What does Al Ambra Essence smell like?
Essence opens with grapefruit, bergamot and ginger: two citrus fruits, one bitter and one bright, with a peppery, lemony spice.
The heart is unusual for a men's scent because it starts with lychee, a watery fruit with a rosy tone. Next to it stand cedarwood, dry and clean, and akigalawood, a modern material derived from patchouli oil with a peppery edge. The base stays in the woods with vetiver and patchouli, adds amberwood for warmth and ends on tonka bean, which has the smell of almond and hay. Grapefruit over vetiver is one of the best-known fresh pairings in perfumery, and Essence is built around it.
What Al Ambra says about Essence
For Essence the brand writes fresh, citrusy and woody, with a slight spicy side. It has work in mind: office wear, daily use and professional settings are the occasions on its page, spring and autumn the seasons, and moderate the word for the projection.
Who is Al Ambra Essence for?
Men, says the title of Essence, and the details on the brand's page say nothing different. Bitter citrus and dry woods are the offer: grapefruit above, cedarwood and vetiver below. Ginger and akigalawood are for those who want a peppery edge without a heavy spice. Lychee is the wildcard; if fruit in a woody scent puts you off, it is the note to weigh. The title is a convention, and anyone who likes vetiver can ignore it.
Al Ambra Essence Extrait de Parfum, 100 ml: size and concentration
Essence is listed as an extrait de parfum of 100 ml (3.4 fl oz), the only size. Al Ambra's labels for it are a moderate oil richness and a French-inspired blend. For comparison, Green Forest, which has the most notes in common with it of the three scents compared below, is also an extrait but comes in 50 ml.
Al Ambra Essence compared with its closest siblings
Green Forest shares the whole top of Essence, grapefruit, bergamot and ginger, and two base notes, vetiver and patchouli. Elsewhere they separate. Green Forest is the spicier list, with cinnamon, cardamom and pink pepper, and it adds black currant and citron. Essence is the woodier one, with lychee, cedarwood, akigalawood, amberwood and tonka bean. Green Forest is unisex in its title and comes in 50 ml; Essence is titled for men and comes in 100 ml. Both are extraits de parfum.
FragranceGems sells Black Forest Elixir, which sets it apart from the other two scents compared here. It has bergamot, akigalawood, vetiver and patchouli in common with Essence. The Elixir is a unisex extrait de parfum in 50 ml and has a floral and musky side that Essence lacks: orange blossom, lily of the valley, mahonia, ambrette, musk and vanilla, with white peach and aldehydes besides. Essence stays leaner. Grapefruit, ginger, lychee, cedarwood, amberwood and tonka bean are the notes only it has.
Imperium has the same format as Essence, a 100 ml extrait de parfum for men. Bergamot, cedarwood and patchouli are shared. Imperium is herbal where Essence is citrus and root: it has lavender, mint, clary sage and caraway, with lemon, pear, cinnamon, vanilla and amber. Essence has grapefruit, ginger, lychee, akigalawood, vetiver, amberwood and tonka bean. For lavender, read about Imperium; for vetiver, stay with Essence.
Where to buy Al Ambra Essence in Europe
Essence is not for sale at FragranceGems today. The guide you are reading covers 49 Al Ambra scents; the shop that publishes it, an independent reseller, sells four of them. To put Essence on its radar, use the request button below. A request is not treated as an order, and no listing is promised. Of the scents it does sell, Black Forest Elixir is the nearest: it shares bergamot, akigalawood, vetiver and patchouli, so much of the woody side. Ravenna shares the bergamot and the ginger and is the more citrus-led alternative, with lemon and orange as well.
Request Essence at FragranceGemsA request is not an order, and it is no promise that the shop will add the scent.
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