Dark Amber & Ginger Lily appeared in 2008 in Jo Malone London's Kohdo Wood Collection, two limited editions borrowed from the Japanese incense ceremony. Black cardamom and ginger open, a black orchid holds the middle with water lily and jasmine, Kyara wood incense and dark amber close. The house has since moved it into its Cologne Intense range.
Three materials carry the fragrance according to the house: a smoky black cardamom, a black orchid, an incense drawn from Kyara wood. Dark amber links them.
From cardamom to incense
Black cardamom opens, warm and smoky, freshened by ginger. Black orchid holds the middle and darkens a bouquet of water lily and jasmine. Kyara wood gives the base its incense, and dark amber brings it its warmth.
Kyara and the Kohdo ceremony
Kyara is the highest grade of agarwood. It holds a central place in Kohdo, from which the house borrows the name of the collection. The reference list does not treat it as a separate material: incense carries the note here.
The 2008 list
At launch, March gave a far fuller composition: cardamom, pink pepper, ginger, night-blooming jasmine, orchid, water lily, rose, black amber, leather, patchouli, sandalwood and a Kyara incense accord. The house now publishes only seven materials, and those are the ones that appear as notes.
What the label declares
Twenty-four entries, closed by a formula code. Beyond alcohol, water and fragrance, the list names patchouli oil, an acetylated cedrene, vanillin, rose ketones, pinene, terpineol, linalyl acetate, and the regulated allergens.