Ambre Noir Dusky labdanum is at the heart of this rich and sultry scent, with cedar and sandalwood in the base and subtle deep rose weaving between the woods. Accents of smoky agarwood, light incense, dry vetiver, and soft leather complete the composition. For those who enjoy the dark side of amber.

Perfumer's Comments: I love labdanum and wanted Ambre Noir to highlight labdanum in the context of a dark, rich, woodsy, and smooth amber perfume. Working with labdanum absolute is a delight to the senses: it's a thick golden substance with a wonderful musky, woodsy, amber scent. I held the vanilla in Ambre Noir to a minimum and added interest and complexity to the labdanum with woods, incense, moss, and subtle leather.

Notes: Labdanum absolute, amber, rose, olibanum, myrrh, vetiver codistilled with mitti, oakmoss absolute, aged Indian patchouli, Texas cedarwood, sandalwood, clove, castoreum. High in natural ingredients, this is a rich and woodsy scent for men and women. Released August 2008. Reformulated in May 2009 with low atranol natural oakmoss in place of the original oakmoss.

Blog Reviews of Ambre Noir: Dave's review on il Modo di Odore Italo's review on Perfume da Rosa Negra Abby’s review on I Smell Therefore I Am Nathan's review on the Nathan Branch blog

Cistus ladaniferus

Labdanum absolute is a thick, resinous substance with a sweet, earthy, musky, woodsy aroma. It’s a component in most amber accords and is wonderful in the base of orientals, chypres, and woodsy fragrances. The absolute is very different than the essential oil from the same plant, Cistus ladaniferus. The labdanum in Ambre Noir is exceptionally fine with a rich, delicious scent and long-lasting drydown; it gives this perfume a beautiful rich amber color.

Vetiver essential oil, from the plant Vetiveria zizanoides, has a woody, earthy, rooty aroma with some subtle green nuances. The vetiver in Ambre Noir is codistilled with mitti to enhance the earthy notes of the vetiver; mitti is baked mud collected from rivers and ponds and codistilled with other naturals to add an earthy depth.

bundled vetiver roots

Photo shows the 34 ml bottle with box. To purchase Ambre Noir bottles or samples, please return to the Fragrance page.