A fragrance from Guerlain's Absolus d'Orient collection
This is an oriental and feminine juice created by Guillaume Flavigny and essentially based around a spicy, balsamic and floral accord on a warm and slightly animal background… That of ambergris.
Balmain appropriates a noble and mysterious material
Christophe Decarnin worked in the workshops of the Balmain house from 2006 to 2011. This gave the brand a new lease of life, bringing more modernity to Balmain creations while respecting the authentic spirit of its style. Also, according to him, all that was missing was a perfume to sublimate his new outfits which were contemporary, free and carnal. This is why the Balmain house decided to make Ambre Gris. This fragrance pays homage to one of the most mysterious and coveted materials in perfumery. Ambergris is also called "floating gold". It is a rare and precious material that emanates from the sperm whale and that is shaped by currents, winds and sea salt. Its smell seems to come from the bowels of the sea. ancient legends tell that it was a kind of pebbles spewed out by underwater fountains. This animal substance has been used since Antiquity for its hot, balsamic, salty and sensual flavor. Also, it is precisely all these facets that we find in the Ambre Gris perfume by Balmain.
The many facets of Gray Amber in perfumery
Ambre Gris is a fragrance that belongs to the woody oriental family. Nevertheless, it is difficult to restrict this juice to a single olfactory category because it is so complex and fascinating. This one has a spicy and bursting start with cinnamon and pink peppercorns. Then, tuberose flower enriches this fragrance, making it more heady and sensual. The immortal however softens the whole of this composition with its honeyed and tobacco facets. Its flavor similar to that of hay and coffee thus evokes all the complexity of ambergris. It is also precisely at this moment that this raw material makes its entry. This is dosed here with extreme precision so as not to be too heady. Its flavor is also enhanced with myrrh and benzoin. Finally, Ambre Gris ends with more woody and smoky base notes still coated with an airy veil of white musk. Ambre Gris is then presented in a bold bottle. This rests on a thick block of glass forming an architectural and elegant cube. The whole is tinted with a taupe gray, an elegant and subtle color echoing ambergris. Finally, the set is topped with a metal spherical cap, a nod to the famous mirror balls of the 1950s.