Best Ambrette 9 by Le Labo Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

A beach party… from Ibiza to Miami

Pierre Guillaume revisits chypre a classical perfume formula by boldly redrawing its outlines to offer a modern, hybrid composition.

Though the scent is built around classic chypre ingredients: patchouli, vetiver, labdanum, vanilla and oak moss the fruity aromatic twist adds an offbeat, playful touch.

Lime, fresh mint, strawberry aldehydes and rum absolute make up an explosive, exhilarating mojito accord that conjures the atmosphere of beach parties and summer celebrations.

 As the perfume quietens down, the chypre structure asserts itself with warm woods and sensual moss.

204 perfumer Domitille Michalon says, “I imagined a sunny fragrance bursting with sweet figs over creamy sandalwood; a nap in the shade when the sun is beating down. I added a touch of green, a touch of nature, like a crunchy edamame bean.”

A very interesting addition to the sea of marine fragrances. An aquatic smooth leather, a rather novel combination but beautifully executed. 802 is a smooth sleek osmanthus, musky peony and velvety ambrette mix, reminiscent of suede or really fine leather gloves aroma.

Perfumer for 802: Nathalie Koobus.

Giuseppe Arcimboldo was the 16th century Italian painter famous for his fantastical portraits of human heads composed of vegetables, flowers, fruits and books. In this extrait, the grill is a canvas, delicately charring an abundance of greenery. There’s the bitterness of artichoke, the aquatic gleam of celery, the sweetness of tomato, the richness of carrot, the umami of mushroom, the spearmint of nepetella, the fresh-cut grass of bell pepper. Rosa cymosa’s syrupy compote nuance brushes a jammy glaze across this artwork.

Limited to 35 bottles 38% extrait.

Blended with:

Rosa cymosa absolute, 

May rose absolute,

Bell pepper tincture,

Artichoke tincture,

Tomato tincture,

Tomato leaves tincture,

Wild carrot essential oil,

Nepetella essential oil,

Sunchoke flowers tincture,

Porcini mushroom absolute,

Sandalwood essential oil,

Celery absolute,

Lovage absolute,

Iris absolute,

Wild dill essential oil,

Dianthus absolute,

Pineapple tincture,

Ambrette seeds,

Oakmoss absolute,

Borneo Oud.

Important notice:

Zanini blends are living botanical compositions, crafted entirely from natural materials and free from synthetic fixatives or stabilizers. As with all things living, subtle variations are part of their nature: over time, you may notice a gentle evolution in colour, texture, or the appearance of natural sediment. These are not imperfections, but part of the character of the raw materials themselves.

These blends are olfactive smellscapes (but neither aromatherapy, nor ‘spray-and-go’ perfumes) and sensory experiences, closer to works of art created in the scented plane (rather than, say, visual or audio).

Certain essential oils and absolutes that are used in Zanini’s 100% natural blends may potentially cause allergies in some people. Please spray Zanini’s blends on fabric (on sleeves, scarves, etc.). 

Zanini advise that those who are prone to allergic reactions, pregnant and nursing women, as well as people with chronic illnesses to be extra careful. Before trying natural blends, study the list of ingredients and consult with a doctor if you are not sure or a had a history of allergies. If you do decide to put these blends on your skin (unable to resist the temptation) always test the blend on the inside part of your elbow first and wait.

Do not spray these blends liberally as a cloud in the way you would spray a conventional perfume. Zanini’s smellscapes need to be… carefully applied and experienced. Be mindful that some oils can also make your skin hyper-sensitive to UV.

Perfumer: Christophe Raynaud was inspired by the provocative screen interpretation of this romantic anthem by Sara Montiel.

Like late summer afternoon in a garden, when light, air and nectar merge into one another. May rose is given extra oomph with the fruity fullness of pear and cassis blossom. Sandalwood and ambrette suggest bare, kissed skin.

On an empty street in a city, a lone tree stands, bare and forlorn. You tenderly stroke the trunk with your hand and then hug it tightly, listening as it whispers of long-passed time. A fog lifts and you look down at your hands, which are covered in the cool, damp feel of moss. Lost Generation is a tone poem in scent, resinous hinoki lightened with grapefruit, deepened with leather.

(!) Limited edition white boxes/bottles are NOT available any longer. 

Perfumer: Pascal Gaurin

Before we had modern synthetic musks, perfumers had to rely on a few animalic materials to give perfume formulas structure, longevity and artistic dimension. For example, the original 1920s formulation of Chanel No 5 had more than half its formula dedicated to deer musk, civet and castoreum hiding beneath jasmine and aldehydes.

It’s now possible to produce molecules identical to these animal secretions in a lab, recreating accurate accords of vintage base notes.

Nowadays, the task of providing the structure has mostly been given to clean macrocytic musks, and replicas of animalic materials are mostly used for their odor profile: warm, leathery, sensual and retro.

Musk Deer is an amazing modern reconstruction of the aroma of musk of the Siberian deer. It’s flowing, radiant and voluminous, alluring but elusive, just like the animals themselves.

Zoologist do not use animal products, and the deer musk note in this perfume is a clever accord.

“Suze” (SOO-zeh) translates to “tears” in Serbian.Tears may not have a physical scent, but they release an emotional essence that lingers in the air like an unspoken perfume. This emotional extrait is a strange swirl of spearmint and ghostly flowers: pale jasmine, magnolia and lily-of-the-valley. Orris butter upholsters the complexity, while a solemn base of benzoin and fossilised amber grounds the experience.

This composition is 25% parfum concentration, with 88% natural ingredients. Capped with Spanish Nero Marquina marble in a delicately etched glass bottle.