Amber

On record here, the word is carried by labdanum absolute, amber notes, Shalimar, L'Origan and others. Each carrier says who uses the word and on what evidence: a source, the trade’s convention or the house’s own reading.

Read the essay · Everyday words to scent concepts: the Scent Translator

The record

Each field carries its evidence: open a chip for the source, the quoted words and the confidence. A field with nothing behind it says so and stays empty.

Term

amber

perfumery convention

the trade’s shared vocabulary; no single source

the trade’s shared vocabulary; the word as the records and sources use it

confidence B

Family

amber

perfumery convention

Classification of 1. top notes: a) citrus, b) aldehydic, c) fruity, d) green and e) herbaceous/herbal, 2. heart notes: a) floral light, b) floral green, c) floral fresh, d), floral fruity, e) floral heavy and f) floral woody and 3. bottom notes: a) aromatic, b) balsamic, c) moss/leather/animalic, d) musk, e) amber and f) wood.

ISO-2 · Stepanyuk A, Kirschning A · read 2026-09-30

the family name as the published classification the review gives (top, heart and bottom notes) spells it

confidence B

Definition

In perfumery, a warm, resinous, sweet accord (labdanum, vanilla), not the fossil resin.

house interpretation

the house’s own reading, labelled as such

the house’s own definition, written for this vocabulary

confidence C

Also written

amber notes, Ambré

as used

the house’s own reading, labelled as such

the words the carriers below use for this term; each carrier names its own source

confidence B

Carried by

• labdanum absolute (as used: “amber”)
  perfumery convention

  the trade’s shared vocabulary; no single source

  the trade’s words; LAB-1 documents its use for "its aromatic and fixative properties, replacing ambergris", not these words

  confidence B

• amber notes (the review: "base notes serving as fixatives") (as used: “amber notes”)
  documented

  Notably, there are odorants (in particular amber notes) which are base notes serving as fixatives but also enhancing the perceptibility of a perfume

  KLE-1 · Kleoff M, Kiler P, Heretsch P · read 2026-09-30

  confidence A

• Shalimar (Guerlain, 1925) (as used: “Ambré”)
  documented

  Shalimar GUERLAIN 1925 EXT Ambré Ambré Doux Jacques Guerlain

  OSMO-1 · Osmothèque, Conservatoire international des parfums · read 2026-09-30

  the Osmothèque’s family and sub-family for this fragrance: a classification (a perfumery convention), not a measurement of its smell

  confidence A

• L'Origan (Coty, 1905) (as used: “Ambré”)
  documented

  Origan (L') 1° Édition COTY 1905 EXT Ambré Fleuri Épicé François Coty

  OSMO-1 · Osmothèque, Conservatoire international des parfums · read 2026-09-30

  the Osmothèque’s family and sub-family for this fragrance: a classification (a perfumery convention), not a measurement of its smell

  confidence A

• Tabu (Dana, 1931) (as used: “Ambré”)
  documented

  Tabu DANA 1931 Ambré Ambré Doux Jean Carles

  OSMO-1 · Osmothèque, Conservatoire international des parfums · read 2026-09-30

  the Osmothèque’s family and sub-family for this fragrance: a classification (a perfumery convention), not a measurement of its smell

  confidence A

Related terms

• balsamic
• ambergris

In teaching accords

• An amber (the perfumer’s, not the resin)
• The chypre skeleton

Sources

1. ISO-2 · Stepanyuk A, Kirschning A. Synthetic terpenoids in the world of fragrances: Iso E Super® is the showcase. Beilstein J Org Chem. 2019;15:2590–2602. doi.org/10.3762/bjoc.15.252 · read 2026-09-30 · CC BY 4.0
2. KLE-1 · Kleoff M, Kiler P, Heretsch P. Synthesis of odorants in flow and their applications in perfumery. Beilstein J Org Chem. 2022;18:754–768. doi.org/10.3762/bjoc.18.76 · read 2026-09-30 · CC BY 4.0
3. OSMO-1 · Osmothèque, Conservatoire international des parfums. Collection Osmothèque, juin 2015 (PDF list: name, house, launch year, concentration, family, sub-family, perfumers). www.osmotheque.fr/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Col… · read 2026-09-30 · no reuse licence stated; quoted row by row, not filed

These records are published under CC BY 4.0.

this record as data: /data/descriptor/amber.json · version 1 · updated 2026-09-30 · confidence B