A versatile note of many facets, ambrette seed is musky and animalic, slightly fruity pear and floral powdery, iris-like. It is considered the best natural/non-synthetic alternative to musk. However, this note comes with a rather lavish price tag—relegating its usage to fine perfumery.
Ambrette seed derives from a variety of hibiscus plants native to eastern India, and which are cultivated in equatorial, tropical countries such as Ecuador, Indonesia and Guyana, as well as Egypt, China, and the West Indies. These luscious hibiscus varieties contain small, bean-shaped seeds that are crushed and then distilled to obtain a waxy solid called ambrette butter that is rich in fatty acids. A purified essence is obtained from the butter by washing the fatty acids away with an alkaline wash. The end result is an ambrette seed absolute.
People's Republic of China, Ecuador, Egypt, Indonesia, India
Jean-Claude Ellena uses ambrette essential oil to bind here musks and white woods, and add the fruity green contrast of this small seed.
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