Overwhelmingly synthetic today — genuine ambergris, a rare substance associated with sperm whales and typically found washed ashore rather than harvested by killing the animal, still turns up occasionally in high-end niche or vintage-style perfumery, but most ‘ambery’ fragrances now rely on synthetic substitutes like ambroxan due to cost, rarity and trade restrictions.

Why synthetic won out for most of the industry

Real ambergris is scarce, inconsistent in quality, and complicated to source and trade legally in some countries, all of which makes it impractical for large-scale commercial perfumery even where it isn’t legally restricted. Ambroxan and similar synthetic materials reliably reproduce the warm, mineralic ‘ambergris effect’ at a fraction of the cost and with consistent quality batch after batch, which is why it’s become the industry standard for amber-style fragrances rather than an inferior substitute.

  • Genuine ambergris: rare, found washed ashore, occasionally used in niche/vintage perfumery
  • Ambroxan and similar synthetics: consistent, affordable, now the industry standard
  • Trade restrictions on marine mammal products in some countries limit real ambergris further

Some countries restrict the trade of ambergris entirely under marine mammal protection laws, regardless of the fact that it’s typically found washed ashore rather than taken directly from a living or hunted whale.

Our guide to perfume ingredients and guide to amber and resins in fragrance both cover this in depth, alongside our complete guide to perfume.