Which Al Ambra to try first
49 scents is a lot to choose from. This is a route through the range: first the four you can order at FragranceGems, then the rest by family, by type and by what the brand itself says.
1. Start with what you can order
FragranceGems sells four Al Ambra scents, and their note lists point four different ways.
- Musk with a little fruit and flower: Dubai Musk. Mandarin, bergamot and black currant, then sandalwood and magnolia, then musk.
- Citrus and tropical fruit over spice, tea and wood: Ravenna. Lemon, bergamot, orange, pineapple and mango, then ginger, cinnamon and neroli, then black tea, guaiac wood, rosemary and ambroxan.
- Short and dry: Black Forest. Grapefruit, ambroxan and woody notes, and nothing else on the list.
- A clean floral with a soft base: Black Forest Elixir. Aldehydes, white peach and citrus, then orange blossom and lily of the valley, then musk, vanilla and patchouli.
All four are on the fresh, clean side of the range. If that is what you want, you can stop here.
2. Or pick a direction from the whole range
The rest of the range goes much further: oud, leather, tobacco, gourmands and white florals. This guide sorts all 49 scents into nine families, using the words the brand itself gives for each scent. For every family, the list names what the shop sells and where else to look.
- Fresh and citrus Fresh scents open with citrus, herbs or marine notes and keep sweetness in the background. In the shop: Black Forest and Ravenna. Elsewhere in the range: Blue Grotto, Dawn and Eclat.
- Floral Floral scents have flowers at their centre: jasmine, rose, orange blossom, tuberose, violet or a soft floral accord. In the shop: Dubai Musk and Black Forest Elixir. Elsewhere in the range: Belleza, Orlina and Shake Ambra.
- Fruity Fruity scents put apple, pineapple, pear, berries or stone fruit in the opening. Choose it for an easy, bright start: apple is the fruit named most often, in five of the eight, and the brand suggests five of them for casual outings. Start with Aurora and The Pearl.
- Musky and powdery Musky scents are built around the soft, clean, skin-like smell of musk, often with a powdery side from violet, iris or heliotrope. In the shop: Dubai Musk, Black Forest and Black Forest Elixir. Elsewhere in the range: Cecil and Reeman.
- Woody Woody scents rest on sandalwood, cedar, vetiver, patchouli, guaiac wood or oud. In the shop: Black Forest and Ravenna. Elsewhere in the range: Ambra Nuit, Ambra Oud and Aurum.
- Spicy and warm Spicy scents lead with cinnamon, cardamom, saffron, nutmeg, pepper or clove. This is the family for cold weather and evenings: the brand names autumn and winter for ten of the twelve and evening wear for eleven, and cinnamon is the spice listed most. Start with Catch You Back, Hala Oud and Jacob.
- Leather Leather scents carry a dry, smoky leather or suede note, built by the perfumer rather than extracted. Seven of the ten are listed for men and three as unisex, and the brand places every one of them in autumn and winter, mostly for formal occasions and evenings. Start with Irish Ferre, Oud Shamayel and Secret Adventure.
- Sweet and gourmand Sweet scents rely on vanilla, tonka bean, caramel, honey, praline or candy notes; when those recall dessert, perfumers speak of a gourmand. Seven of the twelve are listed for women, three as unisex and two for men; the brand suggests nine of them for evening wear and seven for special occasions. Start with Al Rasi, Arosa and Caelum.
- Amber and smoke Amber scents are warm and resinous: amber accords, incense, benzoin, labdanum and smoke. Pick it for evenings: the brand suggests evening wear for all ten, seven of them name oud, and seven are listed as unisex. Start with One Off and Suyufi Ambra.
A scent the shop does not sell cannot be ordered there; its page has a link to request it at FragranceGems, which is a signal to the shop and no promise.
3. Or start from a note
If you already know which notes you like, the notes page lists every note of the range, and 42 notes have a page of their own with all the scents that contain them. The quickest ways in: musk, oud, vanilla, patchouli, bergamot, leather, rose and jasmine. Rarer notes have their page too, among them incense, ambergris, osmanthus and saffron.
4. Eau de parfum or extrait de parfum?
The range has 29 extraits de parfum and 20 eaux de parfum. An extrait contains a higher concentration of fragrance oil. Among the four in the shop this will not help you choose: according to the labels and the brand's own product pages, all are extraits, although the shop still files Ravenna and Black Forest as eau de parfum.
5. How far should it carry?
We have no measurements of our own, so this is what the brand says on its own product pages. It calls the projection light for Dubai Musk, Black Forest, Reeman and Shadow of Rose. At the other end it describes 17 scents as strong or moderate to strong, among them Oud Shamayel, The True Bold, Ambra Nuit, Aurum, Caelum, Exclusive Jeon, Hala Oud and Jacob. For Ravenna the brand gives no such description. Every scent page shows the brand's wording under key facts.
6. Seasons
The brand names seasons for most of its scents: spring and summer for 12, spring and autumn for 13, and autumn and winter for 23. The first group holds the citrus scents, musks and light florals, the last the ouds, leathers and gourmands. Treat all of it as a suggestion.
The four in the shop side by side
 Dubai Musk |  Black Forest |  Black Forest Elixir |  Ravenna | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Extrait de Parfumprinted on the label | Extrait de Parfumprinted on the label | Extrait de Parfumthe shop and the brand's own product page | Extrait de Parfumthe brand's own product page |
| Size | 50 ml (1.7 fl oz) | 50 ml (1.7 fl oz) | 50 ml (1.7 fl oz) | 50 ml (1.7 fl oz) |
| Top notes | ||||
| Heart notes | ||||
| Base notes | ||||
| Scent families | citrus, oriental, woodythe shop's classification | citrus, orientalthe shop's classification | citrus, floral, oriental, woodythe shop's classification | citrus, fresh, oriental, woodythe shop's classification |
| Listed for | unisex | unisex | unisex | unisex |
| Projection | lightaccording to the brand | lightaccording to the brand | moderateaccording to the brand | not stated |
| Suggested seasons | spring, summer (according to the brand) | spring, summer (according to the brand) | spring, summer (according to the brand) | summer, autumn, winter (the shop's classification) |
| Bottle | Cobalt-blue glass, white label | Cobalt-blue glass, black-and-gold label | Matte black, green forest label | Speckled turquoise glass, dark skyline label |
Torn between two?
Two pairs have their own page: Black Forest or Black Forest Elixir, which share a name and little else, and Dubai Musk or Ravenna, the two scents people look for most. Elsewhere in the range the brand lists the same notes for two different perfumes; the comparison page names those pairs.
You cannot try first
At our last check the shop listed no samples of Al Ambra, so a full bottle is the only way in. Read sizes and samples and the shop's returns policy before you order.
Or see what others choose
Of the four scents in the shop, Dubai Musk is the one that has been ordered most; a customer review is on its page.
Shop Al Ambra at FragranceGemsNo prices or stock on this site. The shop shows both.