The amber note is one of perfumery's classic foundational accords - a soft, sweet, resinous, balsamic, gourmand base note accord. Despite the name it is a fantasy accord, not a material: It borrows its name from fossilised tree resin but is not extracted from it. The "amber" you smell in a fragrance is always something the perfumer assembles. In a composition it sets a clear, sweet and comforting tone. It is the backbone of the oriental family of fragrances and turns up underneath everything from florals to gourmands.
Rather than attempt to faithfully reproduce the fossilised tree resin (which has little smell), the core combination of this accord is simply the abstract pairing of labdanum and vanillin. Labdanum is a dark, leathery, sweet-resinous absolute from rockrose that gives amber its depth and golden character. The vanilla sweetness comes from vanillin, the iconic vanilla molecule that makes the accord edible; ethyl vanillin is an optional addition or partial replacer for it, pushing that same sweetness further into fluffier, white-chocolate territory for when you’d like the accord to be richer and more enveloping. Benzoin resinoid is the most common extension of the core accord, which adds a creamy, balsamic, faintly vanillic body that bridges the labdanum and the vanillin whilst adding additional complex and refined natural incense nuances. Patchouli is also an important secondary component, which can be surprising as a beginner - it acts as a structural component in many traditional amber accords; the clean-earthy patchoulol drydown of a high-quality (not cheap) patchouli marries with the rest of the accord to create a true harmony, almost adding a subtle cashmere dimension. Adding a touch of patchouli in this context subtly enhances the existing accord; it is not done overtly i.e. enough to add a distinct patchouli note.
