Ambre Samar

What the house declares

In the top, frankincense accompanies almond and cardamom. The heart combines a golden amber accord, davana and an ambergris tincture; the base brings together benzoin, patchouli and tonka bean, in a composition that Guerlain classifies among ambers.

The amber accord

Guerlain pairs vanilla with a honey note to make a delicately gourmand amber accord shimmer with a golden glow. In the house’s story, it is this accord that lights up the dark wreaths of frankincense and ambergris, as the red moon pierces the night.

An ambergris tincture

Guerlain’s perfumers make the ambergris tincture themselves, selecting and blending blocks of the material. The house credits it with powerfully mineral and musky notes that envelop the entire composition.

Ambery and gourmand

Wikiparfum classifies Ambre Samar among ambery fragrances, and the house calls its amber accord delicately gourmand. The family adopted here is therefore ambery, with a gourmand facet, without a spicy facet that the house or Wikiparfum would have declared.

What the label declares

Guerlain publishes the list for its formula 22012. After alcohol, fragrance and water, it names tetramethyl acetyloctahydronaphthalenes, a synthetic woody material. It also ranks bergamot oil (Citrus aurantium bergamia) and coumarin, which smells of tonka bean, near the top.

It also declares patchouli oil (Pogostemon cablin), Peru balsam (Myroxylon pereirae), clove oil (Eugenia caryophyllus) and its eugenol, benzyl benzoate and benzyl cinnamate, vanillin, rose oil and rose ketones.

A UV filter, butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane, protects the fragrance from light, and the list declares no colorant. Guerlain specifies that its ingredient lists are updated regularly and invites readers to check the one on the packaging before use.