Damber Wabsolute

Pasting my review for Amber Absolute here. Damber Wabsolute is mentioned at the bottom. For those who care, Amber Absolute is back in store at Tom Ford boutiques. A 250ml Flacon along with a 50ml atomiser for £1500. And it’s the last reformulated version. Arabian wood and another one that I forget is back in the same format. I have smelt the original formula many years ago. And I’ve smelt the latter releases too. I was able to get a decant of this latest release. It is a shadow of its former self. Amber Absolute OG formula is one of the top Ambers. You can see the inspiration from Ambre Sultan. But whereas that goes into a more herbal and green direction, AA focuses on incense and frankincense. It is bone dry, Smokey and powdery, with a touch of vanilla in the base. This is what gives it a milled incense quality, with a heavy dose of frankincense . Straight out of a church. Dawn by Fredric Malle has a similar vibe in this sense. The way I picture it was if you to get a piece of amber resin and light it on fire like an incense that is probably what it would smell like, either AA or AS. Obviously this is all made up as amber doesn’t really have a smell on its own. But I’m talking about the amber accord we’ve now come to accept. These scents are challenging. They are not mainstream so I can see why they were reformulated to make them more palatable to mainstream tastes. They are very smokey and dry. Now take that same piece of resin. This time melt it until it’s gooey and syrupy. Then you have Grand Soire. Warmer, smoother and with the vanilla amped up a lot. What if you could take the best parts of AA (the smokey incense) and GS (the sweeter vanilla base) or layer them together. Then you would get D&G velvet amber sun. And imo this is the best of the four. It is the most balanced and the most captivating to my nose. It also has a resinous oud added in. Thanks to @we are legion below I ordered Soma’s Damber Wabsolute. It’s so good I ordered more bottles. It is indistinguishable from the original 2007 formula. Get this instead. Scent, project and performance are miles better than the mildly scented water TF wants to charge astronomical amounts for.

I own a full 100ml bottle of AA (along with several 35ml decants) and also have 4 bottles of the older rectangular DW, plus an older round version, from back when prices were far more reasonable compared to today’s Insider's pricing. The colour was quite light compared to AA decants that I had but 3+ years after, the colour had matured to dark amber and looking sexy :) In the first 3-5 minutes, DW comes across a little harsher and sharper than AA but it quickly settles into something very similar. The dry‐down is effectively identical to AA, while the older AA in particular is noticeably smoother throughout. I haven’t tried the newest DW bottle yet but given that I already own 5 older bottles and AA, adding the current DW version feels largely redundant. This is about as close as you can get to AA if you’re looking for a high‐quality amber fragrance. That said, wear with caution, DW truly shines in very cold weather, with sub‐zero temperatures being ideal.

If you want a bottle of Amber Absolute, this is it. I've sought AA for a long time and have three decants (two of the original release and one of the 2015 release), but the stratospheric prices on ebay have been too much for me to get a bottle. I don't have to worry about that anymore, nor do I have to be afraid to wear it, lest I drain my decants - this *is* Amber Absolute. Its opening is just as wild and it settles into the same lovely swirl of incense, amber, vanilla, and spices. It lasts a very long time, and projection is strong. As others have said, this and Insider's version of Japon Noir are *so* important for keeping these discontinued fragrances alive. I plan to try their interpretation of Moss Breches, Italian Cypress, and Plum Japonais as well. I hope they continue to resurrect old Tom Ford fragrances, such as Sahara Noir, TF for Men Extreme, and the original Tobacco Oud formulation (2013-early 2014 bottles).

As the name suggests, Damber Wabsolute is a recreation of the long discontinued Amber Absolute by Tom Ford - and what a beauty this is. A true embodiment of everything you could ever want from a dark and brooding amber scent, this fragrance is incredibly commanding and alluring. Despite having a strong presence of an Amber accord, I feel this scent is dominated by two signature notes - a rich, leathery and slightly bitter labdanum, contrasted by a dry, smoky frankincense. This scent actually has a lot of similarities to Roja’s PDLN1, however this heads in a more incense-forward direction. Recently I was able to try Tom Ford’s Amber Absolute in Harrods - the Reserve Collection re-release. I’m not sure how it compares to the original stuff but I think Damber does a better job of this scent profile than the re-release of Amber Absolute. I adore this fragrance, it’s one of my biggest staples for the winter.

After already owning and adoring their Tokyo Black (TF Japon Noir) I thought I’d give this a try having no experience with the original. Wow...lost for words The opening is smoky, vanillic with a slight boozy accord that I don’t know if it’s intentional but fits perfectly in the blend. The sweetness becomes muted over time but never disappears and the incense and the wood really starts coming through. This is an old church pew style incense that seriously warms the soul. At no point does it feel dusty or off putting, it’s gentlemanly without seeming old. Performance is astounding, I spray on clothes only so YMMV on skin, cannot comment. The scent is somewhat linear after that initial opening is lifted but holy hell is it a beautiful bubble. Just get it if you like warm incense and resinous woods. You won’t be disappointed...it’s stupid good irrespective of the phenomenal price.

@ VETTIVAER recreating a discontinued perfume that is sold only on eBay at astronomical prices, is a welcome development in the fragcom. And actually Insider Parfums sold the first batch of Damber Wabsolute at cost (£57) and all the proceeds went to charity. It was only after a huge demand and plea from people who missed out on the first batch, that Insider Parfums made more batches which was sold for next to nothing (£65). It is absolutely NOT profiteering but rather a huge service and a favour to the fragcom. Edit: I bought two bottles of Damber Wabsolute in quick succession and I can confirm that Insider Parfums recreated the vintage 2007 TF AA with pinpoint accuracy. They could have dressed it up in an exquisite bottle and box and easily sold it for £150 or more, but they chose not to do so.

This is 1,000% TF AA top, mid and base!!! Nothing like the reformulated Reserve Collection and definitely NOT the 2015 release. Damber Wabsolute is an Extrait concentration (30% oil concentration as confirmed by Insider Parfums) of the 2007 formulation of AA. Longevity is 24hrs strong and with 4 sprays, I’m not kidding, the projection and sillage was filling up rooms for over 8hrs. After approximately 12hrs or so, it remains a 1 to 2 feet scent bubble until I wash it off. Indeed Damber Wabsolute is a gift to the fragrance community and the price is an absolute steal - I already bought a backup bottle. It’s gameover for the Ebay resellers of AA asking north of £300 for a 50ml. I actually saw one the other day going for over a grand 😳

Clones can be hit or miss, but this is a bullseye and I'm smitten. I'm wearing a decant from an original bottle on my left arm, and what looks like the old-style square glass bottle version of Damber Wabsolute on my right arm and they are damn near identical. If I'd done a blind testing, I doubt I could tell the difference. D.W. has the same velvety incense + animalic dry-down that I love. I was saving for a bottle of the original, and nursing the decant in the meantime - being very careful about wearing it sparingly in case I couldn't find more. For what a bottle of the original costs now, I could get several bottles of this D.W. and wear it to my heart's content! True love!

I would say 100% the OG. Unbelievable quality. It doesnt even have the annoying alcohol opening of most clones. Just perfect if you love amber absolute save a pretty penny and get this. Winter. Huge sillage and amazing longevity. Will do very well in the Middle East. EDIT: Sillage is insane potentially competing with the moon from FM. Edit 21/11/25: Macerate or maturation whatever it is has really benefited this. Last winter I didn’t wear this as it was a little harsh but now its just so much more beautiful after being left for a year after those initial sprays. Such an attractive scent with really enormous projection will fill or clear a small cafe.

To my nose this is very close to TF AA, I would say its about 90%. I have the A20 batch of AA which is mfr in 2020 and in my opinion AA is more smokey, fresh, powdery, and longer lasting than the insider. Its possible the insider perfume needs more maceration, but I do prefer the original AA more however it is hard to justify the price difference between the two considering how similar insider got to AA. Its missing my favorite part of AA where the incense sweetness dances in and out of your senses like a boomerang.

Bless me, Father, for I have been too long without this fragrance in my life!! It's churchy church church church vibes all the way, dusty lovely woody church, the lingering smell of incense burned last week, creaking pews, the old wooden drawer where all the candle snuffers are kept. Can't comment on similarity to Amber Absolute for reasons (read: low income bracket), but never you mind, this scent doesn't need any explanation or ties to fancy brand names for it to be absolutely and utterly divine.

Opening of my 2nd batch bottle is a bit plasticky smelling, maybe the blend. But the drydown is that absolutely astounding amber accord we all know and love. They really did it with this one. This stuff is incredibly strong and lasts on skins for over 24hrs, clothes for weeks. The concentration of this is closer to extrait imo. Incredible- I love this fragrance and the original creation but refuse to buy an overpriced second hand one (at least for now).

Unbelievable fragrance. Seems to be identical to AA and it is in the realms of Ombre Nomade in terms of strength and projection. The fact that someone can create a scent like this always amazes me, it develops so well and lasts 10 hours and smells different throughout. It smells like an old church. I really like this brand, Dan produces some great stuff and seems like a nice guy. This and Tokyo Black are such valuable fragrances of a bygone TF era.

Bold. Strong. Incense-y (AF!). And ever so slightly animalic. Also, naturally, amber. This is how you do a re-creation, folks. I never had a chance to smell the original or the criminally overpriced recent-ish re-boot, but this is amazing and clearly done with love, not just to make a quick buck. Also, for anyone who never experienced TF when it was quality and innovative, this is what the line was all about.

This is proper nuclear, not to be messed with. It's a great Amber with some sweetness to it. I get burned caramel and wood chips, for me personally I don't get huge loads of incense although seems most people get that. I mean for the price you just can't go wrong frankly. This is not a clone, this is exactly like the real deal.

Nice to see that this fragrance has finally appeared on the Fragantica list.... This has proved to be a total compliment monster whenever I have worn it. The amber is soft and warm, the incense, sweet and dark, the patchouli gives it real body. The silage and longevity are enormous..... This is just a beautiful scent........

@ mmcgill829 Man, that is tragic to hear that they reformulated this... I have a full 50ml bottle of this with the old packaging and before reformulation, and it's an amazing frag. I guess I'll savor what I have, which should take some time since I have way too many frags. Thanks for the heads up.

Hello. Just to clarify - we haven’t reformulated it at all. The batch is identical. There might be the odd micro variation between individual bottles but the fragrance is identical. Feel free to drop us a line at [email protected] if you would like to chat about it at all. Best wishes.

This is so so nice. I wasn't expecting it to live up to the hype but it has. Reminds me a bit of the dry down of boss bottled elixir but expertly blended and smooth. It's classy, warm, resinous and sweet however not cloying at all. Is unbelievable for the price and quality

I picked up a few clear bottles a couple of years ago. Been going through one, at best 10ml or less. Something has happened in that time and it’s turned ultra beast mode.