Ambrette seed oil

[chas]

I tried an application

of ambrette seed oil today (@ 5% dilution in some carrier oil - one dab behind each ear) with unusual

results.
Ambrette (marshmallow seed) is a vegetable substitute smelling like musk & it is put into fragrances where

no animal substances are allowed.
It smells good too.
I was in a lift (elevator?) & a single woman got in,

immediately spoke to me, & began laughing & acting strangely over seemingly nothing.
A few minutes later another

single woman acted exactly the same way when I got close to her. Too much of a coincidence. I hadn't worn any

'mones or colognes for days.
It was warm in the shopping centre (mall?) & I'm sure that helps with dispersing the

scent.

[DrSmellThis]

Ambrette has a long tradition

of use as an attractant, going back many centuries in the perfuming and occult traditions. It is chock full of

analog pheromones, which is why you are getting the reactions you notice. It is one of the most outstanding plant

substances for this purpose.

It is commonly used to flavor coffee in arab countries.

In perfuming, the natural

seed oil is rarely used. Professional perfumers prefer ambrettolide, which is actuallly quite nice as perfume

chemicals go, and pretty close to the EO smell. Ambrettolide is a complex ("macrocyclic") musk note compared to

other artificial musks, and is easier to use than the essential oil. I still prefer the essential oil, of

course.

You shouldn't be suprised to learn that there is a bit of ambrette in Pheros. I wanted to get a

huge, well rounded and layered musk note, and ambrette is great as an organic version of the well known light musk

note (virtually always a chemical scent in perfumes, except for my perfumes), if you can deal with the green

overtones somehow.
It does have similarities to a light musk smell, but with more of a green edge to it. Obviously,

it lacks the strong animal note of animal musks. The nice thing about a light musk note is its freshness.

Some

varieties are a little too funky-green for me. So trying multiple kinds is good with ambrette. The CO2 extracted

version is a bit mellower, and I like it quite a bit, if you want a no brainer to try. However, there are others

that are nice too.

Sounds like you got a good version. Mind if I ask you what you are using?

Ambrette is one

of those oils that gets much better with age, like patchouli. You really want to age it if possible. Buying in

quantity is the easiest way to make that happen.

Ambrette is quite strong, and many would find it best in a

perfume mixed with other things. It is really easy to get too much of it. If you can slather it on, then I guess it

must go well with your chemistry.

Its name indicates it also has an amber note to it, and goes well with

ambergris and other amber scents. It also has a vanilla note, so goes well with other vanilla notes like tonka or

vanilla itself. Obviously, the green note goes with other green notes (like, say, lavender).

It can be used with

sandalwood if it is much weaker in concentration by comparison, like 5:1 (or more) being a place to start

experimenting.

It is considered an exaltant in perfuming, which means it makes other scents better and more vital

when properly used.

It also has a floral note, and could make a powerful attractant mixed with jasmine, neroli

or rose.

[chas]

DST, I was hoping that you

would give us your knowledge on ambrette. I was surprised to hear that it can flavour coffee - I didn't realise

that it was edible. Is it just for the flavour or are there other stimulant effects due to the 'mones, etc.?



I've read that some Arabs heat a piece of high quality ambergris over a teaspoon & stir it into coffee for its

tonic effects.

I got my 'Ambrette Absolute' on eBay - 'the aromashop', which post worldwide.