Al Ambra notes, explained
The 49 Al Ambra scents in this guide list 104 different notes between them. 42 notes return in three or more scents and have a page of their own; every note is explained below in one sentence.
The most listed notes
With the number of scents that list each. Amber and Musk lead with 20 each.
Amber (20)Musk (20)Patchouli (19)Vanilla (18)Bergamot (14)Jasmine (12)Leather (10)Oud (10)Sandalwood (10)Cinnamon (9)Apple (8)Cedar (8)Tonka bean (8)Rose (7)Vetiver (7)Black currant (6)Mandarin (6)Cardamom (5)Grapefruit (5)Lemon (5)Neroli (5)Saffron (5)Ambergris (4)Ambroxan (4)Incense (4)Oakmoss (4)Orange blossom (4)Osmanthus (4)Pear (4)Pineapple (4)Violet (4)Amberwood (3)Geranium (3)Ginger (3)Guaiac wood (3)Honey (3)Iris (3)Juniper berries (3)Lavender (3)Lily of the valley (3)Raspberry (3)Ylang-ylang (3)
The four at FragranceGems, note by note
| Note | Dubai Musk | Black Forest | Black Forest Elixir | Ravenna |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citrus | ||||
| Bergamot | top | top | top | |
| Mandarin | top | top | ||
| Grapefruit | top | |||
| Lemon | top | |||
| Orange | top | top | ||
| Fruit | ||||
| Black currant | top | |||
| Pineapple | top | |||
| Mango | top | |||
| White peach | top | |||
| Flowers | ||||
| Neroli | heart | |||
| Orange blossom | heart | |||
| Lily of the valley | heart | |||
| Magnolia | heart | |||
| Mahonia | heart | |||
| Spices, herbs and tea | ||||
| Cinnamon | heart | |||
| Ginger | heart | |||
| Black tea | base | |||
| Rosemary | base | |||
| Woods and moss | ||||
| Woody notes | base | |||
| Patchouli | base | |||
| Sandalwood | heart | |||
| Vetiver | heart, base | |||
| Guaiac wood | base | |||
| Akigalawood | base | |||
| Vanilla and sweet notes | ||||
| Vanilla | base | |||
| Musk and aroma molecules | ||||
| Musk | base | base | ||
| Ambroxan | heart | base | base | |
| Aldehydes | top | |||
| Ambrette | heart | |||
Notes as the shop lists them, checked on 3 October 2026. Where the brand's own page names something else, the glossary below says so.
Citrus
Bergamot
Bergamot is a citrus fruit grown mainly in Calabria; its peel oil smells bright, slightly bitter and a little floral.
Listed by 14 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with bergamot
Mandarin
Mandarin oil is pressed from the peel and smells sweeter and softer than lemon or grapefruit.
Listed by 6 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with mandarin
Grapefruit
Grapefruit smells fresh and tart, with a bitter edge that sets it apart from the sweeter citrus fruits.
Listed by 5 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with grapefruit
Lemon
Lemon oil is pressed from the peel; it is the sharpest and most sparkling of the citrus notes.
Listed by 5 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with lemon
Citrus notes
“Citrus” is the general term a note list uses when no single fruit is named.
Orange
Orange oil comes from the peel of the sweet orange and gives a juicy, familiar citrus opening.
Listed in Black Forest Elixir (top) and Ravenna (top).
Blood orange
Blood orange smells like sweet orange with a darker, berry-like edge.
Listed in Ambra Oud (top).
Citron
Citron is a thick-skinned ancestor of the lemon; its peel smells lemony but drier and more aromatic.
Listed in Green Forest (heart).
Tangerine
Tangerine is a close relative of the mandarin with a brighter, tangier peel oil.
Listed in Eclat (top).
Fruit
Apple
Apple is a rebuilt fruit note: crisp and slightly sour as green apple, sweeter and rounder as red apple.
Listed by 8 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with apple
Black currant
Black currant, also called cassis, is a tart berry note with a slightly green side.
Listed by 6 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with black currant
Pear
Pear is a juicy, slightly grainy fruit note with a light sweetness.
Listed by 4 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with pear
Pineapple
Pineapple cannot be extracted from the fruit; perfumers rebuild its juicy, tropical smell as an accord.
Listed by 4 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with pineapple
Red fruits and berries
“Red fruits” and “berries” are collective terms for a sweet, juicy fruit accord without a single named fruit.
Listed in Loren (top), Oud Shamayel (heart), Paradise Valley (top) and Vanilla Night & Day (top).
Raspberry
Raspberry is a sweet-tart red fruit note with a jam-like depth.
Listed by 3 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with raspberry
Apricot
Apricot is a soft stone-fruit note, velvety and a little milky.
Cherry
Cherry is a red fruit note with an almond-like undertone.
Mango
Mango is likewise an accord rather than an extract; it reads as ripe, sweet tropical fruit.
Listed in Ravenna (top).
White peach
White peach is a soft, velvety fruit note, lighter than yellow peach.
Listed in Black Forest Elixir (top).
Flowers
Soft florals
“Soft florals” is a collective term: a floral accord without a single named flower.
Listed in Al Rasi (heart, base), Ambra Oud (heart), Arosa (heart), Cecil (heart), Dawn (top), Hexa Modkila (heart), Loren (base), Oud Shamayel (heart), Reeman (heart), Secret Scent (heart), Sekushi (top), Shadow of Rose (heart) and Shake Ambra (heart).
Jasmine
Jasmine is a rich white flower: sweet, heady and slightly animalic.
Listed by 12 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with jasmine
Rose
Rose ranges from fresh and lemony to deep and honeyed, depending on the variety and how it is extracted.
Listed by 7 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with rose
Neroli
Neroli is the oil distilled from bitter orange blossom; it smells greener and fresher than the flower itself, and Tunisia is one of the countries where it is produced.
Listed by 5 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with neroli
Orange blossom
Orange blossom is the flower of the bitter orange tree: sweet, white-floral and slightly honeyed.
Listed by 4 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with orange blossom
Osmanthus
Osmanthus is a small Asian blossom that smells of apricot and soft suede.
Listed by 4 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with osmanthus
Violet
Violet is a soft, powdery flower note with a faint sweetness.
Listed by 4 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with violet
Geranium
Geranium oil comes from the leaves and smells rosy with a minty, green edge.
Listed by 3 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with geranium
Iris
Iris, or orris when the root is meant, smells powdery, cool and slightly earthy.
Listed by 3 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with iris
Lily of the valley
Lily of the valley yields no oil of its own, so its fresh, green floral smell is always rebuilt by the perfumer.
Listed by 3 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with lily of the valley
Ylang-ylang
Ylang-ylang is a tropical flower with a sweet, creamy, slightly banana-like smell.
Listed by 3 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with ylang-ylang
Heliotrope
Heliotrope smells soft and powdery, between almond and vanilla.
Listed in Arosa (heart) and Shadow of Rose (base).
Lily
Lily is a fresh, slightly spicy white-flower note.
Listed in Hexa Modkila (heart) and Shake Ambra (heart).
Magnolia
Magnolia is a creamy white-flower note with a lemony freshness.
Listed in Dubai Musk (heart) and Paradise Valley (heart).
Peach blossom
Peach blossom is a light, airy floral note with a hint of the fruit.
Listed in Hexa Modkila (top) and Shake Ambra (top).
Tuberose
Tuberose is a creamy, heady white flower, among the fullest of the floral notes.
Listed in Belleza (heart) and Precious Jewel (base).
Violet leaf
Violet leaf smells green, watery and slightly cucumber-like, quite unlike the powdery flower.
Listed in Catch You Back (heart) and Precious Jewel (heart).
Gardenia
Gardenia is a creamy white flower with a green, slightly mushroom-like depth.
Listed in Orlina (heart).
Mahonia
Mahonia is an evergreen shrub with scented yellow flowers; it is a rare name in note lists.
Listed in Black Forest Elixir (heart).
Spices, herbs and tea
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a warm, sweet spice note from the bark of the cinnamon tree.
Listed by 9 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with cinnamon
Cardamom
Cardamom is a cool, aromatic spice with a lemony, slightly eucalyptus-like freshness.
Listed by 5 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with cardamom
Saffron
Saffron smells leathery, slightly bitter and honeyed.
Listed by 5 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with saffron
Spices
“Spices” without a name is a collective term for a warm, spicy accord.
Listed in Oud Shamayel (top), Paradise Valley (top), Sekushi (top), Suyufi Ambra (top) and The Spark (base).
Ginger
Ginger adds a fresh, peppery and slightly lemony kind of spice.
Listed by 3 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with ginger
Juniper berries
Juniper berries smell dry, piney and crisp; they are the note that flavours gin.
Listed by 3 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with juniper berries
Lavender
Lavender is an aromatic herb that smells clean, floral and slightly camphor-like.
Listed by 3 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with lavender
Clary sage
Clary sage is a herb with a dry, tea-like, slightly leathery smell.
Listed in Imperium (heart) and Spirit of Elegance (top).
Black tea
A black tea note smells dry, a little smoky and tannic, like the leaves rather than the brewed drink.
Listed in Ravenna (base).
Blue ginger
Blue ginger is another name for galangal, a relative of ginger with a sharper, more camphor-like smell.
Listed in Blue Grotto (top).
Maté
Maté is a South American leaf with a dry, green, slightly smoky tea smell.
Listed in Irish Ferre (heart).
Pink pepper
Pink pepper is a rosy, fruity berry with a light peppery bite; it is not related to black pepper.
Listed in Green Forest (base).
Woods and moss
Woody notes
“Woody notes” is the general term a note list uses when no single wood is named.
Listed in Black Forest (base), Ambra Nuit (base), Ambra Oud (base), Aurora (base), Catch You Back (base), Cecil (base), Dawn (base), Exclusive Jeon (base), Hexa Modkila (base), Irish Ferre (base), Loren (base), Musk Ambra (top, base), My Breeze (base), Secret Adventure (base), Secret Scent (heart), Shake Ambra (base), Spirit of Elegance (base), Suyufi Ambra (base), The Pearl (base) and The True Bold (base). Named only in the brand's own note list for Black Forest Elixir.
Patchouli
Patchouli is distilled from the leaves of a tropical plant and smells earthy, dark and slightly sweet.
Listed by 19 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with patchouli
Oud
Oud, or agarwood, is the resin-soaked heartwood of the aquilaria tree: dark, woody, smoky and slightly animalic.
Listed by 10 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with oud
Sandalwood
Sandalwood is a creamy, soft and milky wood note.
Listed by 10 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with sandalwood
Cedar
Cedar smells dry and clean, like a freshly sharpened pencil.
Listed by 8 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with cedar
Vetiver
Vetiver is a grass whose roots give an earthy, dry, woody smell.
Listed by 7 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with vetiver
Oakmoss
Oakmoss is a lichen that smells damp, earthy and forest-like.
Listed by 4 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with oakmoss
Guaiac wood
Guaiac wood comes from a South American tree; its oil smells smoky and gently sweet.
Listed by 3 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with guaiac wood
Akigalawood
Akigalawood is a modern woody material derived from patchouli oil, with a peppery, spicy edge.
Listed in Black Forest Elixir (base) and Essence (heart).
Birch
Birch gives a smoky, tar-like wood note that often stands in for leather.
Cashmere wood
Cashmere wood, sold to perfumers as Cashmeran, is an aroma molecule that smells soft, musky and woody.
Listed in Paradise Valley (base) and Spirit of Elegance (base).
Cypriol
Cypriol, also called nagarmotha, is a root with an earthy, smoky, woody smell that is often used alongside oud.
Listed in Hala Oud (base).
Rosewood
Rosewood is a light wood note with a rosy, slightly spicy sweetness.
Listed in Ambra Nuit (top).
Amber, resins and incense
Amber
Amber in perfumery is not a raw material but an accord of resins and vanilla: warm, sweet and slightly powdery.
Listed by 20 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with amber
Incense
Incense, or olibanum, is the resin of the frankincense tree: dry, cool, smoky and slightly lemony.
Listed by 4 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with incense
Amberwood
Amberwood is a modern aroma material that combines a dry wood with an ambery warmth.
Listed by 3 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with amberwood
Balsamic and resinous notes
“Balsamic” and “resinous” describe the warm, sweet smell of tree resins when no single resin is named.
Listed in Ambra Oud (heart), Loren (heart) and Musk Ambra (top, base).
Benzoin
Benzoin is a resin with a sweet, vanilla-like, balsamic smell.
Labdanum
Labdanum is a sticky resin from the rockrose shrub: warm, leathery and ambery.
Smoky and warm notes
“Smoky” and “warm” accords are descriptions of an effect, not of one material.
Listed in Suyufi Ambra (base) and The Spark (base).
Leather and tobacco
Leather
A leather note is built by the perfumer, classically from birch tar, labdanum or modern molecules; it smells dry, smoky and animalic.
Listed by 10 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with leather
Tobacco
Tobacco as a perfume note is the smell of the cured leaf: sweet, dry and hay-like.
Listed in Jacob (base) and The True Bold (heart).
Suede
Suede is the soft version of a leather note: velvety and less smoky.
Listed in Catch You Back (top).
Vanilla and sweet notes
Vanilla
Vanilla comes from the cured pods of an orchid and gives a sweet, creamy, rounded warmth.
Listed by 18 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with vanilla
Tonka bean
Tonka bean smells of almond, hay and vanilla; its main scent molecule is coumarin.
Listed by 8 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with tonka bean
Honey
A honey note is sweet, waxy and slightly animalic.
Listed by 3 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with honey
Candy and cotton candy
Candy and cotton candy notes smell of spun sugar with a fruity edge.
Sweet and creamy accords
A “sweet” or “creamy” accord names an effect, not a single material.
Listed in Shadow of Rose (base) and Suyufi Ambra (top).
Bitter almond
Bitter almond smells like marzipan with a cherry-like sharpness.
Listed in Spirit of Elegance (heart).
Caramel
Caramel is the smell of burnt sugar: sweet, buttery and toasted.
Listed in Vanilla Night & Day (heart).
Sugar
A sugar note is plain sweetness, usually built with the molecule ethyl maltol.
Listed in Vanilla Night & Day (base).
Musk and aroma molecules
Musk
Musk today is a family of synthetic molecules that smell soft, clean and skin-like; it usually sits in the base of a perfume.
Listed by 20 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with musk
Ambergris
Ambergris is a rare substance from the sperm whale; perfumes today rebuild its salty, warm, skin-like smell as an accord.
Listed by 4 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with ambergris
Ambroxan
Ambroxan is a single aroma molecule modelled on ambergris: dry, mineral, woody and faintly sweet.
Listed by 4 scents. All Al Ambra perfumes with ambroxan
Powdery notes
“Powdery notes” describe a soft, cosmetic effect, usually made with iris, violet or musk.
Listed in The True Bold (heart) and Vanilla Night & Day (heart).
Aldehydes
Aldehydes are a family of aroma molecules that give a perfume a clean, sparkling, slightly soapy lift.
Listed in Black Forest Elixir (top).
Ambrette
Ambrette is the seed of a hibiscus relative and gives a soft, musky note of plant origin.
Listed in Black Forest Elixir (heart).
Hedione
Hedione is an aroma molecule with an airy, jasmine-like freshness.
Named only in the brand's own note list for Dubai Musk.
Marine and mineral notes
Marine notes
Marine or sea notes are aroma molecules that smell of salt water and fresh air.
Listed in Blue Grotto (top) and Eclipse (top).
Notes and families
A note list tells you what a perfume is built from; the family tells you where it is heading. The range is sorted both ways: see Al Ambra perfumes by scent family.
Top, heart and base
Top notes are what you smell straight after spraying. Heart notes follow once those have faded. Base notes stay the longest. A note list tells you what a perfume is built from, not how it will smell on your skin; for that there is no substitute for trying it.
Collective terms such as woods, soft florals or spices are in the glossary as well. They name an effect without naming a material, so this guide does not count them when it compares two scents.
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