L’AMBER WOOD SOY WAX CANDLE

L’AMBER WOOD is a compound fragrance created by our artisans, meaning it is made up of a mix of ingredients. One key ingredient though is Amber.

Throughout history, the fragrant resins of desert plants were prized as both religious offerings and luxury perfumes. The ancient Egyptians elevated perfumery to an art form, with compound incenses like the famous Kyphi. These solid perfumes were rolled into cakes, dried, and burned over coals. Today, the finest amber resins come from India.

Recipes for amber are varied, and many have been passed down through families for generations. Amber is usually described as warm, sweet, and a little spicy. Benzoin and vanilla form the base notes of most ambers. (Sometimes tonka bean is substituted for the vanilla.) Labdanum—a sticky resin from a flower called “rock-rose” or “rose of Sharon”—gives amber its woody, musky character.

Different perfumers will adjust these three components to produce very different ambers. Egyptian Amber is generally sweet and musky. Tunisian Amber is a spicy, Oriental-style fragrance. Extra notes like sandalwood, patchouli, vetiver, lemongrass, musk, bergamot and rose may be added in solid or essential oil form. There really is no limit to the variations on amber!

To make the solid perfume, the aromatic ingredients of amber are ground up and blended into a soft carrier ingredient. Beeswax is traditional for this purpose. There are also vegan ambers based on coconut or jojoba oil. Solid amber resin is quite expensive, but only a small amount is needed to savor its delicious fragrance.