Description and usage notes:
The same molecule as Ambroxan and Ambroxide. It is, along with Ambrinol and a couple of others, the principle odorous molecule present in the scent of natural ambergris.
Description from Givaudan: “Ambrofix is a highly powerful, highly substantive and highly stable ambery note for use in all applications. The most suitable material for obtaining an authentic ambergris note. Produced from a natural starting material, this chiral product contains one main high impact isomer.”
The natural starting material they are talking about is Clary Sage, from which sclareol is extracted to be transformed into this material. Note that there is very little difference in odour between Ambrofix and Ambroxan – the latter is marginally more animalic – so in most applications they are fully interchangeable. The difference result from a different manufacturing process: both start with sclareol and the molecule is the same in each.
Arcadi Boix Camps says of this molecule: “Of all the surprising products that exist, this one perhaps incorporates the most beauty. It has been identified as one of the most noble ingredients of natural ambergris, and it imparts an outstanding, and extremely powerful, radiant note of amber. It is universally used either directly or in a form of bases that include it as the well known Fixateur”
Effective from the smallest traces, through to 2% or even more and lasts for over a month on a smelling strip. One of the most useful chemicals in modern perfumery, it is incorporated into both our Ambergris Accord 1 – Authentic and Ambergris Accord 2 – White as well as our Woody Base and others.
It comes in the form of fine crystals that will dissolve in ethanol and other perfume materials. Note however that at concentrations above about 5% in ethanol or DPG it tends crystallise out at lower temperatures.
Ambrofix will dissolve reliably in ethanol up to about 10% in a warm room, but it takes a lot of agitation: we don’t heat the solution (heating alcohol creates a fire risk) but we do use an automatic stirrer because it takes so long: be prepared to do a lot of shaking or stirring if you don’t have a machine to do it for you, or alternatively select from our 5% in DPG and 10% in DEP pre-disolved options.
Documents
Marco Vella (verified owner) –
Really “for use in all applications”! Very elegant and discret. With Sandalwood OE (album or spicatum), Ambrofix forms a wonderful base for any type of formula. Very rare to find in solid state.
OldCologne
Aboubakr Achraf El Ghazi (verified owner) –
For me, this is an indispensable products for blending fragrance.
I am a scent lover but a very beginner in the natural perfumery –so far only as a hobby. However, I can say by now that this is great and indispensable material.
Ambrofix (aka Ambroxan) smells, to me, like a potent and elegant washing powder. In a approx. 10% dilution (sorry at that time I had only a kitchen balance) is smells more metallic/mineral more elegant, and more subtitle. At this dilution the projection some how change over time — not monotonically.
In blends, here is where this material shows its real face and capabilities. For me, it improves all blends I have made. Note, I am only working on a hand full blend projects. Some how, to me, it gives blends cleanness, room/air, freshness/cold/metallic, and structure
And yes, in dilution is smells very close to molecules 02 (from escentric molecules). But as I mentioned above, the projection, to me, is not stable. Maybe, there is a perfect point of dilution which one should find out and use.
The prise of this material is, to my opinion, high. It is in a price segment (>1.5 eur per g/ml) which a normal do not want to touch for synthetics. However, this one is its price worth.
PS: I am not an native English speaker. When using more that one word, I mean something around them.
Martyn –
Ambrofix is a very high quality ingredient that adds warmth and depth to any blend. Having never smelled real ambergris my best attempt at an odour description would be warm, fresh, clean and sweet (vague I know, but then this is a versatile material). In this respect it shares many qualities with some musks, although there is something ‘brighter’ about Ambrofix than any musk I have smelled to date and I haven’t yet found anybody who’s anosmic to it either. Its power and lifespan are both impressive, yet more reason to qualify it as a crucial material. It’s relatively costly, but more than worth it.
Jean-Gaël (verified owner) –
High quality and versatility material. Beautiful itself, empowering almost anything alongside to it, bringing a blend into another dimension. Mysterious !…
Lynn Huddleston (verified owner) –
Excellent product!
Catherine Rowen (verified owner) –
Fabulous material that imparts a ‘sea and ocean’ aroma to the blend I used it in. The comment was from a tester of my perfume.
Good, quality product which I buy already diluted.
lucacavaleri (verified owner) –
When I buy an “ambroxan” material I like to use a little part to make me a plain molecule scent.
In the past i did it with Cetalox, and now I did the same with Ambrofix, so i can compare… this one has greater diffusion and persistence on me. When i wear it i can’t smell it, but people around me can, and they keep asking what am I wearing… 🙂
David –
Huge fan of ambroxan. This is the first time I have smelt ambrofix.
So many dimensions and layers to this.
Will be back for more soon. Thank you for the sylvamber which is also a beautiful scent!