Ámbar del Sur

Ámbar Del Sur: An Amber Luxury Candle With A Tale To Tell 

I created Ámbar del Sur, drawing from some of the most precious ingredients in my collection.

Yes, currently, amber is a trendy aromatic profile. But amber as an accord, has been around for a few centuries.

Amber In Perfumery

Amber bases have existed for a long time. They just were not known by that name. Mixing different resins collected from tree bark with dried herbs, honey, and oils would have been a version of an “amber base” used in Egypt or Greece for various purposes, such as washing the body before mummification or offering it to deities during ceremonies. The amber used was of natural origin, fossilized tree resin, and its smell was not sweet by itself; however, it was the combination with other ingredients that modified it to become pleasant to humans.

But Amber, as an accord, also represents or is a version of the more elusive ambergris. It is a fabulous material of natural origin that has been used in perfumery and food for a few thousand years. 

Amber And Ambergris

Ambergris is a substance regurgitated by sperm whales that solidifies while it's floating in the ocean. It has the consistency of pumice stone and the smell of the sea. More than 400 different molecules can be found in its makeup.

For centuries, found in the shores of Northern Europe, Africa, and India, Ambergris was also occasionally traded in the XVIII and XIX Centuries along points of the Patagonian shores, when passengers of transoceanic trade and exploration vessels would stop to replenish supplies on their voyage around Cape Horn, all of this, before the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914. Passengers would mingle with indigenous and native peoples, trading utensils brought from Europe, and ambergris stones collected by the natives made their way to the pages of history.

Ámbar del Sur revives these stories, infused with precious essential oils, resins, ambergris, castoreum reconstitutions, and some rare distills hauled from India.

As for ambergris itself, that's a subject for another blog post and more. 

When I burn Ámbar del Sur at home, it fills the entire house and lingers for hours. It's a favorite of some friends during the holidays, and now I'm making it available to everyone who wants to experience what ambergris smells like.

RHR