Musc Ambre Gris

***** 10/10 MASTERPIECE ALERT! ***** WOW! I must have died & gone to heaven! With how many people love a good ambergris, I cannot believe how "under the radar" Musc Ambre Gris has been. We should all be tried at the Hague for crimes against humanity! 364 days w/o a review.. Unreal! What seems like a fairly unassuming scent at first is actually a straight up HOLY GRAIL treatment of ambergris... I cannot get over it & I've definitely never even sampled a scent that makes me sniff myself all day as much as this does... Can't get enough!!! Absolutely brilliant structure & choice of ingredients, full stop! Musc Ambre Gris starts fairly light, but it twists & turns ALL DAY without ever losing the vibe you bought it for...it's got to be the best evolution of a fragrance I've ever smelled... The 2 main co-stars are definitely the truffle & black musk, which *flawlessly* compliment the ambergris... They come into play more & more over the hours as they react to your body heat - And I really can't stress this enough - You will have NO CLUE what this really is or does until you've worn it on your skin for 4-5 hours. Sure, a nozzle sniff smells great... But it's nothing compared to the song this stuff sings throughout a full wear. The beautiful musk & truffle come in strong & clear, yet never truly take over. While this shift is obvious, it comes off as a progression of different facets of ambergris rather than shifting focus. This aspect makes Musc Ambre Gris one of the most enjoyable fragrances I've ever encountered. With its musky, salty, & slightly fungal vibe... This precisely nails what I wanted from an ambergris showcase, better than I could have even imagined. I cannot recommend this highly enough if you are a fan of ambergris - You absolutely MUST try this! Even if you're not, I still say you must TRY & experience this. It may be a bit masc-leaning, but don't let that stop you from checking this out... I think it would drive me crazy on a woman! Even in my collection of Creed, Tom Ford, Nishane, Areej Le Doré, etc... This is instantly & indisputably in my Top 3 scents I own, if not #1. It's simply off-the-charts perfection. I *have to* sniff this even more than Areej Le Doré Baikal Gris... Read that sentence again. Yeah. It's like THAT. Even as I sit here raving about it, I must admit, my first sample wear was "lost in the crowd" of other samples & I moved on, not thinking much about it. 2nd test was by itself, just a spray on the back of my hand... BAM! Full bottle. Already considering a backup bottle, too. It's that good. Do yourself a favor & get a sample of this right now. I'd love to hear feedback from those who do.

The opening salvo reminds me faintly of a toned down version of Byredo M/Mink. It's slightly pissy musks mixed with the salty mineral ambergris. If you like animalic perfumerey this will be right up your alley. I find it mesmerizing and wholly masculine.There's also a nice earthiness (truffle?) running throughout that helps keep things grounded. Beyond that, this perfume perfectly mimics actual human musk/pheromonal vibe better than anything I've smelled in niche perfume. It smells like adrenaline, but at also like relaxing and having a beer with friends after a hard days work. I'm older now and sit behind a computer for work, so the days of hard labor are mostly behind me, but this is very nostalgic. To someone that can't relate to what I've described, another way I can explain it is that it smells like your male relatives when you were younger. They weren't wearing a cologne, just their natural smell. Confident, comforting, and safe. A must try for fans of ambergris and musks. Nearly flawless; I just wish it was 10% ambergris, instead of 5%. But other than that small gripe, this is perfect imo. ---------------------------------------------- Scent 99/100 Performance 80/100

This probably is the only ambergris-centric perfume that I own, and an ambergris-centric perfume that does not go down to floral or sweet route in development but fully exploring the earthy, seaside salty, slight metallic, bitter and animalistic facet that ambergris possesses. At the first spritz, it can be a bit overpowering, it does have an industrial vibe, but its true magic happens around 1st hour mark, when it’s warmed up by body temperature and blended with my own skin scent, it blossoms. It reminds me of some alluring skin scent after sweating, the “musk” scent from the back of my boyfriend’s neck, or nice smelling armpit, or worn underwear. Very sexy, raw, dark, alluring and captivating. Very unique and unusual. It speaks to the primal side in our brains. This is definitely not mass appealing, absolutely not blind buy safe, if you happen to like ambergris and skin scent, or you like Rose 31 type of scent and found it very wearable. I’d urge you to test it out, go light with the sprayer. I would wear this in winter when I put on my leather jacket.

I got a spritz and a sample of this at the Esxence show in Milan Mar 2018 and it is mightily impressive. It may because I am naive and unnacustomed to what an Ambegris-Musk combination should smell like but as a first impression to a relatively amateur nose this appears to be beautifully composed with good to excellent sillage and very good longevity. As for the aldehyde / synthetic / natural balance I afraid I simply don't know enough about perfumery to comment but it does smell very smooth with the vetiver and maybe patchouli notes just edging in with a little spicy sweetness. The theme of this product as part of the Affinessence Base Notes Collection is just that, no harsh or superfluous top notes whatsoever - straight down to business and what a lovely job they have done. I would be most interested to hear the opinion of an experienced and knowledgable nose. In the meantime - I simply adore this frag.

#1118 in my "Tour de Fragrance" This is an outstandingly rich musk and amber scent. The very best I've encountered. The mate and truffle notes make it uniquely earthy compared to the other musk and amber scents I've experienced. I'd put this in a class with Le Labo "Musc 25 Los Angeles" and "Oud 27", Liquides Imaginaires "Fortis", but this tops those. You can see from the "reminds me of section" that this singular fragrance reminds people of scents that are well outside the mainstream. I rarely buy full bottles of fragrances selling for more than $150, but I've previously made an exception for this line's "Cedre Iris" and will do so for this as well. Just too good to pass it by. (For the budget conscious I'd recommend Bentley "Infinite Intense."). Exceptional performance. A real compliment getter. I consider this more of a sexy date night scent, not business wear.

This is a rich and intoxicating blast of real-smelling ambergris with a nutty, warm musk envelope. It's absolutely exquisite, and while it smells familiar, it doesn't resemble any other perfume I've ever discovered. It's very, very powerful and longlasting but can be used cautiously to create a discreet, visceral allure. I'm sure there's something synthetic underneath it all, but it never takes hold, and is only really noticeable to me on card, whereas on my skin the sweet, earthy, natural ambergris wins through. After a long while, I start to notice the vetiver a bit more, but it still emits rich ambery waves. It's a dynamic perfume, always reminding me of its complexity and quality, but it never seems screechy or scratchy. This is a firm love, and now I've found it for a real steal online, I'm left craving the divine Cuir Curcuma....

The Musc Ambre Gris is in a league of its own. It took me about 500 niche perfume samples and five years to find it after only using By Kilian Straight to Heaven for 7+ years. I couldn't find anything that was at the level of STH and wasn't too sweet, too citrusy, too bitter, too powdery, etc. The Musc Ambre Gris by Affinessence Paris is a masterpiece and a pure delight. The brand is relatively new, but they pulled off something exceptional. The scent is not too complex initially but keeps developing and evolving. The quality of ingredients is top-notch, and the composition has excellent projection and longevity. 10/10

This is really nice. I'm always on the lookout for the perfect ambergris scent. I'm not so keen on musk scents but this really works well. I like the truffle, vetiver and mate. They reinforce the main notes and give a nice twist. It remains unisex with a slight male slant. This one might be going on the want list. I better start saving!! Very expensive scent! I like the earthy quality from the truffle. A herbal sharpness from the vetiver. A herbal earthiness from the mate. It is a wee bit savoury and that's fine with me. It doesn't get heavy and too musky. I get good longevity and sillage.

Naughty powdery animalic perfume. The perfume opens with notes of truffle and slight mate tea and truffle before moving to a heart of animalic musk and ambergris. As the perfume settles one gets slight whiffs of vetiver and patchouli. The well blended unisex perfume has moderate sillage and good longevity. Not for everyone. Only for those who like musky animalics. A worthy successor to a classic like Muscs Koublai Khan. Enjoy!

Smells like sexual harassment during day time, but aggressive-appropriate for date nights.

This one is otherworldly it is the scent that put ambergris on my “curious” category which gets my spidey sense working when I read about it in the notes The first was encens mythic which charmed me with ambergris I really enjoyed it and felt it was rather unique Felt it was a little weak but beautifully made The name of the scent says it all its musk and ambergris being the later the strongest I don’t Think it’s for everyone but a must try To me I don’t need more than what I have a full bottle is too much since it’s not a fragrance I would wear every day

This is definitely suitable for an alpha wolf going on a date with his lady-wolf. It's raw, muddy, animalic, and unapologetically sexual. The ambergris is covering the other notes a little bit, but the earthy element is still there. I would say it's an extremely polarizing smell, and you would surely offend some people if you wear it. But if that's what you're looking for, get this one! It's an olfactory experience, not just a fragrance.

Opens up with an animalic , aromatic, earthy mushroom like scent. If you do not like animalics don't try this, you will not like the opening. As it dries down it becomes a whole lot gentler. There is almost a floral effect, but there are no florals. Very subtle and soft.This is a masculine take on musk. This is an enjoyable musk for everyday use.

It starts off super earthy and rooty, which can be pretty challenging. This is definitely a statement fragrance made for real frag heads, not something that’s going to click with the general public.

Salty and smoky. True to the name: Ambergris and Musk. Unique earthy hints in the background too. Shukran Habibi!

I’ve tried to love this one, but sadly I just don’t. I do like that it is an honest effort at an ambergris fragrance. I’m even wearing it again today to finish my reviews of Affinessence. I know this profile, it is that profile that most people like and a very small few people don’t. Those that like it find it absolutely addictive and those that don’t like it truly do not enjoy it. What am I trying to say? That this is, “mass appealing”? Quite possibly! It will find more people that love it than those that don’t because it is a familiar taste of a profile. Unfortunately I am in the camps that can’t stand this sort of smell because it comes across harsh and chemically and somewhat cheap to my smell receptors even though it is the smell of raw Ambergris, and I am comfortable knowing that at this point. Musc Ambergris puts emphasis on the side of ambergris that is silvery metallic and inky. That ambergris smell resemblant of melted iron, whiteboard markers or ink. This smell acts as an aphrodisiac to some people and synthetic versions of it are used to line the base of many blue designers like Dior Sauvage, Versace Eros, Prada Luna Rossa Carbon. In many fresh commercial niche like Millesime Imperial, Himalaya, Silver Mountain Water, Green Iris Tweed, Virgin Island water, Oud For Greatness, Oud for Happiness, Layton, Percival, Haltane and most of the other PDMs in the men’s catalogue rarely is the real stuff used. In general what creates this smell in those are large, synthetic, ambergris adjacent, molecules. Some people have compared the base of Versace Eros to the smell of a sweaty young adult or boy and @Purrsian has also surprisingly picked up on this quality in Musc Ambergris. It also reminds me a bit of the metallic patchouli or amber-wood bases of some Xerjoff which to me smell less eloquent than Musc Ambergris and generally quite screechy and rushed. Musc Ambergris translates much better on paper than it does on my skin. Oh how I wish I could get that gorgeous ambered, musky, patchouli that my test strip emanates when I spray this, but Musc Ambergris just falls apart on my skin. I tend to experience its nose burning industrial qualities that are thick, starchy, savory, metallic and inky. It opens smelling like isopropyl alcohol or nail polish remover, which is actually the dormant inky facets of Ambergris that have not yet bonded to your skin chemistry. Once settled on skin Musc Ambergris sheds its strange alcohol smelling exterior and becomes more full bodied becoming starchy, inky - like the squids the Sperm Whales feast upon, and metallic. The black musk is a booster for the ambergris adding a very quiet play-doh-y or synthetic polymer clay quality to the ambergris. Also at this stage the patchouli and truffle provide a starchy earthiness emphasizing the animalic and savory qualities of the perfume. Bitter yerba mate tea and nutty, rich, Haitian vetiver turn this perfume very metallic, inky, woody, and high-pitched. I must be honest, unfortunately, as Musc Ambergris begins to settle, my body is rejecting it at this point. My nose is burning and a headache is apparent on the horizon which weakens my mood and my motor skills. In studios I have worked with drafting markers and Musc Ambergris reminds me intensely of the smell of a colorless blending marker. But for me wearing this perfume is more intense, akin to a child taking their nose to the whiteboard markers and smelling them until they experience light-headedness. There is no doubt real ambergris exists in Musc Ambergris but there are also larger doses of some unlisted fixatives in the formula that are making it this powerful. I associate the scent with cheaper designer compositions or commercial niche which participate in prestige pricing. So in terms of its design it does not convince me that it is worth the price or a necessary ambergris to have. It is maybe useful as a reference for the material. This does succeed at smelling like the base of many fragrances but it is a simple ambergris tincture diluted in perfumer's alcohol and for that I feel that the approach to blending was slightly work-shy. This is a majority fixatives with pure ambergris, and sometimes pure ambergris mixed with some boosters can smell this “synthetic” if I could say that. It is successful at displaying the material although I don’t find it particularly clever or well-blended but a reference regardless, for one of my favorite ingredients. Unisex, with strong duration. Personal space filling sillage. For me as it stands it is a nice study into Ambergris for those seeking to know it’s “blue” or in this case “silvery” characteristics. However it is a profile that exists quite healthily in modern niche and designer markets. If anything Musc Ambergris is pretty cool because it smells plasticky and inky like an Artist's Studio or metallic and gamey like a Hunter's Lodge. Recommendations for this scent profile done smoother would be Amber Wood by Ajmal a fragrance with ambergris made years ago, which is pretty much exactly alike, also containing performance fixatives, but leaves out the piercing ink created by the bitter vetiver and yerba mate. Amber Wood possesses a little more fresh and natural salty dimension, being less unisex, with spicy cardamom, pepper, earthy orris root and patchouli that impart a similar earthiness that the truffle and patchouli in this has. Seek a sample of Ajmal Amber Wood. Or try Al Fareed by Arabian Oud which is an incredibly smooth ambergris, patchouli and oud, that will provide you endless dimensions of both oud and ambergris. If you want a niche “blue” fragrance look no further check this out it is quite a special ride indeed, and a fraghead flex on those wearing Parfums de Marly, Initio, or Creed! I like it, I don't like wearing it, and will not be considering a bottle. 7.5/10

What smells dirty, fecal and earthy? Oh yeaaaa, it’s .... manure ☺️ But this one is a clean abstract chemical perfumery manure. Not bad actually, but more on a masculine side

An earthy musk with a sweetness, kind of animalic and just slightly metallic. It also kind of smells like sour patch candies.

When looking at the high price, the somewhat unique the note list, and the ode to high quality ingredients, it's easy to think that there has to be something brilliant and daring here, or something that lends new depth to previous experiences. Unfortunately that is not the case. I found it hard to believe @SearchingScents description of something synthetic, designer adjacent, and found in the bases of many similar things, but here we are. I can't recall any specific perfumes, but I agree with the sentiment that you could probably find this same scent profile in an Arabian perfume house such as Ajmal or Arabian Oud, etc. I found this to be in the things I've sampled from brands like Swiss Arabian, Rasasi, and others, and unfortunately it's often defined by a certain kind of fixative amber and/or set of aromachemicals you can find across many fragrances. It's the "amber" part of ambergris that we've all smelled before. I expected something much earthier given the truffle and mate, but this is a very typical sweet amber and ambroxan supported by a similarly common musk base. On skin I get hints at something more interesting, inky, and metallic, but it gets lost rather easily. It's unfortunate because I think any of these things taken in different directions could be good, but they're just predictable here. Look to Les Indemodables for fragrances that use ambergris to much better effect. update: I have to give this a little more respect than I first did over a year ago. Testing on my wrist it's earthy, complex, and vivid in detail with mushroom-like, funky undertones. It's also way more animalic than I remember. I'll keep my original review intact but I think it's not very accurate lol. I get more of a traditionally amber-like aroma I described above as I catch it from a distance, but up close you get more than that. Let's just say you should sample it if at all curious about amgergris, but this doesn't stay shimmering or keep an airy, metallic-marine freshness for very long and instead ends up somewhere in the dirt.

I made the mistake of paying 11€s for a 3ml sample of this product. I haven't smell anything more synthetic than this. None of the ingredient list is there! Some pharmaceutical flavors instead, which hasn't got anything to do with ambregris, musk, patchouli, vetiver or truffle,not even a lightyear distance close. The company not only dares to call this a niche parfume, but also demands 330€ for a 100ml bottle. It's a money trap. Keep away!