Byzantine Amber

I'm fairly new to Francesca Bianchi fragrances. So to do them justice, I will refrain from giving them a full review each; at least, until I get a full wearing of them. But what I am quickly learning is that she does dark fragrances very well. The three fragrances that I have, start off down the same very dark, incense, and animalic street with all of the usual suspects as passengers in the same car, namely civet, ambergris, castoreum, leather, musk, and a number of other dark notes. But as the fragrances start to settle, you realize that they were all traveling in separate cars from the start. Each fragrance takes its own direction in a 3-way fork in the road but manage to keep the same darkness that originally defined them all. Byzantine Amber slowly takes you down a dark cinnamon, sweet, almost gourmand path. Under My Skin takes you down a powdery, iris centered path that smells like a darker, sexier version of Givenchy Gentleman EDP. Unspoken Musk successfully takes you down a dark country road with no streetlights and your only indication that there is life beyond the darkness, is the sweet smell of budding flowers in distant fields. All good. All bottle worthy to the seasoned nose. So far, I am thoroughly impressed.

Byzantine Amber remedies everything that is wrong with Amber fragrances these days. The scent is inspired by the gleaming gold and luminous splendour of the Byzantine civilisation, bringing to life the idea of theatrical luxury accompanied by a dark and mysterious personality hidden beneath. It opens with geranium, highlighting all of its beautiful pulpy, rosy and slightly spicy elements which are furthered by a hefty dose of alluring cinnamon. However, this fragrance is dry - very dry, through the inclusion of frankincense, styrax and ambergris giving it a slightly smoky, animal feel. Above all, sits what seems to be a classical Amber accord, but missing one of its key components: vanilla. The exclusion of vanilla prevents this scent from becoming overly sweet, instead leaning into its dark, dry and spicy facets. This is one of my absolute favourite amber fragrances on the market. If you’re tired of the overly sweet, almost gourmand vanillic ambers currently swarming the market then this is the answer. It reminds me of other beautiful dark ambers such as Amber Absolute and Parfum De La Nuit 1; this is obviously far more affordable but no less glorious. A truly masterful rendition of amber.

Byzantine Amber wasn’t the first Francesca Bianchi fragrance I encountered, but it was the first I truly fell in love with. While many of her creations take time to grow on me, Byzantine Amber was an instant connection—one sniff, and I knew I needed it in my collection. There are two standout aspects of this fragrance worth highlighting. First, the geranium. Typically, geranium plays a supporting role in perfumes, but here, it takes center stage in a stunning way. Paired with cinnamon, it creates a sweet, spicy, and fresh accord that feels incredibly dynamic and unique. Second, Byzantine Amber offers a rare take on amber by almost entirely avoiding vanilla. Most amber fragrances lean heavily on vanilla as a backbone, but this one stands apart. The only hint of anything resembling vanilla comes from the benzoin, making this scent a breath of fresh air in a world oversaturated with vanilla-heavy compositions. Byzantine Amber is a beautifully vintage-inspired amber that rejects excessive sweetness and vanilla reliance, offering something both timeless and distinct.

This is incredible, however, it's not a typical amber scent. This is a leather scent with a good dose of warm amber and a hint of smoke giving it elegance, coziness, and sophistication. As leather scents go, this is not animalic at all, and it's not a strictly dark winter scent. I can easily wear it anytime except hot summer days or hot summer evenings. There is nothing like it out there, and if you think Tom Ford leather fragrances are close, you'd be surprised that they are absolutely not. This is the second fragrance I have from FB, and both are incredible. The other one being Under My Skin. She is bringing back the power of classic strong perfumery with a modern sophisticated accentuation. This is not mainstream. When people say that, it imbeds a negative connotation of lacking mass appeal, well not in this case. This is true niche done right. Not as potent as Under My Skin, but it has really good performance nonetheless.

Delicious amber that starts off fresh powdery, settling on a quality labdanum base with a vintage flavour! This is a beautifull frag, suave, subtle, charismatic and sensible. I warmly recommend it for Francesca fans and for people looking to get into her line of fragrances, it's hard to dislike. For the pragmatic stats - price is right, has meaningful transitions, easy to like. Performance is good, not beastly like black knight or under my skin, but more potent that unspoken musk, about angel dust level performance I would say. For the similarities - it does not bring to mind other amber centric fragrances like Ambra Aurea or Amber Sultan, not by a long shot, there is no roughness here and it is a different profile more heavily invested in quality labdanum and FB's signature base. That's about all I have to contribute. This is a love for me and it has a cozy place in the collection.

a great amber done bianchi style, focused on an acidic balsamic leather & labdanum. as is typical for her there's a certain animalic honeyed edge that provides one with continued interest throughout the long wear time. over the course of the day the balsamics ease up and the 'bianchi base' strides in, stripped of its usual powdery orris and instead letting a gentle ambergris be the star. i havent smelled amber kiso, but i can comment that le lion is more crackly dry, with an obvious birch tar running throughout the labdanum-heavy base, the bergamot is much more present, and the sillage is overall less balsamic-acidic and more woody-dry. all of this to say they really don't smell much alike in their respective evolutions, but for me the overlap is still there, to the point that i don't need both. as such a bottle of byzantine is unnecessary for me, but its still phenomenal.

Opens up with a dusty leather and a powerful cinnamon, drying down to a warm amber accord backed with incense, a very green geranium, and the leather from the opening, which now takes a back-row seat. Lasts around 10 hours on my skin, with a 2-8 split between the opening and dry down. This feels unisex, leaning masculine due to a strong leather note which can be felt throughout the lifespan of the perfume. I'd wear for dates and special occesions on colder weather, as this after all is a sweet amber fragrance. This is a reallly unique and interesting take on amber, without being offensive or polarizing, making it somewhat blind buy safe. With good longevity and a moderate projection(perfect for the occesions you'd were this) Byzantine amber easily justifies it's price tag, with the extrait concentration allowing you to save on the amount you use.

Magnificent Amber Deep, very deep. Emotional and sensual. Raw and bare. Natural. Just like the beauty of the scent of your lover bare body. Very natural, very simple but extremely beautiful. Extremely lovely. Labdanum, Ambergris, Styrax, Benzoin...It smells like a bare body, warmed by the golden sunlight. Slightly salty, slightly mineral, slightly sweet, slightly dirty and very lustful. And the atmosphere is smokey and slightly dusty, calm and quiet, still and heavy. In my opinion, this perfume is not for excitement. It is for thinking. It is for deep and thoughtful people. It is good for reading a good book. It is for calmness, silence and stillness. And of course it is for being in love. I imagine that the sweet incense of ancient persia smelled like this. Love Byzantine Amber. Its perfect. Performance is also great.

Arrived today and wore it for new years. Ignore what that person said about this being an inferior dev 2. Love Ellen covey and I love the dev series but this one to me outclasses them. It is totally a different consistency than dev 2. Which is more grainy and rugged and far more imposing I would say. This is sly and silky like a cat burglar adorning herself with the jewels she’s nabbing before making a smooth escape. Sauntering through the museum with whimsy and ease. It’s closer to the consistency of leau scandaleuse by Anatole Lebreton. Which I adore but is slightly more complex due to the green touches but the tuberose in that one is somehow perceptible in this. I don’t know how really but I absolutely sense it though not as prominently here. Anyways I’m glad I blind bought this it’s all I want to smell

The amber fragrance for those who love museum, alchemical, academic vibes. Dusty velvet cloth stained with oily potions and candle wax on the ritual table of an alchemist/occultist. I picture an old mansion in the late autumn twilight, walking with a candelabra through a long gallery with portraits in gold intricate frames, the floorboards creak lightly, and in the bouncing amber candlelight the faces in the paintings are distorted, either grinning or horrified... a tall wooden clock strikes 9 p.m., and suddenly there is a clatter of tree branches against the floor-length hall window .... eerie whispers in the dark? The mystery is somewhere here, behind the velvet curtains

A FB that isn’t driven by leather. It’s there but it’s not in your face. I think this is the FB blueprint to a tee. Id say it’s more of a rock rose centric frag than a leather frag. Her signature smooth, buttery feel is alive and well here. This is my favorite FB to date and I’ve sampled all and own 3. It reminds me a great deal of Le Lion Maybe not a GREAT deal... closer to Ambre Aurea. I’m a walking contradiction it’s a leather thru and thru. Not the diesel leather of The Black Knight, Byzantine Amber is a smoother chic leather. Are these great fragrances as individuals or do we just love the Signature and ever repeating base heavy notes? Can it be both?

I love this, but it is practically indistinguishable from The Dark Side. I have both and I can’t tell them apart. I bought a bottle of this and was given a bottle of The Dark Side as a gift. This may have a little more smokiness, but not enough to really stand out as unique from The Dark Side. This is a leathery amber scent with a touch of smokiness and is very much in the style of other Bianchi perfumes IYKYK. I’ve not tried anything that reminds me of this except for The Dark Side. I’ve not gotten the chance to try Amber Kiso or some of the other scents that are in the “reminds me of” section so I can’t comment on how similar they are.

Byzantine amber is hot, smoky, sweet, balsamic, and dark, yet luminous. It’s a complex scent that’s sure to impress. BA features leather and amber, creating a dirty, animalic beauty. The scent combines leather notes with geranium, incense, and cinnamon, and the classic amber accord is paired with a unique ambergris. The ambergris accord is the standout, animalistic yet sweet and refined. Maybe not for everyone but it’s unique. The performance is excellent, long lasting but not overpowering. Great for cool climates and special occasions. Absolutely not a blind buy, especially if you're not familiar with FB's perfumes. Big love.

#1777 in my “Tour de Fragrance” Got this as a decant from Scentsplit.com. My Second from Bianchi. My first Bianchi, “The Dark Side”, was dislikable with an overdose of honey sweetness. No such problems here. Wonderfully balanced incensey-leathery amber scent. Early on, when I still wasted money on EDTs, I had the similar John Varvatos “Platinum, which seems to have been discontinued. This scent has good longevity and silage. I really don’t care about situational appropriateness with a scent as good as this. I’d wear it anywhere, anytime for my own enjoyment. Good Luck and Good Hunting!

This is such an intense, brutal fragrance that has so much presence, without feeling sickly or imposing. I am so glad it has no oud or vanilla or rose or anything else in that vein in it, I absolutely can't stand oud and fragrances with this level of presence that go the woody sweet or floral way make me want to vomit. This is very concise in its brutality. It's bone dry, leathery resins and basically nothing else, and when it dries down it dries to such a comforting, sumptuous ambery sweetness. A church scent for bad girls (and boys) who don't wear their sin on their sleeve.

Now what?! I was in a no-buy imposed period, but somebody lured me into sniffing this new creation, knowing that I am a Francesca Bianchi fan. I wanted to reduce my collection, instead I am going to buy this little cinnamon bun (with less butter iris than we're accustomed) dusted with leather and dipped in honey, smoked with just the right amount of incense and with a labdanum roll on the side. Is it my nose or it has a hint of fresh ground coffee beans, too? I have no idea how gold smells like, but I think this is the closest rendition. Oh, Francesca, what did you do?!

I love this amber scent, it's sexy yet sophisticated, mouthwatering, and just the right amount of smoky. Incredibly well-balanced. (I think a lot of people would like this, even those who aren't particularly interested in fragrances. Very palatable for such a unique scent I suppose.) I don't personally wear it every day, but it could definitely be done. I usually just spray it once before going out at night, so that it layers on top of whatever I've been wearing that day, for that extra little kick.

I’m a Francesca Bianchi fan. This is a scent that feels very much like her signature style; deep, dark amber with prominent cinnamon note upfront, but turning more leathery and smokey in the dry down. With a strong Styrax note too, and with something that feels oily....possibly the ambergris note. Byzantine Amber leans masculine, and I like it a lot (hence I’m voting “love”) even though it’s not my style. With excellent performance, a little goes a long way. On a man this would be swoon worthy.

Smoky, smooth, sensual, leathery amber. Love the unique addition of the ambergis in this, the light saltiness at the base blends in with labdanum so well and gives it a warmer, earthy touch. It begins to smell more like a church incense as it dries on, but still retains that warm, ambery base. I understand now why this one was called ‘Byzantine Amber.’ Although I wish the cinnamon lasted throughout its transition, it’s still beautiful. I never smelled anything like it.

This really does have an ancient quality, as the name suggests. Makes me feel like I’m dancing across the pages of an illuminated manuscript. It’s resinous, rounded amber, warm and golden. The opening has a slightly sharp balsamic note that does mellow overtime. After several hours it takes on a sweeter sensibility. The longevity is crazy, I sprayed once on my arm and then put on a knit and the scent is still present on the sleeve two days later.

One of my most favorite creations in perfumery, this fragrance features a truly remarkable amber note that strikes the perfect balance between warmth and sweetness. Unlike other fragrances where the amber note can sometimes become overwhelming, here it's skillfully composed to provide just the right amount of sweetness, along with incense, taking us to a symphony of elegance. Amber lovers, don't sleep on this – t's even better than TF-AA.

Balsamic amber, supported by orris and leather, and a bit of sweetness in the background. It would remind you of The Dark Side, but they are not redundant. My current favorite from FB, and one of my faves in my collection. I can't stop smelling my arm. I want my sweat to smell like this. Scent: 10/10 Projection: 8.5/10 Longevity: 9/10

I absolutely love this!!! smelled it on my boyfriend when he tried a tester, and it turned into a super cozy ambery powder with vanilla and incense hints that made me want to SNIFF HIM OUT! LOL I want this so bad, will gift it to him only for my pleasure.

I love the labdanum in this, reminds me a touch of Le Lion but sweeter and not as dusty. This is a really high quality amber and for the price, it is a no-brainer. Byzantine Amber is simple but so stunning, I would love to own a bottle. Good composition

عطر ليس للقلوب الضعيفة رائحة كلاسيكية معقدة جدا وصعبة التقبل للوهلة الأولى لكن مع الوقت بتحس أنك تبي ترجع تشمه مناسبات الارتداء قليلة جدا إلا حسب مزاجك أداء ممتاز وفوحان ممتاز أيضا

recognize her art of making fragrances in this masterpiece. don't like to compare scents,and this one has her signature making scents.like said masterpiece.

Finally, an amber I love. They are usually too sweet or too animalic. This one is just right. Deep, resinous, gorgeous.

This is one of three fragrances that I was given by a friend to test completely blind. Try it with a friend. On initial opening I got an inviting vanilla amber or burnt sugar element that slowly lost its sweetness and became more warm and mystic, suggesting a refined and darker side that maybe has elements of frankincense and myrrh. Throughout the day I got more of a straight incense element that remained inviting and not too smoky. In the opening it leaned ever so slightly feminine to me, but more masculine as it became more earthy, almost oud like. Coming to find out this was a fragrance I've been wanting to try since it came out, the major differences between my expectations and what I experienced was i) it's more incense than I imagined, and while others here rank the leather facets more dominant, I get a more soft incense afterburn than rawhide. ii) I was expecting more intoxicating amber. While an amber element is present no doubt I was expecting a bigger, more regal type of amber given it's name. iii) regardless of i and ii, it does carry a refined almost sacred side to it. Even 12 hours later the skin scent is well blended and floats between a hint of amber and incense that is pleasant and has a sense of luxuriousness. Looking at the notes it is only the bergamot and geranium that are fleeting and not very noticeable at times. As much as I like aspects of this, I have my own favorite incense fragrance and while this isn't exactly like it, and such a comparison may not be fair, it also isn't distinct enough to suggest getting my own. At the price point , I think that is even a more difficult ask. Enjoyed it, my tiny sample won't last long, but may end up losing out to other personal favorites.

I ordered this as soon as it was launched on the page few days ago and I got it today. All of the FB fragrances I own were blind buys and while I love her creations for being unique, I find them very challenging and difficult to wear. I love Amber and I love most of the notes listed - except for animalic leather- and decided I should get this too. my first impression is that: its actually quite pleasant to my nose!!! Its a bit harsh at first -as you would expect with most FB fragrances - but it turns into a very pleasant smokey amber scent when it cools down. I don't get a very strong animalic note which is good news to me! the cinnamon is noticeable, and so is the labdanum and benzoin. I get very faint hints of bergamot too but I would assume most wouldn't notice it! I feel that the recent FB creations are a little less challenging and wearable in more situations... love it!

This is a beautiful leather amber fragrance with a heavy dose of labdanum which is basically the main basis of an amber fragrance is labdanum. I can see the comparisons to Chanel's Le lion But I like the Chanel More. Not to mention the fact the Chanel is a better value considering what Francesca Bianchi's fragrances go for on the open market. The cinnamon in the opening is a nice touch but I wish it lasted longer. Again If not for IFRA regulations This fragrance could have been a very beautiful cinnamon dominant Amber which is what the market sorely needs in my opinion. IFRA continues to ruin the fragrance industry niche designer indie or otherwise. I never thought that cinnamon could kill anyone. But cigarettes are legal. This is a really good fragrance If you like deep rich unisex leathery Amber fragrances I just wish it had more cinnamon.

Byzantine Amber. It reminds me of field trips to museums, and of sitting in a lecture hall looking at slides on the projector in art history class. It really does bring to mind Byzantine art--specifically those religious mosaic portraits with their huge eyes, straight noses, and tiny mouths--expressions somber and holy, but also open-eyed like the eyes of a child. This fragrance gives the impression of the chipped golden color of their halos. Ancient, historically significant, and glowing from under dust. The scent itself is reminiscent of pipe smoke and lightly spiced leather-forward amber. It feels reverent. Also like artwork in a museum, something about it makes you want to reach out and touch it (in the case of this fragrance, it's probably the animalic ambergris backdrop melding with the leather).

Byzantine Amber is such a killer amber scent. Lately, I’ve been really into amber fragrances and tried a few like Nishane Ambra Calabria and Les Indémodables Ambre Suprême. But there’s just something super addictive about this one. It gives off an almost magical vibe, like smoky leather with a touch of florals smooth and a little mysterious. Totally hits the spot for me. What I love is that even though it’s a niche perfume with serious character, it’s well balanced and surprisingly wearable for everyday. It’s on the heavier side, so it shines best in cooler weather such as fall, winter, or chilly spring nights. I’ve gone through a bunch of Francesca Bianchi’s scents, and a few really stand out: this one, Sticky Fingers, Black Knight, and Etruscan Water.

TLDR this house so far is the only one that I have found that makes liberal use of animal and somehow is able to keep the product pretty. And a pretty product that some men will want to wear at that. Pretty neat. Normally when sampling fragrances my default setting is to stay away from animal. Then every once in a while I run into a cologne that has just the right amount of anal gland in it. This is one of them. Spray a little of this or Sticky Fingers near me and I start to think some very impure thoughts lol. Move over viagra. A couple of hours in I am getting shades of Le Lion.

Funnily enough I do not experience this fragrance like most of the reviews I have read. I don’t get smoke I don’t get leather. All I get is amber and dirt with a hint of spice. I don’t know how she does it but FB does sex in a bottle better than any other perfumer that I have so far experienced. This particular example is 100% late 70s formulation Right Guard sprayed on stinky pits. I can only picture the conversations that take place when concocting these creations. “...we are close but I still say this needs a touch more of yesterday’s underwear”.

Ambers I absolutely love and will always have in my collection: Le Lion - Expensive, no discounts but totally worth Grand Soir - a staple. Smooth, cozy, classy Ambre Loup - a masterpiece, 10/10 amber Amber Absolutely- another epic, soft, yummy amber Amber Sky - best Ex Nihilo in my collection Byzantine Amber- very unique, and leaves a regal trail behind you Ambre Nuit - a classic

Testing my sample; this is a spicy, dry, and intensely smoky amber, becomes more leathery and even drier as it settles on the skin. The reviews citing 'dusty' are correct, it can be olfactorily jarring if you're not expecting it. Autumn and winter only, I would never wear this in spring/summer months. Strong like most Bianchi scents, lasts for ages.

Warm amber meets leather bound old books. Feels like sitting in an armchair flipping through these antique books there’s a fire, beeswax candles for light, glass of brandy on the table. Recognizable as a FB and has touches of Dark Side and Sticky Fingers (styrax, orris, beeswax). It’s cosy but I like the previous two I mentioned a little bit more.

More leather on me than amber, initially. The leather is butch, smelling like a greasy saddle or something. I was supposed to like this, being fan of both notes and Bianchi's work, however I find the opening won't work for me. The drydown is nice though, although much quieter. p.s. might just buy it for the drydown

A fairly successful but overpriced twin of Ellen Covey's masterpiece "Dev 2" by Olympic Orchids! Very nice indeed, but can't reach the density and quality of the original. If Dev 2 there wasn't exist this would be my favorite labdanum perfume!

Reminiscent of The Dark Side, but without violet, less sweet, and not quite as intense. I like it, but I prefer The Dark Side.

Dry powdery leather. Has the signature FB base. Feels like a way toned down Lover's Tale. Dries down to a nice sweet amber.

Cozy , inviting scent. Is like hugging your cat while holding a cup of hot tea. Love it

Warm cinnamon leather opening. Followed by a leathery Smoky amber.

This Byzantine leather not amber

A smouldering smoky, leathery, labdanum-forward amber. Bold and unapologetic as far as ambers go. The leather and smoke is overbearing, so i find this leans masculine. The labdanum gets crowded out a lot by the leather and styrax, to my dismay. I could smell it for about 5 minutes in the opening then it disappeared on me. Good for cold weather and leather jackets. To my nose this is like the chainsmoking biker cousin of Ex Idolo Ryder. The drydown is mostly leather with a bit of styrax and smoke, which i'm not a huge fan of... Really i'd say this is more of a byzantine leather than a byzantine amber.

Unfortunately this isn’t for me. For some reason it strongly reminds me of old dusty clothes. Don’t get any of the supposed cinnamon note. The perfume itself is however definitely high quality- lasts a long time with good silage.

Another sly Bianchi creation. An amber which is completely forgettable!

Many of Francesca's perfumes seem to have small deviations from each other but boy do they not differ entirely from each other. She must recycle the same aromachemicals on her creations because they all remind me of each other, spinning in a vortex of "this smells almost the same as 3 other perfumes from her". The drydown of Byzantine Amber is pretty much identical to Under My Skin minus her typical dry orris root. I get a lot of her dark honey/beeswax in many of her perfumes, including these two and The Black Knight (I haven't smelled them all but I'm sure applies to more). Byzantine Amber also shares a lot of aromachemicals from The Lover's Tale, minus the animalic castoreum that she loves. I really don't like this particular blend though. Smells too cloying and artificial to me and I could never smell this on myself, but to each their own :) I read many people stating the same about her perfumes so I'm guessing she's stuck in her ingredients and mostly messing with ratios here and there, and adding/removing some notes. I'm not bashing on her, I own 3 of her perfumes, but they are also pretty hard to wear for most occasions and for these reasons I'm giving up on her. I still appreciate her work, but I'm moving on from her :)

I thought I loved it. But after leaving alone for a few months and coming back to it, now I think it stinks. I cannot explain it. Durga’s amber kiso is better for me.

Smells of very old clothes, left in a cupboard for decades. Hint of mothballs.