Balmain appropriates a noble and mysterious material
This is an oriental and feminine juice created by Guillaume Flavigny and essentially based around a spicy, balsamic and floral accord on a warm and slightly animal background… That of ambergris.
Balmain appropriates a noble and mysterious material
Christophe Decarnin worked in the workshops of the Balmain house from 2006 to 2011. This gave the brand a new lease of life, bringing more modernity to Balmain creations while respecting the authentic spirit of its style . Also, according to him, all that was missing was a perfume to sublimate his new outfits which were contemporary, free and carnal. This is why the Balmain house decided to make Ambre Gris. This fragrance pays homage to one of the most mysterious and coveted materials in perfumery. Ambergris is also called “floating gold”. It is a rare and precious material that emanates from the sperm whale and that is shaped by currents, winds and sea salt. Its smell seems to come from the bowels of the sea. ancient legends tell that it was a kind of pebbles spewed out by underwater fountains. This animal substance has been used since Antiquity for its hot, balsamic, salty and sensual flavor. Also, it is precisely all these facets that we find in the Ambre Gris perfume by Balmain.
The many facets of Gray Amber in perfumery
Ambre Gris is a fragrance that belongs to the woody oriental family. Nevertheless, it is difficult to restrict this juice to a single olfactory category because it is so complex and fascinating. This one has a spicy and bursting start with cinnamon and pink peppercorns. Then, tuberose flower enriches this fragrance, making it more heady and sensual. The immortal however softens the whole of this composition with its honeyed and tobacco facets. Its flavor similar to that of hay and coffee thus evokes all the complexity of ambergris. It is also precisely at this moment that this raw material makes its entry. This is dosed here with extreme precision so as not to be too heady. Its flavor is also enhanced with myrrh and benzoin. Finally, Ambre Gris ends with more woody and smoky base notes still coated with an airy veil of white musk. Ambre Gris is then presented in a bold bottle. This rests on a thick block of glass forming an architectural and elegant cube. The whole is tinted with a taupe gray, an elegant and subtle color echoing ambergris. Finally, the set is topped with a metal spherical cap, a nod to the famous mirror balls of the 1950s.
The nobility of Balmain’s Amber Gray
Ambergris, a very refined ingredient
Since 2006, the Balmain house seems to have been reborn and is blowing a wind of modernity on its creations. Indeed, even if the timeless elegance of the brand is still very present, it is today worked in a more offbeat and avant-garde way. Also, it is precisely this renewal that is displayed in the Ambre Gris perfume. This one is intended for a contemporary, independent, free and sexy woman. He was then responsible for one of the most legendary ingredients in perfumery. In addition, ambergris is a precious material also called “floating gold”. It delivers a majestic scent and has long been seen as an almost divine ingredient. In this case, our ancestors thought it was an ingredient spat out by underwater fountains and which then sailed until it ran aground on the beach. In reality, ambergris is a substance produced by the sperm whale. Also, it was very quickly used in perfumery and we can already find its presence in the olfactory recipes of Antiquity. Ambergris delivers a warm, slightly salty and very sensual scent. Its elegance is worthy of all the refinement that we know from Balmain and its radiance gives a very mysterious and timeless aspect to this exceptional juice. slightly salty and very sensual. Its elegance is worthy of all the refinement that we know from Balmain and its radiance gives a very mysterious and timeless aspect to this exceptional juice. slightly salty and very sensual. Its elegance is worthy of all the refinement that we know from Balmain and its radiance gives a very mysterious and timeless aspect to this exceptional juice.
The prestigious scent imagined by Balmain
In order to create this exceptional fragrance and rework this mythical ingredient in perfumery, Balmain called on perfumers Guillaume Flavigny. This one then developed an oriental and woody juice. Ambre Gris starts with spicy and energizing tones of pink berries and cinnamon. Then, it quickly evolves towards a more floral and feminine heart. This one consists in particular of tuberose and immortelle. Thus, Ambre Gris offers us a sort of rich and intriguing bouquet. This one would seem almost poisonous. It gives off complex scents combining honey, hay, coffee and tobacco. The ambergris is worked in a very nuanced way and is accompanied by myrrh and benzoin. The rendering then becomes particularly enveloping and voluptuous. Finally, the guaiac wood completes the whole with its woody and smoky notes, while the white musk still leaves a veil of softness on the whole. Ambre Gris is then contained in a very original bottle. This one offers a very refined base but is topped with a sparkling metal ball cap. The latter does not fail to amaze and underlines the rock ‘n’ roll spirit of the house of Balmain.
Ambre Gris Perfume by Balmain
Also called ‘Or Flottant’, the ambergris is a rare and precious raw material, like the Balmain woman.
From the start, the warmth of the spices sets the pace, soon softened by the voluptuous caresses of the tuberose. The trail owes its unique oriental signature to the elegant alchemy of the finest raw materials which culminate the sensuality of ambergris, and make the fragrance unforgettable.
The bottle with geometric lines echoes the architectural spirit of Balmain creations.
Top notes: Pink berries, sage
Heart notes: Tuberose, myrrh, frankincense
Base notes: Infusion of ‘ambergris, benzoin, tonka bean
Aromatic Musky