Evergreen

Amber already has a long history in fragrance. However, more recently many leading couture perfume houses have included it in their fragrance creations. It can be said for some time now, ‘Amber Wood‘ seems to be everywhere!

‘Amber Wood’ Is A Perfume Trend

‘Power’, ‘intensity’ and ‘longevity’ are three attributes associated with the olfactory wave of ‘amber wood’ making its way in perfumes. It can be found in many recent fragrance launches, in both small and larger concentrations.

‘Amber Wood’ differs from true ‘ambergris’ in being more woody. Ambergris has sometimes being found to come across as a ‘little dry’ and ‘tobacco-like’. As a reminder, ambergris is a natural excrete of the sperm whale found floating in the sea. After prolonged exposure to sun and salt water, it develops it unique scent: warm, aquatic, salty, musky, animalic.

‘Amber Wood’ can be used to enhance oriental or gourmand scents but is also included in floral notes, including white flower accords. It may be surprising, but it is not just reserved for men’s perfumes but is also used in mainstream women’s fragrances.

These ingredients are great fixatives and can last for several weeks. Hence, they are frequently used in fabric detergents and softeners, to produce a scent and ‘feel good factor’ that lasts long after the laundry has been washed & dried.

In fine fragrances, it may be included in perfumes in very high dosages:  upto 30% in women’s fragrances and upto 40% in men perfumes.

‘Escentric Molecules’ even offer a perfume, ‘Molecule 01’, where it is the only note !

Couture Perfumes

Among couture perfumes for women, Repetto (by Repetto) beautifully uses the ‘heat’ of amber wood.

In Chanel’s Bleu for men (eau de parfum), it is an almost velvety note.

In ‘Musk Oud’ by Kilian, the wake or fond is saturated with a dry version of it.

‘Myrrhe Impériale’ (Armani Privé Collection) and ‘Invictus’ by Paco Rabanne reveal wood amber in long-lasting or ‘substantive’ background notes.

‘A Magnetic Night’ (by The Different Company) has wood amber at its heart or core.

Sea Salt, Sage & Amber

Here at Pairfum London, we offer “Sea Salt, Sage & Amber“, an Eau de Parfum Intense. This is a wonderfully unique and fresh note where Amber and Wood add depth and summery warmth but also the longevity to this accord.

In many ways, this is a new type of Aquatic perfume.

Trends

Beyond the quality of the fragrance note itself, consumers are searching for performance: strong top notes, intensive diffusion, long-lasting and high quality. On the Internet (e.g. Fragrantica), many consumers are complaining that fragrances do not last long enough.

In a market where new product launches are too numerous to count and too similar to a previous generation, the public is waiting for fragrances which are noticeably better and different.

The success of amber wood is part of wider trends in society:

• the modern shopper has an appetite for items which are ‘sustainable’ and which have a ‘visible effect’ (notably within skin care),
• items which highly unique and individual,
• they are on a quest for intense experiences and surprises, for example when trying perfume inside the store itself, i.e. at the point of purchase.

By allowing perfumers to create very long lasting or powerful fragrances, ‘amber wood’ perfectly matches the expectations of modern consumers.

Cedar Noir by PAIRFUM

Here at PAIRFUM, we are proud to introduce our perfume ‘Cedar Noir‘ in our Home Fragrance Collection which uses ‘amber wood’ in liberal amounts.

‘Cedar Noir’ is available in the following Luxury Perfumed Candles and Natural Reed Diffusers:

• Reed Diffusers (petite, classic and large size and in the bell, cube and tower shapes)
• Reed Diffuser refill oil
• Snow Crystal Candles (classic, large and tin)
• Flower Wax Candle
• Message Candle

Epidermal Renewal

‘Exfoliation’ is widely accepted as an important and efficient approach to improving the feel and appearance of skin. Lack of proper cell-cycling leads to skin that feels rough and looks dull. Skin appears aged when dead cells stay on the skin’s surface.

Generally, these are the two ways of exfoliating:

• physical or
• chemical exfoliation;

Physical exfoliation uses microbeads or textured ingredients, such as crushed shells / salts / minerals or other similar natural materials, to rub off the dead cells on the uppermost layer of the skin or epidermis to reveal a smoother, more uniform and younger looking smoother skin underneath.

Chemical exfoliation, employs acids to ‘dissolve’ this top layer to achieve the same result.

Our advice is to use physical scrubs for the body and chemical toners/brighteners should be used for the more delicate facial area. Microdermabrasion should only be professionally administered, as it is often a particularly harsh and strong physical exfoliant.

Exfoliation continues to grows in popularity. AHA exfoliants and similar products are a fashionable subject for beauty editorials and influential beauty bloggers / vloggers (e.g. Caroline Hirons, A Model Recommends by Ruth Crilly).

Exfoliation

Looking at the top of the illustration below, the dead keratinocytes are flaking off (desquamation). This creates a ‘rough surface’ where cells are poorly or not at all bound together, which makes them sit at unstructured angles to one another. This causes ‘rough’ feeling and ‘dull’ looking skin, as light is not reflected perfectly to create a dull finish.

Exfoliation removes this deal skin layer to reveal the smooth cells below that are still structured and bonded together.

This natural process of exfoliation happens naturally but as we age, the differentiation of keratinocytes becomes less efficient and the appearance of rough skin becomes more visible.

New Trend

There is continuous research & development in the area of exfoliation and skin re-surfacing / smoothing / brightening / refining and general all round improvement.

In particular, research is looking at how the skin can be aided in the process of desquamation and how it can improve this cycle itself, as opposed to simply acting on the top layer by physically removing it. This work is focused around the idea of epidermal renewal and the internal processes involved, by defining the main proteins / enzymes and attempting to target them cosmetically.

“Nutriceuticals”, an ever growing trend, try to support the skin through diet with ‘good oils’ and ‘hydration’. Keeping hydrated is one of the best ways how each and everyone of us can help their skin from the inside !