The Amber facet

The oriental facet is undoubtedly a major accord of perfumery. It can be dressed with several other facets and its complexity is equal to its richness.

What is the amber or oriental facet?

Let's start with a few definitions of the amber facet.
In perfumery, the word amber does not come from the stone which is a fossilized resin and has no smell.

What is then the origin of the name?

It is called amber because perfumers used to add ambergris in the composition.
Ambergris is a natural animal note coming from a pathological concretion of whale sperm. It’s still authorized to use because the animal is not killed or hurt in the process.
This sensual note is so expensive, so it is rare to find it in a perfume today.
This accord was identified in the Ambre Antique by Coty and in Jicky by Guerlaine which then became Shalimar. It is also the base of the amber accord of De Laire, Amber 83.
The amber and oriental accord have similarities in terms of sensuality and warmth, the difference is subtle.

The classic oriental accord is generally composed of:

• tonka bean
• vanilla
• vanillin
• coumarin
• labdanum
• patchouli
• resins such as benzoin or incense, opopanax, etc. 
• iris

The main components of the amber facet

Vanilla

Let's start with noble vanilla, an essential element of the oriental facet.
This vanilla is not sweet. The molecules of vanillin and ethylvanillin, on the other hand, are really sweet.

The origin of the vanilla pod

You can find vanilla in tropical forests in the shade of the undergrowth. It grows in an orchid that looks like a mysterious liana and it’s the only orchid that gives a fruit, the vanilla bean. Vanilla appeared in Mexico and was pollinated thanks to a small bee called the Melipone.

Edmond Albius found the secret of fertilizing vanilla in 1848. Using a piece of bamboo, the plant spur that closes the orchid is lifted up, then the pollen is collected to put it in contact with the pistil. This operation can be done only in the morning when the flower has just bloomed. The women doing this operation are called "matchmakers". It takes about 18 months to obtain its fruit, the famous black pod.

To process the vanilla, it has to be boiled for 3 minutes, then put undercover for 24 hours until it becomes black. Then, the vanilla tan on both sides for a few hours every day for 15 days under the sun that kills the bacteria and dries the vanilla pods. They are then sorted by hand, one by one, to make sure they are dry.

The vanilla of Madagascar

Vanilla can be found in 18 other countries. Vanilla has become a rare and luxurious material because the price has increased tenfold in 4 years. It’s a unique material because of its botanical nature, the olfactory treasures it contains and its price. Vanilla’s enveloping and sensual warmth is declined in milky, honeyed, amber, woody, spicy, animal and rum notes. There is also a botanical variety of vanilla called Tahitensis which is more floral.

Vanilla absolute

Vanilla absolute is obtained after extraction of the pods with a volatile solvent. You can also obtain vanilla absolute thanks to the synthetic products: Vanillin and ethylvanillin.

Anecdotes about vanilla

The Aztecs used vanilla to flavor a chocolate drink. It is also said that vanilla is a remedy for anxiety. It brings strength and health.

You will find the vanilla of Madagascar in the Vanilla Collection of Sylvaine Delacourte.

Tonka bean

The tonka bean is found in South America, particularly in Venezuela, Guyana, and Brazil.
It comes from the fruit of a tropical tree called "dipteryx odorata". It is also called coumarouna, or sarrapia.
Its fruits are in the shape of a large almond and each one contains a single black, oval, oblong, shiny seed that wrinkles as it dries out, that's when it starts to smell, then its fragrance becomes more and more pronounced.
Its treatment process is very close to the vanilla one.

The usage of tonka bean

• Initially, these seeds were reduced to a powder sold in sachets to be placed in cupboards between piles of linen.
• To get tonka bean absolute in perfumery, the bean is treated by extraction with volatile solvent.
• In cooking, the bean itself can also be grated like a nutmeg to be used in pastry associated with chocolate, coffee and desserts (Panacotta).
• To flavor snuff and also pipe tobacco "l'Amsterdamer" (practice now prohibited in France and the USA).

The scent of tonka bean

Tonka bean has a unique fragrance. It’s a perfumed composition by itself and is very rich in facets: woody, balmy, vanilla, almond, pistachio, tobacco, hay, woody, honey.

The main molecule of this raw material is called coumarin which is olfactory very almondy, the smell reminds you of the little jars of Cleopatra glue of our childhood.

The synthesis of coumarin was developed in 1868 and first used in Jicky by Guerlain with linalool and Ethyl vanillin.

You will find the tonka bean note in Vahina from the Vanilla Collection by Sylvaine Delacourte.

Myrrh 

Greek mythology tells the myth of the transformation of the incestuous Myrrha into a myrrh tree, before giving birth to Adonis.
Several species of Commophora from Arabia and Abyssinia, all of reduced size, are at the origin of the Myrrh with its prodigious past. There are more than 100 species of Commophora.
They produce an oleo-gum-resin in the form of natural exudation, real tears, whose color fluctuates from light yellow to fairly dark red. These fragile, almost friable, shiny tears give off a powerful aromatic odor.
Myrrh used to be the most exquisite, most precious perfume and was used throughout antiquity as it represented The Cult of the Gods. 

The scent of myrrh

Beyond these sacred purposes, Myrrh is also known as an important note in perfumery. Indeed, perfumers use the essence of Myrrh obtained by steam distillation of the gum harvested from the tree. It has an intense balsamic odor, with licorice, woody notes, almost fruity and an incense facet.

Incense 

Incense comes from the Latin "incendere" which means to burn and to shine.
It is also called olibanum, which comes from "laban", which means white or purity. The olibanum symbolizes the protective power of God, which purifies all sins. The Queen of Sheba often offered it to Solomon.

Incense is like Myrrh: an eraser. It is collected on incense trees. The notion of incense tree has a collective meaning, it includes a number of species of Boswellia from various countries such as Somalia, Yemen, Sudan, Ethiopia and India. Each with specific olfactory characteristics.

The most frequently used tree is the Boswellia carteri Roxb. They are 4 to 5 meter tall shrubs from the mountains of the Middle East and Africa. Incense trees have a trunk and branches with grey bark that can be easily removed.

In perfume, the gum is collected after cutting a tree trunk, then, a week later, the incense beads are removed to be distilled by steam to produce an essence.

Olfactive description of incense

• The Boswellia Sacra of Oman has a mint and eucalyptus note.
• Boswellia Serrata from India and Boswellia papyrifera have a bitter lemon facet.
• Boswellia frerana or Maydi has accents of floral and fruity caramel, it is used by the Coptic Church of Ethiopia.
• Boswellia Rivae has gourmet accents.
• The best known of these essences is a very powerful dark, aromatic base note with a camphor, resinous, smoky effect.

Usage of incense

• The uses of incense throughout centuries have always had a ritual aspect with, for example, the worship of Gods, remedies or perfumes.
• The ancient Egyptians used it to heal themselves, incense is a powerful antiseptic. They also used it to embalm their dead (preservative of the flesh) and especially for fumigations in places of worship, for its spiritual power, but also to protect from miasmas.
• Religions have never stopped using it.
• Asian cultures devote almost sacred attention to it in their private lives.
• Incense is also used in cosmetics. 

Styrax

Styrax balm comes from the bark of two species of trees called liquidambar and found in Syria and South America.

The scent of styrax

The essence of styrax is obtained by distillation of the balm. It has a strong vanilla, balsamic, floral, animal, leathery, and tar note. 

Benzoin 

Benzoin is a balm that comes naturally or by incision from the trunk of a tree from the Styraceae family called the styrax benzoin. It comes from Siam and Sumatra. This exudation is actually a pathological reaction of the tree.

It is also called gum or benzoin tear. It is white when it is liquid and turns yellow when it dries. When harvested, it is already semi-solid.

Siam Benzoin is the most popular variety for perfumers. It is the rarest and therefore the most expensive. It presents a very strong vanilla facet.
Benzoin tears develop a very sweet perfume. It’s appreciated in Buddhist temples.
Benzoin has been considered as a variety of incense or myrrh and as a precious substance. It also played a role in the care of lung and skin diseases.
In perfumery, the gum is treated by extraction with volatile solvents to obtain benzoin absolute.
It has a scent of sweet vanilla, almond, roasted coffee, honey, it is floral (carnation), rich, syrupy and medicinal.

Opoponax 

Opoponax or opopanax is a gum that comes from a shrub growing mainly in Somalia and Ethiopia.

The scent of opoponax 

It offers a balsamic, soft, velvety, earthy, leathery scent close to myrrh.

Doctors in the past were convinced that it could cure tumors, and used it in the form of plasters.

Some Perfumes with oriental or amber facet

To finish, here is a list of perfumes from the oriental and amber facet:

• Heure Bleue Guerlain
• Nahéma Guerlain
• Cuir Béluga Guerlain
• Tonka Impérial Guerlain
• Jicky Guerlain
• Samsara Guerlain 
• L’instant Guerlain
• Pure Poison Dior
• Dune Dior 
• Allure Chanel
• Ozkan Sylvaine Delacourte
• Noir Épices Frédéric Malle
• Fleur de Cassie Frédéric Malle
• Vanille Galante Hermès
• Misia Chanel 

Fragrances for men:

• Héritage Guerlain
• L’Instant pour Homme Guerlain
• Ange ou Démon Givenchy (floral)

Sylvaine Delacourte fragrances

Discover Sylvaine Delacourte's brand with her Orange Blossom, Musk and Vanilla Collections. You can try them thanks to the Discovery Boxes (5 Eaux de Parfum x 2 ml) and rediscover these raw materials as you have never smelled them before.