Whale ambergris. What is amber, musk and oud in perfumery? Oud is extracted from the fragrant, resinous core of the tree.

Washed ashore around the world, ambergris is used to make exotic perfumes, and as incredible as it sounds, perfumes are made in the entrails of sperm whales.

These animals are very valuable and allow vagrants combing the coast to become rich in an instant if they find them.

(reported by Laurence Schaeffler).

Whale excrement that smells like a million dollars?

It's strange, but it's true. Although they have been used in the manufacture of perfumes for centuries, scholars differ on the origins of ambergris. Is it obtained from feces or vomit? Regardless of origin, ambergris is known to form in the viscera or intestines of sperm whales when the animal digests squid cloves. Sperm whales are not indifferent to squid, but nevertheless they have to fight, digesting strong, sharp cloves. Scientists believe that the stomach juices of sperm whales become hyperactive during the digestion of irritants, resulting in the formation of hard, resinous bumps - ambergris - around the cloves.

They come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes, and are often layered like cow-patties. They are gradually washed ashore, and then thrown out onto the sand by a wave, where they are found by "hunters". And although many believe that ambergris is the bowel feces of the sperm whale, nevertheless, it is most definitely not feces.

Others insist that ambergris is vomit or spit. Some believe that ambergris comes from two "ends" - dark ambergris from the "south end", light ambergris from the mouth. In the sophisticated world of expensive perfume production, the color of ambergris determines its value, because pieces of different colors have different unique subtle aromas. White ambergris is the best; in 2nd place - amber with a golden brown tint; black ambergris is the least valuable. Each piece of ambergris is valued by traders, and the price can be as high as US$8,000 per kilogram (for white ambergris), and up to US$2,000 per kilogram for black ambergris.

White amber is very rare. And yet, if you come across a five-kilogram piece of ambergris - this is also good luck, which should not be neglected if you understand what I'm talking about. New Zealand boasts a relatively small but thriving ambergris industry. Almost all of the mined product is exported to Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Statistics show that during the year (2003-2004) 114 kg of ambergris worth $264,000 were exported from New Zealand.

Why perfume?

When first encountering a piece of ambergris, people usually associate it with exotic perfumes. It has a somewhat strange, stale (mouldy), sweet smell; more precisely, the smell of a mixture of cigars and liquorice. Not quite Chanel No. 5. The fact is that ambergris is used as a fixative - a substance that retains the smell for a long time, and not to create the fragrance itself. Spencer Exports in Auckland is one of the largest perfume exporters. Director Louise Crouch explains that ambergris gathers fragrance into a "knot". “Every perfume is made up of a mixture of scents called notes. There are low, middle and high notes.

They differ in the level of volatility, and the fixative allows you to keep them together in the same ratio. In fact, the fixative controls the rate and degree of volatility, which helps the scent to last longer. If some fragrances evaporate faster than others, then the scent of the perfume will change.” Most of the New Zealand ambergris goes to the perfume houses of France. “Despite the fact that today many fragrances and scents are made synthetically, perfumes made from natural ambergris are considered the highest quality product,” Crouch says. The largest piece of ambergris sold by Crouch weighed 160 kg.

Ambergris is the strongest Aphrodisiac

Asia and the Middle East are big markets where ambergris is used (in addition to perfumes) as a natural aphrodisiac. Adrienne Beuse, an ambergris dealer in Dargaville, says that in the Arab countries, small amounts of ambergris are heated in teaspoons. “It turns into caramel in a spoon, and then with that spoon people stir the coffee, and the ambergris caramel gradually dissolves.” She doesn't know if ambergris works as an aphrodisiac.

Ambergris is used in the manufacture of jewelry, women of the East wear necklaces with ambergris, which show the status of a person. A large, rare decoration shows the status and wealth of the husband of its owner. New Zealand is known as a supplier of the highest quality ambergris, probably the best in the world. She does not know the reason for the high quality of ambergris, but she believes that one of the reasons is the isolation of the country. “The longer ambergris floats in salt water, the more time it has to oxidize.

We believe that this improves its quality.” Ambergris can be found throughout the country, but as a waterborne product, ambergris tends to wash ashore in eastern New Zealand due to prevailing winds and currents. New Zealand is well located on the South Pacific whale migration route between Antarctica and the tropics. “Amber is found on the long, smooth shores of Scandinavia,” Beuse says, “because they are kinder to pieces of ambergris washed ashore.

Ambergris washed up on a rocky shore in the south of Northern Ireland breaks into pieces. Finding and identifying ambergris is quite difficult, so many bring Beuza pieces and fragments that look like ambergris, which are actually fat or spongy growths. “The texture of ambergris can be soft and sticky, like molten resin, so it's easy to confuse it with lumps of fat. Other fragments are hard and wax-like, white in color after oxidation, and are easier to identify.”

Because the identification process is so complicated, some merchants offer ambergris identification services on their websites. Due to the value and universal availability of ambergris, there are many stories and "instant riches" in the industry. Beuse knows one person who found a piece that brought him $20,000. Despite the universal availability of ambergris, some collectors "divided" the territory, and a number of disputes and conflicts were resolved in court. The largest toothed whale in the world - the sperm whale, reaches 20 m in length and carry up to 40 tons. In order not to seem unfounded in our conclusions that pieces of ambergris are floating around here, let's listen to the rumbling and noises in the stomach of the whales.

It is legal? - Absolutely

For some time, there was ambiguity about the legality of collecting and selling ambergris, as environmentalists believed it would kill the whales. This issue was resolved last year, when in New Zealand it was proved that ambergris is not a whale or part of it, but just a product of its vital activity. "We took the view that ambergris is a naturally occurring product of whales," says Jane Denton, Environmental Specialist.

The Organization for International Trade in Endangered Species (CITIS) is an international 30-year association, New Zealand became its 15th member. Denton points out that although the trade in ambergris is controlled, traders and exporters must obtain appropriate permission. An official from the Department of Environmental Protection emphasizes that, according to the law on the protection of marine mammals, the finder of ambergris must report the find to the department - where and under what circumstances it was found.

Thus, there are 4 substances of animal origin that are used in the manufacture of perfumes: ambergris from the sperm whale, castoreum from the beaver, civet from the civet, and musk from the deer. Ambergris is used to enhance the flavors of food and wine, for herbal and homeopathic medicines, and for the last century it has been used by bartenders to produce drinks.

Musk- one of the most mysterious ingredients in perfumery. It gives the fragrance sensuality, warmth and liveliness. Synthetic musk is found in almost all modern fragrances. The musk note is a sweet, slightly ammonia scent. But perfumers know that musk can be very different: repulsive and attractive, chemical and warm, sweet and balsamic, pungent and enveloping, earthy and powdery, oily and chocolatey, resinous and spicy, dry, savory, tobacco and woody and leathery. . Insanely attractive. Musk is mysterious! Why do men and women react to its smell? Most likely, because the volatile pheromone molecules flying through the air open the human sensory receptors. It is rather difficult to explain how this happens from a scientific point of view. But almost everyone reacts to the smell of musk. Until now, a mystery to many is its origin. Indeed, musk is not a fruit and not a flower, not a spice and not resin, not wood and not leather. So what is it? Initially, musk was obtained from the musk glands of male musk deer, a small deer that lives in the mountain forests of the Himalayas, Tibet, Eastern Siberia, Korea and Sakhalin. The musk gland is an internal "pouch" located between the animal's hind legs. This "pouch" is filled with musk - a thick, pungent-smelling brown-brown secret. The chemical composition of musk is quite complex and contains many components: fatty acids, wax, aromatic and steroid compounds, cholesterol esters, and the actual "odorous" element - the macrocyclic ketone muscone. What we mean by "the smell of musk" is, one might say, the "loop" of the aroma of natural musk. To get the fragrance, the musk “weathered” for some time, all the rapidly evaporating components left it - and as a result, a warm, sensual, sweet and powdery fragrance was obtained. Musk could only be obtained by killing an animal. To get a kilogram of musk, it was necessary to "sacrifice" 30-50 deer. This method of obtaining musk was used until 1979, when musk deer (or musk deer) were protected. Currently, musk began to be produced artificially.

Musk has long been added to perfumes. In addition to its own aroma, musk is a good odor fixative, so that the durability of perfumes containing this substance increases significantly. So, being a powerful aphrodisiac, natural musk is used only in expensive French perfumes - Chanel's No. 5, Desprez's Bal a Versaill es, Guerl ain'sl 'Heure Bleu, Rochas, Madame Rochas and some others.

Ambergris– Aromas that cause the attraction of the opposite sex have been of interest to people since time immemorial. By the way, the first aphrodisiacs are already several thousand years old. Among them is ambergris - a mysterious fragrant substance that women used in ancient Rome, luring men "by smell". Ambergris is the intestinal secretions of sperm whales, pieces that can weigh 10 grams or 200 kilograms. Ancient people believed that it was the frozen saliva of a dragon, the droppings of the mysterious bird Rukh or beeswax, and only in the 19th century did scientists establish its origin. As you understand, ambergris is formed in the stomachs of sperm whales and other whales and enters the water quite naturally. Ambergris is believed to be necessary in the stomach so that sperm whales can heal wounds inflicted by squid (this is the main food for sperm whales). It is on the water, on the coast of the Indian Ocean and the Australian seas, that these grayish-blackish viscous clods with a pungent odor are found. Therefore, before becoming an integral part of expensive perfumes, ambergris will have to go through a series of reincarnations.

Ambergris is soaked in salt water for several years after harvesting, because it is only under its influence that ambergris acquires a noble aroma, softer than its natural smell. The longer the ambergris is in the water, the lighter it becomes and the more expensive it is sold, so the most expensive and most valuable ambergris is the one that has lain in the water for more than a hundred years. There is simply nowhere for her to brighten further - she is completely white, the aroma becomes deadly attractive, however, it costs crazy money: for one kilogram you can pay 50 thousand euros.

Describing the aroma of ambergris, scientists used a variety of comparisons: musk, tobacco smoke, wood, wet earth, and resins. In a word, the smell turns out strange if you use it by itself. That is why amber-only perfume does not exist, and not only because they will be too expensive. Ambergris is an excellent odor fixer, so it is almost impossible to imagine elite perfumery without ambergris. At least a tenth of a drop added to perfume will allow the fragrance applied to the body to remain firm throughout the day. But it is the level of durability that is one of the parameters by which we distinguish a cheap fake from real expensive perfumes! True, ambergris, even as a faceless fixative, is far from suitable for all perfumes, since it causes the most real feeling of warmth on a subconscious level. Consequently, citrus and fresh marine scents are secured in other ways.

All natural ambergris today is bought up exclusively by perfume concerns for production. However, in the 1970s in America, the sale of ambergris, as well as other natural substances derived from rare species of animals, was banned by the government. By the way, as a result of all these events, ambergris is becoming more expensive for another reason, and prohibitions have nothing to do with it, the whale population has suffered such damage that even the natural excretion of ambergris has decreased tenfold. Perfume companies, as if anticipating this situation, began research in the 19th century to produce artificial ambergris. Yes, alas, the demand for natural ambergris today rarely exceeds supply. Synthesis is successful, so today perfumers often use artificial ambergris. And natural ambergris sometimes appears in the most unexpected places. So, on the Australian coast, a couple in love discovered a piece of ambergris weighing about 15 kilos. They can probably fetch several hundred thousand dollars for it.

Let's talk about spirits

Perfume is your signature. Choosing the right scent that suits you is an art. Whatever it is - floral, chypre or fruity - this scent will accompany you at any time of the year and in any of your moods. Smell, think, and find a scent that will help reveal your personality.

In 1990, the French perfume community, led by Jean Patou's chief perfumer Jean Kerleo, finally approved seven main perfume types, which, in turn, form very branched "families" of fragrances. Here they are:

Hesperides- (citrus). It is to this type that the first colognes belong, which were based on the smells of lemon, orange, grapefruit, mandarin and bergamot.

Powdery– The most significant and seductive group of fragrances. It is based on the smells of flowers of rose, violet, jasmine, lily, lily of the valley, narcissus, tuberose.

wine glasses- It is almost impossible to guess from the smell of wine glasses that they consist of the smells of plants. Glasses form a beautiful bouquet with notes of lavender, oakmoss, coumarins and woody group scents.

Shipra– Fragrances that include aromas of harmoniously combined cistus-labdanum, patchouli, bergamot and oakmoss. Chypre Francois Coty, created in 1917, became the first signs of this family of perfumes.

woody– Perfumes of this type consist of warm shades, such as sandalwood and patchouli, and sometimes dry ones, such as cedar and vetiver.

Amber- These are soft, powdery, vanilla scents with notes of cistus-labdanum and pronounced animal notes.

Leather- This is the smallest group. It is based on the smells of burnt wood and tobacco.

natural ambergris and its analogues

Ambergris- a substance that is formed in the body of the marine mammal sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus L.), these are secretory secretions that serve to heal small wounds in the esophagus caused by shrimp shells, shells of mollusks, etc.

Ambergris is a pathological product, it is estimated that only about 1% of all sperm whales produce this secret. One gram of perfume quality ambergris costs about $20 (for comparison: a gram of gold is about $30).

The main component of ambergris is the practically odorless substance ambrein. The content of substances that give ambergris a characteristic incomparable aroma (complex, harmonious, woody-incense, slightly coniferous, earthy, camphor, with nuances of tobacco, musk, sweet vanilla aroma of old cardboard, surrounded by the smell of the ocean) is only about 0.3%.

“The mentioned ambergris is an extremely interesting substance. Despite this name - from the French word ambergris, which means "gray amber", - it differs very much from amber. After all, amber, which, however, is usually found on the seashore, is also sometimes found in the ground in the depths of the continents, while ambergris can only be found at sea. In addition, amber is a solid, transparent, brittle and absolutely odorless substance; mouthpieces, rosaries and various ornaments are made from it; and ambergris is soft as wax, and so fragrant, so fragrant, that it is widely used in perfumery, put in censers, mixed with scented candles, powder for wigs and lipsticks. The Turks use it as a seasoning in their dishes, and also carry it to Mecca for the same purposes with which they carry incense to St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome. Some winemakers dip it bit by bit into red wine to improve the bouquet.
And who would have thought that all the important ladies and gentlemen would use the substance that is found in the despicable belly of a sick whale! Nevertheless, it is so. »

Herman Melville, Moby Dick, translated by I. Bernstein

Substances that give the amber this amazing aroma are metabolites and breakdown products of ambrein. Ambergris is lighter than water and can float for a long time when exposed to oxygen and sunlight.

In the 40s of the last century, Leopold Ruzicka, together with his former student Max Stoll, studied the fragrant compounds of ambergris in the laboratory of Firmenich. They synthesized several compounds, one of them was named Ambrox (ambroxan, ambroxan, ambroxide). Approximately 30 years later, with the help of chromatographic studies, it was found that ambroxan is the key substance that gives ambergris its characteristic aroma.

Currently, ambroxan is commercially obtained from sclareol, a substance found in the essential oil of clary sage. It is worth noting that most of the sage oil goes specifically to the production of ambroxan.

Despite its high cost (about $1300 per kg), ambroxan is a very popular ingredient in modern perfumery, although its content almost never exceeds 5% (although this is already 15 times more than in a piece of pure amber). It gained particular popularity after the fragrance Drakkar Noir (Guy Laroche, 1982, perfumer Pierre Wargnye), after which ambroxan became an integral ingredient in men's fougere fragrances, and in women's it is also often found in high doses (for example, Alien Thierry Mugler, 2005, Dominique Ropion and Laurent Bruyere).

There are a fairly large number of modern aromatic materials that have an aroma reminiscent of ambergris. On the olfactory scale, amber scents are somewhere between woody and musky, so most often they have one or the other shade.

So, for example, the woody Iso-E Super has a pronounced amber tone, while the Trisamber compound is closer to musky odorants. There are a number of perfume bases that serve to replace the natural amber tincture - Fixateur 404, Grisambrol, Ambropur, Ambergris T Oliffac.

At the moment, natural ambergris is practically not used for economic and ethical reasons.

In fairness, it should be noted that Herman Melville somewhat prevaricates, arguing that amber is completely devoid of any smell.

Of course, it has a characteristic delicate coniferous aroma. There is even a rather exotic aromatic substance - amber oil, a product of the dry distillation of amber. The smell of amber oil is most reminiscent of tar, but has a characteristic woody-coniferous hue.

But the most interesting thing about all this is that when we talk about “ambery perfume” or “ambery notes in a fragrance”, we mean something completely different, which has practically nothing to do with everything written above.

But more on that next time.

Those who are interested in perfumery are probably familiar with the "amber" class of fragrances, but has anyone wondered why it is called that and what ambergris is in general? In fact, there is no mystery in this. This is the name of a wax-like substance that is formed in the digestive tract of sperm whales. Among the inhabitants, however, there is a version that ambergris is nothing more than whale vomit. But scientists have long concluded that the substance is not formed in the stomach, but in the intestines of sperm whales and is excreted from there.

It is believed that the secretion of this substance is caused by wounds that the sharp beaks of squid inflict on the intestines of sperm whales. However, there is no exact information about how exactly it is formed. This substance is collected on the coasts, as well as when catching whales. There are 4 main types of it: fresh, white, regular and black ambergris. A fresh product is practically useless, so experts usually advise throwing such finds into the sea for further maturation. White ambergris is the most expensive and rare - it has been in the sea for a very long time. Pieces of this kind are usually quite small and hard, because some of the substance has been washed out and the surface has oxidized. The oldest pieces can easily crumble to dust.

And what is ambergris of the usual category? This substance is gray-brown in color, it has a strong specific aroma, its pieces are larger, and the texture is less dense than in the previous species, some layering can be noticeable. Finally, the last type is black (low quality) ambergris, which is the most common. This substance was in the sea for a very short time, so it almost did not have time to oxidize. Nevertheless, the pieces are quite dense, although not always solid, and also have a pronounced smell.

By the way, about how this substance smells. As the quality grows, its flavor becomes finer and sweeter. If black ambergris can have a pronounced fecal note in the smell, then from white you will feel only a barely noticeable sweetish fragrance. Nevertheless, all categories of this substance, except for fresh, are used both in perfumery and in alternative medicine.

The fact is that ambergris, the aroma of which is used to fix the smell of perfume, is very much appreciated in oriental medicine, like mummy. However, due to its rarity and high cost, it is almost impossible to purchase it, because the world's elite perfumery manufacturers have a monopoly on the purchase of almost all stocks of ambergris. However, in recent years, instead of it and musk, synthetic fixatives and perfume compositions have increasingly been used.

It is also believed that this substance literally exudes pheromones that attract the opposite sex, but this point of view is unlikely to be grounded. Surely ambergris does not contain substances that attract people, but it can act on whales. And yet it is interesting what ambergris is for whales, and what is its original functional purpose. Scientists, among other possible answers, are also considering the option that this substance serves as a kind of message about the state of health, genotype, and carries other information about a particular cetacean individual.

natural pheromones

Musk and amber are natural aphrodisiacs , sex attractants - aromatic substances to attract the opposite sex. Cause an instinctive erotic reaction at the subconscious level.
Since ancient times, they have been used in the countries of the East, both in pure form and as part of aromatic compositions to harmonize intimate relationships.

Musk- male pheromone, the smell of a dominant male.A strong-smelling substance produced by the glands of some animals (musk deer, beaver, musk ox). Acts as a chemical signal forattracting individuals of the opposite sex, marking the territory, when lubricating wool.Musk, obtained from nutmeg or musk deer (Moschus moschiferus), is found in a sac located behind the navel, andrepresents the secret (separation) of the preputial glands (follicles). The sex glands of the male produce a substance similar to fresh honey, reddish in color.Over time, it hardens and turns black.In an adult male, the musk bag contains 30-56 g of musk.When dried, its strong and persistent odor disappears and reappears when moistened.The smell of musk is very sharp, felt at a concentration of 1:100,000,000,000.

It is known from history that the Venetian seducer Giacomo Casanova, who enjoyed a certain popularity among women, was a great admirer of musky perfume. This substance, like ambergris, has erogenous properties and, in the composition of perfumes, leads to harmony in the composition of aromas, enhancing the totality of smells, giving them warmth, almost carnal richness and sensuality.
How to distinguish natural musk deer from plant copies, you can find out in our VKontakte group: click

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Ambergris - female pheromone to attract men.Ambergris (from Arabic. Anbar), ambergris is a solid, combustible wax-like substance formed in the digestive tract of sperm whales.It is also found floating in sea water or washed ashore.Ambergris is a digestive enzyme and is currently a very expensive product because whaling has virtually ceased.To turn ambergris into an ingredient for expensive perfumes, it is soaked in salt water using a special technology.At the same time, the aroma of ambergris changes, becomes softer.After special processing, the color of ambergris can be black, gray, red-brown, golden or white.Royal (black) ambergris is most valued.It is used as an aphrodisiac and fixative in perfumery.Ambergris comes to perfumers in the form of a light, porous, light gray or white mass.After several months of drying, its unpleasant fishy smell gives way to a characteristic ambery aroma with notes of the sea coast, sometimes combined with a hint of tea.After many months of infusion in alcohol in the cold, a product with an unusually delicate smell is obtained, which is used as a component for perfumes of the highest quality.The price of ambergris is extremely high, it is indeed a valuable product used very sparingly by perfumers.The smell of ambergris is a little dry, a bit reminiscent of tobacco, but at the same time there is sweetness in it.The tart, but at the same time sweet warm smell of ambergris enchants the surrounding men, gives self-confidence, contributing to the harmonization of your intimate sphere.
How to distinguish natural whale ambergris from plant copies, you can find out in our VKontakte group: click

Flavors of the East Company (TM Zdrava Krasa) offers products of perfume factories in Egypt, UAE, KSA, Yemen, Morocco, China, Bulgaria, Israel, India, Cambodia, Laos and Burma. In addition to Ukraine, we supply goods to the Russian Federation, the USA, the CIS countries and the European Union.

For wholesale buyers, when buying a liter or more of pheromones, aromatic oils or perfumes based on them, we are ready to offer individual prices.