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Ambreine

Q: Is Ambreine natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Synthetic production. In nature, ambreine is found in fresh ambergris and degrades via photo-oxidation into ambroxan, ambrinol, and related odorants. Industrial synthesis from sclareol (from clary sage) is the primary production route..

POPULAR AND WEIRD / warm · amber · sweet

Ambreine

Category	POPULAR AND WEIRD
Subcategory	warm · amber · sweet
Origin
Volatility	Base Note
Botanical	N/A — triterpene alcohol from ambergris (Physeter macrocephalus)
Appearance	Colorless to pale yellow clear liquid
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	New Zealand, Oman, South Africa
Pyramid	Base

The molecule central to ambergr is. Ambreine is warm, dry, mineral-marine — the chemical reas on ambergr is smells the way it does.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Warm, waxy, faintly marine-mineral. Drier than musk, less woody than ambroxan. A quiet, persistent warmth — the olfactory equivalent of sun-bleached driftwood. Less dramatic than ambroxan's radiance but more complete, more rounded.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Warm, waxy, faintly marine, mineral dryness

After a few hours

Skin-like persistence, dry amber warmth

After a few days

Long-lasting warm mineral trace, driftwood-like

The Full Story

Ambreine (ambrein, C30H52O) is a triterpene alcohol and the primary odor precursor in natural ambergris — the waxy intestinal concretion of the sperm whale. When ambergris floats in the ocean and oxidizes over years, ambreine degrades into a constellation of smaller, intensely fragrant molecules: ambroxan, ambrinol, and gamma-dihydroionone among them.

Synthetic ambreine is produced to capture this pre-oxidation character — warm, waxy, faintly marine, with a dry mineral quality. It lacks the full complexity of aged ambergris but provides the foundational warmth and ambergris 'signature.'

In perfumery, ambreine functions as a base-note material in the amber-musk family. It provides warm, skin-like persistence with a dry, mineral edge. Less powerful than ambroxan (its degradati on product), more layered, but requiring higher concentrations to achieve similar impact.

Natural ambergris is vanishingly rare and prohibitively expensive. The synthetic reconstruction of its chemistry — starting with ambreine and extending to ambroxan, Cetalox, and Ambrox Super — represents one of perfumery's great synthetic achievements.

This note in Première Peau. Doppel Dänçers · Albâtre Sépia. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Related: Aldambre · Ambrarome · Ambrein · Ambrettolide · Ambronova · Ammonia · Animal Notes · Beeswax

Did You Know?

Did you know?

A single sperm whale produces ambergris only if it has ingested squid beaks that irritate its intestinal lining — not all sperm whales produce it. A lump of high-quality ambergris found on a New Zealand beach in 2006 weighed 32 kg and was valued at approximately $300,000.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Synthetic production. In nature, ambreine is found in fresh ambergris and degrades via photo-oxidation into ambroxan, ambrinol, and related odorants. Industrial synthesis from sclareol (from clary sage) is the primary production route.

Molecular Formula	C₃₀H₅₂O
CAS Number	473-03-0
Botanical Name	N/A — triterpene alcohol from ambergris (Physeter macrocephalus)
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	AMBRA · AMBREIN
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium
Appearance	Colorless to pale yellow clear liquid
Melting Point	82-84 °C

In Perfumery

Synthetic base-note material providing ambergris-type warmth and persistence. Functions as a fixative and skin-scent material. The parent molecule of the ambergris family — oxidizes to yield ambroxan and related compounds. Used in amber, marine, and skin-scent compositions. Provides warm, mineral persistence without the aggressive projection of ambroxan.