The story of how labdanum found its way into the world’s perfume arsenal is a bit like how coffee made its way into cafes.
Goats and sheep used to graze on cistus shrubs. Long before they were ever extracted as resin or oil, the thorny leaves used to cling to the goats’ beards and the sheep’s wool and were combed off to be used in incense and medicine so good it’s mentioned at least twice in the Bible.
Thanks to the goats who ‘discovered’ the deep, sweet scent of cistus, centuries later it has turned into an indispensable perfumery ingredient the defines perfume genres from fougères to chypres to classic Orientals and has been a longstanding cornerstone of Arabian perfumery.
Rock Rose, as labdanum is also called, is a tough plant that grows in tough environments (North African, Middle East, the Mediterranean) and can be tough to work with. Plum jam sweet but dry, dark, with a deep resinous tone, cistus extracts are honey-like in texture and sweetness, as if honey got injected with a deep herbaceous chord?
It’s a key ingredient in ‘amber’ perfumes, and labdanum derivatives and isolates often have ‘amber’ in their names. Used as both fixative and an independent note,, its tenacious texture coupled with the resinous sweet, echo-of-ambergris scent, labdanum is a good…… starting point.
I’m particular about my vetiver, my sandalwood and frankincense—but I’m even more particular when it comes to amber.
Labdanum derivatives have come to define the scent of ambergris far more than ambergris itself. I have my doubt as to why because I find the smells are quite distinct. It’s similar to what happened with musk, where the baby powder soapy scent of modern muscs bears little resemblance to the scent of actual deer musk.
That said, ambergris and labdanum work wonders together, which is why both are staples in my atelier. Labdanum is also a good fixative, which better explains why it acts as an ambergris substitute. And if I had to choose one botanical that comes closest to our sperm whale’s precious contribution to our aromatic arsenal, labdanum would be a top contender.
And that’s where most would begin and end with amber notes. Labdanum alone does the job. Don’t be surprised to find out that many famous amber perfumes are mostly just labdanum.
But crafting an amber accord is a different story. Many frag junkies go as far as a dash of styrax, some vanilla and citrus and call it a day—because the deeper you go into the amber world the more difficult it gets. Benzoin can kill the distinct sweetness; cedarwood dries it out, oakmoss sucks out the ‘amber’ entirely, while vetiver turns the whole thing muddy.
A composition that keeps the distinct cistus sweetness and that oozing resinous core of labdanum—and builds on it… that’s the challenge. And after you’re done, will your formula retain any fixative properties?
I’ve spent more time than I should admit to on amber chords. EO Amber is one that came to fruition over several years, adding, subtracting, and tweaking. Where others would add ‘labdanum’ to the scent pyramid to account for the ‘amber’ aroma……… that’s the trouble with those breakdowns! My amber note isn’t labdanum; it’s THIS—a whole perfume in itself.
If the EO DNA ever had you wondering why you don’t smell a simple scent pyramid, EO Amber is a clue as to why. Where others may write labdanum in the breakdown, you’d need an entire sub-prism to explain this note… a pyramid within the pyramid with the pyramid.
So, you won’t be able to go down a checklist and pick out notes of labdanum and cypress and styrax and vanilla. EO Amber is a unique note; a new note. One I personally made and use instead of ‘labdanum’ or any of the ‘amber-something’ derivatives you’d find in a perfumers supply catalog.
Whether you want a deeper smell into your EO Parfums or simply enjoy a great amber aroma, EO Amber has plenty to share. Enjoy!
*Just like the blue lotus, frangipani and jasmine are limited and unique to EO (and the actual ingredients I use), so too I’ve only apportioned a limited amount of EO Amber to be sold.
Featured Testimonials…
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AMBER… A fantasy accord! as they say!
We find a lot of variations or interpretations of amber and every rendition is different …
A raw material that hasn’t been found washed ashore for more than a century now if I am not wrong 🤔
You’d be lucky to find someone who had first hand experience with actual amber resin…
Let alone finding tincture of the fossil on a “Good Price”
Chances are there but pretty thin though…
This is the fantasy that made people, confuse the big grey floating stone washing ashore, as the amber.
We now know That floating stone as Ambergris (Grey Amber) …
The fantasy gave us another raw material 🥰 that may not smell like actual amber fossil but …
Shared the property of getting washed ashore once in a blue moon…
So anybody and everybody is free to be creative and tell the world that what amber accord should smell like, right?
To me personally! If i ever get to experience real amber in any parallel universe, i’d wish it to smell like EO Amber.
The only Amber accord that smells pleasant to me personally…
Although its an integral part in the base of most of the Ensar’s creations, it’s a full blown perfume on its own as well…
Opens with a cool minty fresh breeze, almost like bubblegum mint…
Stays linear afterwards as soon as it atarts to dry but carries that cooling effect …
Along-with that spicy, leathery syrupy resinous texture that keeps you captivated for daya to come.
To me personally, That’s what an amber accord should always be done.
Thanks for making it to the end of a long post 🙏🏻
It’s perfect. Amber has always been one of my favorites.
A labdanum bomb! The finest amber product I’ve yet tried. As you may know, there is no such smell as “amber” – amber products are a synergy of ingredients that create an “amber-ish” type smell. This one is done right proper – labdanum can be tricky to employ successfully and this attar is a masterclass. The citrus tang – yes! It’s not just labdanum, and I can’t tell what all is in it, but the complimentary ingredients work beautifully to bring out the best in the labdanum-led experience here.