In Search of Oriental Amber, or How I Became a Perfumer
From Aromatic Oils to Perfume Creation
People often ask how I got started in perfumery. Back in my student days, I loved buying high-quality aromatic oils and applying them to my wrists and neck so I could enjoy their scent throughout the day. My inspiration likely came from a classmate who wore an aroma pendant filled with fragrant oils around her neck. However, typical pharmacy-grade oils didn’t interest me—I was on the lookout for oils that had a pleasant, distinctive scent suitable as a personal perfume. Through this search, I discovered a supplier whose oils were nearly perfume-grade. My favorites at the time were blue chamomile and vetiver.
That remained the case until one day I met a friend enveloped in a sweet, honeyed floral aura with a note of plum. It was clearly rose, but layered with something heavy, balsamic, and earthy—a bit like moist soil, leather, and spices. “What are you wearing?” I asked. “Rose and black cumin,” he answered. It thrilled me to realize I wasn’t alone in this fascination. But it also made me think more deeply about how one could combine aromatic oils to produce such captivating effects.
Discovering the Beauty of Mixed Notes
Shortly after that, I came across a perfume in a store whose notes included Ceylon cinnamon, coriander, myrtle, leather, frankincense, vetiver, sandalwood, and amber. By then, I was already enjoying a blend of vetiver and patchouli—and I’d loved sandalwood oil for a long while. But this particular fragrance left me spellbound. It captivated me so deeply that I decided to find each of its components, determined to isolate the one that made it so extraordinary.
My first big revelation was frankincense oil, with its beautifully fresh, woody fragrance. I also spent time tracking down myrtle oil, an equally striking ingredient—fresh, sweet, lightly floral, with traces of citrus, herbs, and spice. It was definitely present in the perfume’s top notes but didn’t quite define the scent. I read many articles on how fragrances are composed, even stumbling on the method of using diluted tar to create a leather note. That led me to make a weak tar tincture in sandalwood oil, which gave it a smokier, more masculine quality. I conducted numerous blending experiments with essential oils, testing if I could replicate a similar fragrance profile. Although the results were intriguing and garnered compliments, I still felt something was missing.
The Mystery of Oriental Amber
The most enigmatic component of that perfume—the one that truly amazed me—was the amber note. I understood the entire secret lay there. I read countless articles and made many attempts to find the perfect oil, but the more I delved into it, the more I realized there was a puzzle here. Some sources spoke of whale ambergris, others of woody amber, or fossilized amber; each had different qualities. By then, I already had ambrette oil, labdanum, benzoin, and a perfumery oil called “Amber Musk.” A few of these came close to reproducing that amber accord—especially benzoin and “Amber Musk”—but the difference remained stark.
Over the next few years, I pored over professional perfumery books, including organic chemistry resources on fragrance molecules and their synthesis. I discovered a vast array of amber-like compounds, which I gradually sought out and purchased from various suppliers, hoping to uncover that elusive “perfect” amber. While experimenting with these molecules, I crafted quite a few successful perfumes. Then, one day, I realized that blending vanilla, patchouli, and certain amber molecules resulted in a note strikingly similar to the amber I’d been pursuing. Researching that combination, I learned that what I had been seeking all along was the classic oriental amber accord.
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March 29, 2025