- Latin name
- Abelmoschus moschatus
- Family
- Mallow family (Malvaceae)
- Origin
- India, Ecuador, Madagascar
- Parts used
- seeds
- Raw materials
- essential oil (ambrette seed oil), absolute, CO₂ extract
- Extraction
- steam distillation or extraction of the seeds
- Olfactory group
- musky
- Position in the pyramid
- heart and base
- Synthetic substitutes
- ambrettolide, macrocyclic musks
Ambrette is a tropical plant of the mallow family, a relative of hibiscus and okra. Its grey-brown kidney-shaped seeds give a fragrant oil — a plant musk, one of the few natural musks available to perfumers.
How it smells: softly musky, warm and skin-like, with fruity shades of pear, cognac and red wine. Ambrette sounds tender and expensive — like clean warm skin with a faintly sweet trail.
The main odour molecule of ambrette is ambrettolide, a macrocyclic musk. The natural oil is expensive, but it is valued precisely for its living complexity, which a single synthetic molecule lacks.
What it pairs with: with iris — powdery skin-like elegance, with pear and flowers — tender modern compositions, with rose — a musky rose, with sandalwood — a creamy warm base, with vanilla — velvety sweetness.
Good to know: the name Abelmoschus comes from an Arabic expression meaning “father of musk” — people noticed the musky smell of the seeds long ago.
Fragrances with Ambrette Seed
