Ambergris gets its’ name from the French “ambre gris” (grey amber) to distinguish it from the fossilised resin, brown amber. The raw material results from a pathological condition of the sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus L. syn P. catodon L.
In the normal course of events, calculus (sand and stones) or cachalot, is regularly ejected from the digestive tracts from adult sperm whales. There is some evidence, however, that certain materials, like the indigestible beaks of squid or cuttlefish (Elodone moschata) irritate the whales' digestive system, and in so doing, the offending substances develop a pasty pathological growth. It is possible that the cuttlefish itself contains ambrein, or that ambrein is formed by the digestive processes of the whale’s stomach acting on odourous substances within the cuttlefish. After being vomited out, the floating dark waxy mass is often washed up on beaches where it hardens to a paste as it dries. These deposited ambergris masses can weigh up to 100 Kg, and have frequently appeared in the past floating near, or washed up on the seashores of the African coast, Madagascar, Jaan, Brazil, China, India, the Bahamas and even New Zealand – in 1895 the London market was said to be supplied by whalers from Tasmania and New Zealand (Parry 1925). Fresh material is almost black turning to light gray as it matures. It would appear that in previous times trainee perfumers were taught that the pale or white forms of Ambergris were likely to possess the finest odour, which opinion is also to be found in Poucher's remarkable abbreviated account on ambergris (Poucher 1936) which he wrote in conjunction with a Mr. A.C. Stirling (Poucher & Stirling 1934). In this account, Poucher describes 10 distinct types of ambergris from work done in 1931 with Stirling, graded largely on colour odour and origin: this data can be found repeated on Internet websites dealing in buying & selling pieces of ambergris
Uses.
Ambergris cannot be compared to castoreum or musk, but the physiological properties seem to be similar. Ambergris was traded in N.W. Africa before the 9th Century. Louis XV is said to have used ambergris to flavour his favourite dishes, and Queen Elizabeth I used it to perfume her gloves (le Galliene 1928). Valued as a restorative, & dissolved in wine as an aphrodisiac (Comon 1955, Bovill 1973) and as a perfumery fixative, ambergris is the slowest of all perfume materials to evaporate.
Since the use of animal products in perfumery is no longer considered ethical (the Washington treaty for example bans the hunting of musk deer and whales), ambergris has been replaced by an array of synthetics e.g., Ambroxan (Henkel), and Grisalva (IFF) etc. Ambroxan is synthesized from sclareol, a diterpene alcohol present in Clary Sage (from Salvia sclarea). These synthetic products have a cleaner more intense amber quality, but none of the subtlety and smoothness of the natural material. Ambergris/amber has performed an important role in perfumery for centuries, being used to impart a radiant, intense long lasting, and animalic/ambery quality to both male and female fine fragrances (some authorities, such as Poucher 1936, describe the effect as “velvety”). Ambergris notes are an essential part of more recent male fragrances such as Cool Water, Drakkar Noir and Zino Davidoff. The material was also formerly used for its fixative qualities, and was noted in its ability to bring eau-de-colognes especially “alive”. Synthetic amber chemicals perform an important function in fabric softener fragrances, due to their powerful substantivity.
