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Perfumery has a long and fascinating history filled with rare botanicals, unusual natural materials, and some downright eerie ingredients. While many of these materials are no longer used in modern fragrance creation, they remain some of the most intriguing stories in the fragrance world. Here’s a look at three of the spookiest — Ambergris, Castoreum, and the infamous Corpse Flower — and how they relate to today’s fragrance oils.
Ambergris
Ambergris is one of perfumery’s most legendary materials — often described as a “fragrant pearl” formed inside the intestine of a sperm whale. When the whale cannot digest a hard object (often a squid beak), its body produces a protective coating around it. Eventually the whale expels this mass into the ocean, where sunlight, salt, and oxidation transform it over years into the beautiful aromatic material known as Ambergris.
Natural Ambergris is extremely rare. Although it can wash ashore unexpectedly (the largest specimen ever found weighed 280 pounds and was valued at $1.5M), trained dogs are sometimes used to locate pieces floating several feet beneath the ocean surface. Its scent evolves over time — salty, smooth, mineral, soft, and deeply complex.
Because natural Ambergris requires no interaction with whales, it is considered cruelty-free — but with prices exceeding $25,000 per kilogram, it is cost-prohibitive for most applications. Instead, we typically use a proprietary recreation called Orcanox, an upcycled by-product of Clary Sage extraction that offers a very similar olfactive profile. It is also biodegradable.
We use Orcanox in several of our fragrances: Cirrus, Skinprint, Hibiscus, Quicksilver, Golden Oak, and Alpenglow.
Castoreum
Castoreum — yes, the anal secretions of beavers — was historically used in perfumery for its leathery, animalic richness. Extraction was not animal-friendly, and as a result natural Castoreum has been banned in perfumery since the 1970s (along with natural civet and some forms of natural indole).
We still have a very old sample from Cécile’s perfumery school days (our office holds some wild relics of perfumery history!). See below.
Today, all Castoreum used in fragrance is synthetic and cruelty-free. While it can add a vintage, leathery, animalic tone to a composition, it’s not a material we use often — its profile can feel too traditional for our modern fragrance style.
Corpse Flower
The Corpse Flower (Amorphophallus titanum) isn’t used in perfumery, but it is famous for emitting the smell of rotting flesh to attract pollinating beetles. It blooms only once every 7–10 years, and when it does, thousands of people rush to smell its shockingly pungent aroma.
Cécile and I were lucky enough to see — and smell — one at the New York Botanical Garden. The bloom can exceed 6 feet tall, and the scent reminded us vividly of a summer trash day in NYC.
While not used as an ingredient, the Corpse Flower is a perfect reminder that nature’s olfactory language is far broader — and sometimes stranger — than anything we could invent.
FAQs
Is natural Ambergris legal?
Yes, in most regions including the U.S., U.K., and parts of Europe, because it is expelled naturally and does not harm the whale. However, some countries restrict trade, so regulations vary.
Do modern fragrance oils still use animal-derived materials?
No. All historically animal-derived notes (musk, civet, castoreum, ambergris) are now recreated through safe, ethical, and sustainable modern materials.
Why learn about historical fragrance ingredients?
These materials shaped the evolution of perfumery. Understanding their origins helps explain the structure and depth of today’s professional fragrance compositions.
In Summary
Perfumery has always blended art, science, and story — and sometimes that story gets wonderfully strange. Whether derived from rare natural phenomena or recreated using innovative modern materials, these unusual ingredients highlight the creativity and evolution of fragrance creation.
