The product manufactured by BMV Fragrances Pvt. Breakdown of the relatively scentless ambrein through oxidation results in the formation of ambrox and ambrinol, which are the main odour components of ambergris.
White crystals of a substance called ambrein can be separated from ambergris by heating raw ambergris in alcohol, then allowing the resulting solution to cool. Ambergris is relatively nonreactive to acid. It has been developed after extensive research and analysis of the natural product which is no longer available. It is soluble in ether, and in volatile and fixed oils. It melts at about 62 ☌ to a fatty, yellow resinous liquid and at 100 ☌ (212 ☏) it is volatilized into a white vapor. In this developed condition, ambergris has aspecific gravity ranging from 0.780 to 0.926. Its smell has been generally described as a vastly richer and smoother version of isopropanol without its stinging harshness. Following months to years of photo degradation and oxidation in the ocean, this precursor gradually hardens, developing a dark grey or black color, a crusty and waxy texture, and a peculiar odor that is at once sweet, earthy, marine, and animalic.
When initially expelled by or removed from the whale, the fatty precursor of ambergris is pale white in color (sometimes streaked with black), soft, with a strong fecal smell. Some chemical components of ambergris are now produced synthetically.Īmbergris is found in lumps of various shapes and sizes, weighing from 15 g (~½ oz) to 50 kg (110 pounds) or more. Rarely used today due to trade restrictions, its unique musky character added a long-lasting bouquet to the scent of essential flower oils, but, more important, ambergris was a fixative that prevented fragrance from evaporating. Ambergris was commonly ground into a powder and dissolved in dilute alcohol. When exposed to sun, air, and seawater, however, it hardens and fades to a light gray or yellow, developing a subtle and pleasant fragrance in the process.Ĭhemically, ambergris contains alkaloids, acids, and a specific compound called ambreine, which is similar to cholesterol. Because it was picked up as drift along the shores of the North Sea, ambergris was likened to the amber of the same region, and its name is derived from the French words for “gray amber.”įresh ambergris is black and soft and has a disagreeable odour. In Eastern cultures ambergris is used for medicines and potions and as a spice in the West it was used to stabilize the scent of fine perfumes.Īmbergris floats and washes ashore most frequently on the coasts of China, Japan, Africa, and the Americas and on tropical islands such as the Bahamas. Ambergris, a solid waxy substance originating in the intestine of the sperm whale (Physeter catodon).
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