Intense Amber

With all the hype surrounding Montale, you would think that most of their perfumes are very well known and talked about. Not the case with So Amber. For some reason that’s beyond me, nobody mentions this! I had the opportunity to visit Montale store in Milan last year in March and So Amber really surprised me. Very positively! I just tried it on a whim, and I was instantly hooked. It could be the misleading name that’s doesn’t draw the attention. Because So Amber has very little amber! It’s very much a sweet, fruity, powdery rose, smoothened by vanilla, sandalwood and musk. The usual combination of saffron and ambergris that has been made worldwide popular by Francis Kurkdijan is present in here and creates magic in the air! Yes, So Amber it’s mostly rose, raspberry and vanilla but the saffron and ambergris blend together so effortlessly and elevate the rose smell. And offers it power and warmth! I am surprised that it doesn’t contain labdanum or benzoin or amber, because it comes across very warm, resinous feeling and almost balsamic. Also, I suspect a honey note in mid notes, the way the rose is sweetened here makes me think of natural honey more than sugar cubes. Very rich and dense, but also extremely feminine and slightly gourmand. Even though it stays under the radar, I personally think that So Amber is a great fragrance. It’s really a beautiful scent, close to being mass appealing. That said, you need to love an intense rose smell mixed with raspberries, vanilla and saffron. As a side note, I own quite a few rose scents, but none smell similar to this. Rose is probably the most popular flower in perfumes, but here smells different. In a very good way different! The projection and longevity are both excellent. It lasts all day on my clothes and I get wafts of sweet roses every time I move. Spring, fall or winter appropriate. This is not a rose perfume for warm temperatures. Whit all these said, I am obsessed with this! Honeyed, powdery rose, that’s what I get from So Amber! So underrated and soo affordable!

Another sample from Neiman Marcus. Just lovely, a definite floral woody vibe. I give it a solid 6/10 for a potential full bottle purchase.

Looking to sell my bottle. Few sprays missing, comes full presentation. UK shipping only.

So I got a sample of this, together with a sample of Aoud Forest. These two fragrances have two things in common. For one, they both have misleading names. Secondly, they're sort of similar. Aoud Forest is basically a rose/oud fragrance with citrus and some aquatic notes. The oud is really subtle, almost undetectable. So Amber has a very similar vibe, but it doesn't have the citrus. It smells of rose and ambroxan. So, less aquatic than Aoud Forest, but still kind of aquatic. Now the ambroxan that I detect is probably the ambergris, it smells like ambroxan to me; salty and fresh. There's also a slight honey-like quality to So Amber, I'm guessing that must be the saffron, but I'm not sure. Vanilla, musk, raspberry, it might all be there sweetening up the rose scent, but I can't really point them out. The rose top note just doesn't ever seem to fade. Very peculiar. Longevity is really good. It lasted allllll day on my hair, and I still get wafts of roses every time I move. It's damn impressive, because nothing, absolutely nothing lasts this long on me! I can still smell it ever so slightly on my wrist, even. Amazing! My skin eats perfume, normally. I just don't see what this has to do with amber, just like I don't see what Aoud Forest has to do with a forest. That said, I quite like this! Salty rose, that's what this is.

Maybe it’s because I’m not so familiar with the smell of ambergris, but this smells minty to me in the top notes when I smell up close. From a distance, the rose is coming out. The rose surprisingly isn’t turning sour as rose generally does on my. It’s more waxy or creamy and is starting to smell like a rose scented soap. I’m trying this from a sample, and from the name this isn’t at all what I expected to be wear today based off the name. It’s not bad however. I think this would be more suitable as a spring scent, and I’ll probably at least use up the rest of the sample at that time. If I’m ever looking for a new rose, I’d consider this, depending on how the dry down turns out.

I have smelled way worse frags than this in the Montale line, so first advise is to give a good test to it. Montale has some strong perfumes so if you smell this after raping your nose with oud-rose bombs you may not get the good parts of So Amber. It is definetely and Ambergris fragrance (not Amber) so makes it unisex immediately, no matter of rose and raspberry. In the drydown So Amber is left with ambergris, musk and saffron (a bit rose still there) so it’s versatile and fresh. I get hints of some Amouage frags like Journey for men. So Amber is more on unisex side though. Overall I liked it at best, and that is big enough praise for a Montale bottle.

It's nice to smell a Montale which doesn't open with the floor cleaner rose based scent. This one is raspberry, ambergris, saffron and rose. Of course the rose intensifies after the first couple of hours until it wins the battle for the first place. And not much happens forward other than a soft musky note with added sweetness from vanilla. It's an interesting sweet floral fruity, maybe a bit too girly and sweet for me and far from what the name "So Amber" says. 6/10

A beautiful scent. The opening is an intense rose smell with saffron and ambergris notes - clearly reminiscent of potpourri, as those three accords are often used together in home fragrance compositions. After about 3-4 hours it fades into a sweet mixture of vanilla, sandalwood and musk. Two very different sides of one intriguing scent. The projection and longevity are both strong. I got this as a sample, but I am tempted to get a full bottle.

Not that ive ever had whale poop in front of me, but for a fragrance to call it self so amber that is supposedly ambergris its kinda lost on me. I dont get a amber kinda smell either. I dont get any supposedly animalistic vibe out of this either. Honestly when I wore this I kept thinking about how surprisingly fresh and fruity it smelled. I got a lot of raspberry and saffron out of this... Nice smell, misleading name.

This is one of my favourites from the brand, to me this just smells like traditional white musk with a warm base. This lasts and projects off of my skin like crazy. I also don’t get the synthetic aspect I get from other Montales.

Nice smell, but synthetic. I wish they use better raw materials.

I get a muted rose, raspberry, saffron, and sandalwood at the beginning. But it feels like the very synthetic versions of these notes. I would absolutely love to try a perfume with these same notes that uses the real stuff. Overtime it gets a bit better. When the sandalwood fully comes in with the vanilla it is nice. Though I am a sucker for sandalwood in a fragrance. This perfume has the potential of being a great fragrance, but sadly this falls short. As is, I think it’s an okay perfume. It leans very heavily on the sweet and feminine side. It’s simple and nice but doesn’t blow me away. I would give this a try if the notes look good to you. You might end up loving it.

I want to like this one but all I'm getting is a floral fruity bug spray. Theres something about this fragrance that doesnt combine well with my skin. Disappointed.

So Amber by Montale is an incredibly potent fragrance dominated by the notes of rose, ambergris, raspberry, musk, and saffron. Its longevity is remarkable, lasting for weeks on fabric and several days on the skin. Given its intense projection and the presence of sweet, metallic, and sharp notes (rather than the warm resin implied by its name), it should be applied sparingly. A little goes a long way, especially when layered with a lighter cologne for a balanced effect during autumn and winter afternoons. This fragrance leans towards the feminine side and evokes the image of a Middle Eastern queen, whose scent envelops the entire desert and lingers for an eternity. A 50ml bottle of So Amber can last for generations, unless, of course, you intend to overwhelm everyone in the room with its potency.

A rather sweet generic rose perfume with a tiny touch of amber and a clean note. Meh

This is a lovely amber for those who crave a realistic rendition of the warm marine animal variety. Montale adds a clean bracing presence to this 'fume via the addition of the slightly medicinal saffron note. Along with sandalwood, this gives So Amber the familiar, pleasing twang that most people seem to associate with the use of oud in most Montale compositions. Another familiar Montale theme of rose-vanilla serves to soften the scent but thankfully not too much, thanks to a more tart, than sweet, raspberry. So Amber lasts forever on skin, clothes, yet it isn't at all overpowering and actually wears somewhat close... Fans of amber really need to experience So Amber, it is fantastic. I also find it different enough that I still need a bottle of Blue Amber as well...

Synthetic ambergris musky scent, reminiscent of something from Ajmal that's from their entry level range (not top tier). That kind of quality really shows here, very screechy, with that kind of a name, this release had great potential, really. All I get is some watery light rose sweet freshness that might be a bit harsh with some white musky nuances, it attempts to be a clean smelling scent but really doesn't get anywhere near that IMO. Also just realised this does remind me of Rasasi's Al Wisam Day, has that metallic inky feel to it.

This is the least offensive thing I've tried from Montale. That's about the nicest thing I can say about it. It's Okaaaay. Just. As another reviewer mentioned, it has nothing to do with amber at all. The rose and the raspberry come through. But unfortunately, like all Montale frags, it's got this chemical thing to it. There's nothing artistic about it at all. It's like, "Here's your roses, and your raspberries!" as someone chucks them at your face out a car window.

I just tried this and upon spraying the opening reminded me of potpourri... The scent reminded me of some preppy guy in his springtime pastel attire. The rose isn't dominant because the way it’s mixed in it merges the scents to balance it out. It’s not exactly my type of scent. Eventually it revealed itself to a powdery rose/vanilla/salty/raspberry/dirty musk. The dirty musk is odd since white musk isn’t known to be as such.

Too, too, too much, way too much. I could not wear it. So overwhelming and not in a good way. The loudness of it all, it is bugsprayish in nature. Should this be a perfum? It is strange, once again not in a good way. The rose in this is too artificial in smell, well so is everything in this bottle. SMDH.

First, this was called "so amber", formerly. So if you have that, or confused they're the same. Purely feminine rose/saffron/raspberry composition, with hints of ambergris and sandal wood, abit of sweetness, with a middle eastern vibe, you smell all listed notes. Suitable for ladies in winter only.

Ambergris..... not Amber the resin! name is misleading. I get the soft rose in the opening...soon fades and leads right in to the saffron and Ambergris... subtle hints of raspberry...but then the dry down is all musk and Ambergris for approx 10+ hours! great unisex scent.

So excited, hoping to get a chance to try it soon. Ambergris is one of my absolute favourite notes, so I might find a new favourite. Oh, and for once there's no oud in Montales perfume!

depends on your mood you may love it or have,but its strong and traditional linear arabic scent that may cause for some , some headache !

Definitely wanna have it as all amber fregs i had worked grate on my skin in every aspect.

You have to have a type. A big no for me this combo throws me off so much.

Have they changed the name of this ? Is it called now Intense Amber?

Soapy strong rose scent.. nauseating 🤢- 2/10