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amber wood fragrance or perfume

Trend: ‘Amber Wood’ In Perfumery

Eau De Parfum Person Reflection Sea Salt Sage Amber Wood Couple Young

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 !

Ecscentric Molecule 01 Amberwood

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.

musk oud Kilian amberwood
Repetto with Amberwood
Bleu De Chanel Amberwood

‘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.

une nuit magnetique the different company
armani prive myrrhe imperiale
invictus paco rabanne

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.

Pure Eau De Parfum Bottle Sea Salt Sage Amber Wood
Pairfum Fragrance Sea Salt Sage Amber Wood Triangle

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.

Pairfum Large Reed Diffuser Tower Signature Cedar Noir

‘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
Fragrance Description Cedar Noir Vetiver Juniper Leather Frankincense
the fragrance of fifty shades of grey in perfume, room fragrance and skin care

The fragrance of “Fifty Shades Of Grey”

To celebrate one of the hottest film launches of the year, the PAIRFUM team would like to offer their view on the which fragrance ingredient has “Fifty Shades of Grey”.

Ambergris

In our opinion, there is only one candidate: Ambergris !

‘Ambergris’ (French) or ‘grey amber’ (Physeter Macrocephallus) is a solid and waxy material of a dull grey colour produced in the digestive system of sperm whales and then excreted. Sperm whales produce it to protect their stomachs from the beaks of the cuttlefish they swallow. Ambergris is not to be confused with ‘Fossilised Amber’, which comes from plant resin.

Ambergris is the fragrance of Fifty Shades of Grey #fiftyshadesofgrey

Ambergris is one of the most valuable raw materials in perfumery. Historically, it was found at sea and collected on beaches. Fresh ambergris is black, matured ambergis is white. Inbetween are at least “Fifty Shades of Grey”. The longer it is in contact with seawater and exposed to sunlight, the more it ages and oxidises, the more it acquires a sweet, rich and sensuous quality to becomes a strong and very valuable perfume ingredient or scent with woody, earthy/mossy, animalic, marine (algae) and powdery notes. In perfumery, ambergris is used as a fixative and to impart ‘depth’ and ‘richness’ to a fragrance accord. Nowadays it is mostly replaced by a synthetic version.

Ambergris is the fragrance of Fifty Shades of Grey #fiftyshadesofgrey

In some cultures it is regarded as an aphrodisiac and offered for sale by herbalists in the fascinating souks of Marrakesh (Morocco) and Cairo (Egypt), where is frequently stirred into cups of sweetened tea.

Historically, Ambergris has been a sought-after product and has been traded in Africa since 1000 B.C. It was seen as one of North Africa’s luxury goods (along with gold). One of the biggest pieces of ambergris ever found was auctioned in London in 1913 and weighed more than 336 pounds.

Blush Rose & Amber

Here at PAIRFUM, we are proud to present our perfume ‘blush rose & amber’ which contains ambergris. The perfect fragrance for #fiftyshadesofgrey.

‘Blush Rose & Amber’ is available in the following luxury scented 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

fifty shades of grey ambergris fragrance perfume

 

exfoliate

Trend: Skin Renewal or Epidermal Exfoliation

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.

epidermal renewal

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 !

professional exfoliation

Let’s stay in touch.

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