 9
12/11/09 at 5:39pm
Thread Starter 
I just ask because a favorite of mine, Lorenzo Villoresi Acqua di Colonia allegedly has ambrette seeds.
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