Usually both, amber typically reads as warm and sweet with a resinous, slightly woody undertone, though exactly where it sits on that spectrum depends heavily on how a particular perfume balances its resins, vanilla and any supporting wood notes.

Why Amber Can Lean Either Way

An amber accord built with more vanilla and benzoin will lean noticeably sweeter and softer, almost dessert-like in some fragrances, while one built with more labdanum and dry woods will lean drier and more resinous, with less obvious sweetness. Both are genuinely “amber”, the difference comes down to the exact recipe a perfumer uses.

Finding the Style You Prefer

If you find some ambers too sweet and others too dry, this is completely normal and simply reflects genuine variation within the category, rather than any perfume being made incorrectly. Trying a few different amber-forward fragrances is the best way to work out where your own preference sits. Trying a handful of different amber-led fragrances side by side, rather than judging the category from just one bottle, is the quickest way to find where your own preference sits. Our guide to amber and resins in fragrance covers this range properly, and our complete guide to perfume has more on fragrance families generally.