Ambergris

What it is

A secretion from sperm whales, found floating after years at sea. Trade is banned or restricted in most markets, so the material in a modern bottle is Ambroxan or a relative.

What it smells like

Warm, salty and faintly animal, closer to sun-warmed skin than to the sea. Real ambergris is famous for its ability to hold a fragrance together, and the synthetics capture the smell more successfully than that effect.

Where it sits

Which layer of the pyramid it is listed in, across every fragrance here that carries it. A base note is one you smell for hours; a top note is usually gone within the first.

What it turns up with

How much more often than the catalogue average. 1.0x would be chance, so these are the things that genuinely travel with it rather than the things that are simply common.

When it is worn

Against the average fragrance here. The line marks that average, so a bar past it means this is worn in that season or setting more than most.

Houses that use it most

Counted across the fragrances here, which reflects what we cover as much as what a house makes.

Creed (14), Mancera (9), Ajmal (6), Nishane (6), Amouage (5), Byredo (5).