Golden Ambergris

So I actually wore this on skin (as one does when sampling) because what are the lengths I won't go to get some stimulation and novelty nowadays and man did this deliver. I mean challenging is an understatement... I don't know what I expected but it's as if I rolled my arm in some dung. Fecal in every sense of the word. Completely unwearable. I was hysterically laughing to myself like a maniac thinking did I just really spray poop juice on my arm? Will this go away? I have work tomorrow... but then I just calmed down and decided to let it settle in because I am endlessly fascinated by the animal kingdom especially whales in general so I just remind myself I simply had to smell real ambergris and give this scent a chance for as long as I could handle it and I honestly don't regret it because I have so much respect for nature which is one of the main reasons I love perfumery; the sheer concept of curating materials from nature as an olfactory artform to bottle anything up. This was probably the most intimate and hyper specific thing I've ever smelled, it is strangely familiar... almost like my brain recognizes it on some deep evolutionary mammalian level. It smells insanely wild. Untamed. An uncompromising unrelenting pungency. Part of you goes "well duh its essentially animal poop" but it's actually more than that, an insanely complex smell. The more you let it dry down the more some accords and facets we are familiar with in perfumery come out. A sharp leathery furry animal skin or hide aspect, like you are life threateningly near a wild apex predator. You are completely engulfed in it's territory. It's diet, environment, pheromones. It's kind of jarring and transportive. A habitat you aren't familiar with telling the story of the creature inhabiting it. The chaotic mysterious life of a sperm whale. Then that familiar salty breezy shimmering musky "ambroxan" aspect comes through in the background and it is absolutely fascinating and so rewarding to experience. Probably the most rewarding "I recognize that note" moment I've ever had in this hobby to date. I feel so thankful and privileged to have experienced it. It makes total sense to me how someone went through the trouble of separating that scent on a molecular level because all I could think of was "if you just take out the poo, this would be the most perfect musk." I wanted to smell it again and again just to experience that ambergris musk and get more familiar with it. I think I understand the point of this fragrance, to smell ambergris at it's rawest form. The tincture its self. I wonder if the higher grade white or gray ambergris is way less fecal and more on that musky addictive side. I wondered if that kind of ambergris is in the "Silver Ambergris" from this line but I think it was overshadowed by everything else in that formula. I feel like I have a different appreciation for perfumery in general now, I will definitely keep my sample to show other people and see what others experience from this historic raw material. I also just want to say I love how despite humanity's attempts at commodifying yet another animal byproduct, especially from sperm whales which were hunted to near extinction, this is one material we just cannot force cultivating. It's incredibly rare, supposedly only 1%-5% sperm whales actually have the ability to produce ambergris most of which we won't be able to see nor find. I think that is so triumphant and a great "F U" to the vicious human consumption machine. These majestic highly intelligent creatures were captured and dissected for our consumption down to their bones. Spermaceti oil was unfortunately a highly demanded material and part of our advancement during the industrial revolution and It's so badass that the only organic material we could ever hope to gather from sperm whales now is their literal feces. Nature always has the last laugh. Just the fact that it takes forever to wash up on the shore to be collected as is, a huge inconvenience for the "bigger and faster" pillar of capitalism. In a world where the soulless commodifying of resources and manufactured exclusivity taking over everything, there's something powerful and comforting about some parts of nature being unmalleable and inaccessible. As a nature lover and fragrance enthusiast my intention is to experience historic materials like these just once. I can scratch that off my bucket list and have a different appreciation for synthetic materials. Just being able to say I sniffed real ambergris is enough for me. I don't feel the need to look for more, I will never be sheepish "natural materials only" snob. I'm just enamored by the history and nature. I appreciate how accessible this brand is. Gave me an unforgettable experience.

I am obsessed with this whole series! Three fundamentally different fragrances, bound together by the golden thread of natural ambergris. Ambergris is my favorite animalic note right before musk, and only with the natural material do I experience these fleeting moments of a change in consciousness, almost like I am tripping balls, and I cannot seem to get enough! In comparison to a musk, I find that ambergris is demanding more of my attention, and Golden Ambergris is definitely the most intensely enchanting beast out of the three, and it is even hard for me to describe! It's neither skanky or clean in my nose, and I wouldn't call it animalic either. It's just magic that cannot be ignored! I am continuing to fall in love with them over and over again, and it is impossible for me to choose a favorite. It's like they all complement each other, and each one has its own place in the mutual symphony! I am planning on purchasing all three bottles!

This is more animalic than anything imo. It gives me hyrax fecal vibes- where hyrax takes a turn for warmth and rose, Golden Ambergris goes the soil, animalic, salty ambergris route. If you love dirty animalics this is right up your alley. It's a wonderfully done stank.

Oh wow, what an incredibly unique perfume. I am just head over heels for this scent, the ambergris is just sooooo wonderful.

A floral woody musk with a slight animalic touch to it, this is a nice enough but only moderately innovative scent. The scent opens with a spicy leather accord and moves to a firm orris heart before settling into a base of sandalwood, ambergris and synthetic musk. The masculine leaning scent has moderate to strong sillage and good longevity. The musky powdery smell upon settling is not different from many more synthetic Arabian house floral woody musks in the market. Enjoy!

The magic of real ambergris. It opens with powerful notes of the pier and harbor, with strong, scattered hints of fecal scents and a sandy undertone. Sometimes, it resembles a human odor; at other times, it feels like the scent of an animal’s fur marked by waste. For me, the real magic happens in the drydown. Forget Megamare, Black Sea, Acqua di Sale, or any other “marine” fragrance that portrays an idealized, artistic sea. This is the closest to the true smell of the ocean—not a fragrance—that I’ve ever encountered. It carries the aroma of brackish tides, of actual sand (not an impression created by myrtle), of seaweed, and of salty skin after a swim. A lingering fecal note and a touch of iodine give it the exact scent of floating marine debris. It smells like summer air over the ocean. No synthetic blend currently replicates these elements with such precision. As an oceanographer, I remain convinced that the only path to authentic marine scents lies in ambergris; anything else is just fantasy. Would I wear it? No. Would I buy it if I wanted the sea in a bottle, once and for all? Probably, yes.

The opening has a fleeting but very creamy sandalwood note. Too brief! My excitement that this would be very much a ‘golden’ creamy scent ended quickly as a sharp lemony ambergris lightly aged burst through and remained for the entirety of the fragrance. This projects well, and lasts a long time only sweetening in the far drydown. It’s okay - not the best ambergris perfume but not the worst - nor best use of other ingredients to achieve a specific mood. I have samples of the Black and Silver Ambergris so will try those next. The Blacks seems most promising.

I have ambergris tinctures and macerations in sandalwood. This IS ambergris smell and not much else, some woody powderiness. This isn't Molecule 02 ambroxan for the Jeremy Fragrance spinners.

Golden Amber by the unknown designer is a very fierce animalic, sandalwood, leathery amber fragrance that does not suit 99% of human tastes.

Animalic... I don't get anything other than musky animalic and i guess overly ambergris than anything else.