Ambre Gris Balmain 2008

Bottle Design Christophe Decarnin

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7.6 / 10 397 Ratings

Ambre Gris is a popular perfume by Balmain for women and was released in 2008. The scent is spicy-powdery. The longevity is above-average. It was last marketed by Inter Parfums.

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Perfumer

Guillaume Flavigny

Fragrance Notes

Top Notes	Bergamot, Pink pepper, Tagetes, Cinnamon
Heart Notes	Davana, Myrrh, Everlasting flower, Tuberose
Base Notes	Ambergris, Gaiac wood, Styrax, White musk

Ratings

Scent

7.6 | 397 Ratings

Longevity

8.0 | 290 Ratings

Sillage

6.6 | 277 Ratings

Bottle

8.4 | 274 Ratings

Submitted by Lotus, last update on 20.11.2020.

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Reviews

05/05/2020

10
Scent 9
Longevity 7
Sillage 10
Bottle

Camey5000

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Camey5000

Top Review 21

My Amber Number 31

Balmain - Ambre Gris

Mystical. Sure
With white haze, finely cut green nudges us into the light. Accompanied by citric green, fine bergamot. And a warm, soft fairy scent, ethereally glittering, small fine woody, a light powder. And Balsam pushes light bell-like soap into the flickering light, everything bright, light, clean, warm, soft powdery, softly spicy, creamy. With pepper sparks over straw flowers and tuberoses, herbaceous floridity and fulfilling fragrant soft amber. A composition of greatest harmony. Discreet unobtrusiveness. A secret
In splendor, like the white expanse of the Arctic, clear, pure, iridescent. And like a bright dune landscape in an endless desert. Warm, soft, tactile, musky, benzoic. A cloud like delicate cinnamon and honey and styrax smoke and myrrh and wood of finest inlay.

The secret wears white. A golden ball as a noble, royal crown and a cloak of intoxicating bottle beauty, light and almost flying. Grey silk. White silk. Iridescent glass, shimmering magic
At night fairies draw an amber-coloured message into the coming day. A veil. A dream. A secret
Balmain - Ambre Gris.

10.0 / 9.0 / 7.0 / 10.0

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18 Replies

11/02/2018

10
Scent 8
Longevity 7
Sillage 10
Bottle

Amylovesyou

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Amylovesyou

Top Review 18

P.S. I love you

...but it wasn't love at first sight. When we first met I was not ready to let anything new into my life. I loved the familiar... it gave me security, a constant in my life. You, on the other hand, were so full of life, so full of energy, so full of warmth that I was scared. You touched something inside me, but it wasn't time yet and so I sent you away...
You never got out of my head, fleeting encounters with you followed me more and more and I felt that something had changed in me. So I summed up all my courage and asked you to come to me. All that you had brought with you when we first met suddenly appeared in a completely different light. I could appreciate you, enjoy you...finally I understood you and now I can hardly imagine a life without you.
It shows me that everything takes time. Experiences, even bitter ones, let us grow. If you change, suddenly everything changes...
That's how it was between me and Ambre Gris. A fragrance that radiates enormous positivity.
It opens on my skin slightly citric and then develops a slightly woody ethereal aura. At the same time, however, a subliminal "honey-like" note prevails. Sweet but far from sticky. The scent begins to radiate. He develops a slight smokiness, the tuberose is good and shows itself from its best unfleshy side, so that also tuberose opponents should have no problems. Then his name giver shows itself in full splendour. Sometimes I have problems with Amber, he has something oily and heavy in some scents, but here you can't feel anything of it. Musk ensures that the scent does not become too dense and heavy. I smell cinnamon from the heart note to the base, but rather as a shy companion. Overall, I would classify the fragrance as woody-sweet-powdery.
The shelf life of the fragrance is about 10 hours and I feel it is strong but not roomy. A fragrance that fits perfectly into the colder months due to the warmth it radiates. The bottle is beautiful (I think the pictures speak for themselves) and looks high quality.
So away with the sobriety!

P.S. Ambre Gris, I love you!

4 Replies

08/19/2018

9
Scent 8
Longevity 7
Sillage 8
Bottle

Mantus

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Mantus

Very helpful Review 9

Irresistible seductive femininity

First, you can perceive an invigorating note that brings something awakening and is due to the pink pepper.

At the same time, the pink pepper is accompanied by a refreshing, fine citric, quite discreetly herbaceous note, which carries something very minimal soapy with it, which I don't find disturbing at all, but pleasantly clean and soft lotion-like and comes from the bergamot
These two notes are surrounded by a strong sweet-spicy note, which gives the top note a nice deep flattering aura and comes from the cinnamon.

In the background, only directly on the skin, something interesting can be seen, which for me has an idea of flavoured curry and saffron and I would never have come across Tagetes.

This constellation is perceptible on my skin for 20 minutes before the heart note unfolds.

A slight rum-like note is now perceptible, but it doesn't seem alcoholic at all and exudes a very fine touch of plums and black cherries and the Internet told me that this fragrance characteristic is due to Davana.

At the same time, there is a very subtle resinous - bitter hint, which gives the fragrance a pleasant accent and comes from the myrrh.

These two notes are surrounded by a light, yet opulent sweet-floral and dark forest honey scented nuance that makes the fragrance irresistibly seductive feminine and it is worth mentioning that the lotion-like aura in the heart note has turned into a fine creamy one and I can very well imagine that this is due to tuberose in interaction with the strawflower.

The heart note is perceptible on my skin for 4.5 hours before the base asserts itself.

Now you can perceive a very delicate rosy breath, which has a very fine woody appearance and is due to the guaiac wood.

The guaiac wood is accompanied by a clear, very slightly sweet - powdery shade, which gives the base a beautiful cuddly touch and comes from the white musk.

These two notes are surrounded by a very subtle balsamic nuance, which provides a pleasant warm finish and comes from the ambergris.

Unfortunately I could not see Styrax, but I can very well imagine that this component was used for background music.

Ambre Gris is a great companion in the spring, autumn and winter months for women aged 25 and over who are looking for a citric, creamy, sweet, fruity, rummy, bitter, flowery, woody, powdery and balsamic fragrance to give their femininity a seductive irresistibility.

In total the fragrance lasts 8 hours on my skin.

The Sillage is designed from the beginning in such a way that one is perceived very well at a whole arm length and this is also maintained 3.5 hours in such a way, before it minimizes itself in quiet steps, until the smell finally completely fades away
I would like to express my sincere thanks to our perfume "Cocinera" for the sample.

08/19/2018

8.5
Scent 10
Longevity 9
Sillage 4
Bottle

Floramalia

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Floramalia

Top Review 14

Late summer memories

I spray Ambre Gris on a Saturday morning before I cycle to the bakery. It is one of those first mornings when melancholic minds feel a first whiff of autumn in the air.

The memory that Ambre Gris suddenly evokes at this moment beams me to France. A rural area, not directly at the sea, but in the hinterland, but close enough to the Atlantic coast to clearly feel the humid sea air. The sky is covered with these light grey clouds, loose enough to know it can be a beautiful day. I park my bike in front of the Boulangerie, someone has lit a Gauloise nearby and the light scent of the freshly lit cigarette reaches me.

I tested the scent on a somewhat cooler late summer morning and it fitted in very well there.

The freshness of bergamot and some flowers I can only guess briefly in the top note. In fact, the fragrance is very difficult to grasp at the beginning, I mean to break it down into components and analyze them. It should also be dosed sparingly. I actually felt a little overdressed at the suburban bakery, at eight in the morning with my Ambre Gris.

When the heart note comes out, I can briefly understand the impression of sweetness. Fortunately, this disappears quickly and after the fragrance goes through a short smoky phase, the texture calms down and the dry warmth and special spiciness, which I appreciate very much, comes through and then lasts very, very long. Due to the beautiful amber note, the fragrance for me actually has a sea air aura and the Atlantic association remains and provides a beautiful summer holiday memory.

Very nicely I perceive the smell remainders the next morning at the blouse.

I am already looking forward to wearing the fragrance in autumn and winter and am curious to see how it will look!

8 Replies

06/08/2018

7
Scent 8
Longevity 4
Sillage 7
Bottle

StellaDiverF
213 Reviews

StellaDiverF

Helpful Review 3

A Spiritual Reincarnation of the Fresh/Warm Duality of Ambergris

Balmain Ambre Gris opens with a dash of pink pepper and a massive, sharp, squeaky clean note reminiscent of laundry products, which I don’t particularly care for. But soon enough, the sweet resins and immortelle arrive, and the olfactory landscape of Ambre Gris heads to a more interesting direction.

Benzoin and immortelle impart their languid, caramel-like golden sweetness, with immortelle adding an extra touch of bittersweet licorice alongside with musty myrrh. Despite its enveloping resinous sweetness, the fragrance curiously never feels cloying or overwhelming. Besides a pinch of balmy smoke from guaiac wood, there is also something translating as a cool powderiness akin to iris to my nose that seems to absorb any extra grease.

The most intriguing aspect though, is the initial laundry-like white musk still lurking around, now fully integrated into the resin matrix and behaving like a refreshing breeze over the golden resinous lake. Not only does it lighten the balsamic amber, it also serves as a tantalising radiance to contrast the deeper resins.

The end result is a surprisingly refreshing yet still satisfyingly cozy powdery amber skin scent. Ambre Gris stays comfortably close to skin for a total of 8 hours.

Personally, I don’t think Balmain Ambre Gris aimed at imitating the smell of ambergris, nor does it smell like the samples that I had the chance to test. I’d rather put it in the same category as Hermès Eau des Merveilles, inspired by the intriguing fresh/warm duality of ambergris and reimagining a fragrance around this central concept, even though they don’t smell like each other per se. Although I still struggle with the laundry-like opening on a personal level, overall I think Ambre Gris succeeds in recreating this duality in spirit. If you happen to be looking for a powdery, balmy amber with some freshness and if you don’t mind strong clean musk, Balmain Ambre Gris is well worth a try.

05/08/2018

7.5
Scent 7
Longevity 7
Sillage 10
Bottle

Flüchtig

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Flüchtig

Sorry, receptor thunderstorm

Maybe I'm disturbed, but a funny shower gel note lasts till the end. I just dare to write this now. Does anyone know the Barbas from 40 years ago?
Otherwise, yes, dry powder and light flowers, but what remains is above all creamy vanilla musk, with this strange note in the background. Who does not have this disturbance, knows the gently creamy departure, so or so similarly, also from other Irisparfums. That's nice, but it's not the burner for me

4 Replies

08/31/2014

7
Scent

NaughtyKitty
6 Reviews

NaughtyKitty

Top Review 6

A Unique Olfactory Experience

This opens up with the infamous sweet pink pepper note, but is unlike most fragrances containing it. I get light sweet spices, strong resins, and something a bit sweaty/animalic (perhaps that's the ambergris?)

If you like spicy animalic sweet and salty scents, then you may appreciate this scent. Personally, I like it but it can get a bit overwhelming sometimes. You probably need 3 sprays at the most, if not two. Not many perfumes have great longevity on me, but this lasts 10+ hours depending on the weather. The projection is strong at first, but fades to half strength within the first 5 hours (but make no mistake, it is still very noticeable despite this change).

On my skin, this is nearly identical from beginning to end. The only difference is that the pink pepper note fades and the spices get softer. I like this scent and will always have it in my collection because it is so unique and somehow pleasant, but I cannot find too many occasions to wear it. It is best suitable for cooler weather. If you wear it in warmer weather, it tends to cling a bit and feels too strong. Worn under proper conditions, however, this is a pleasant slightly sweet spicy oriental. The animalic element may vary depending on skin chemistry, but to me it is definitely a big part of the scent. Once again, this animalic note is not fecal or urinal in any way. If anything, it resembles clean sweat.

My overall rating of this perfume:

Scent: 7/10
Projection: 10/10
Longevity: 10/10

2 Replies

01/29/2014

7
Scent 8
Longevity 8
Sillage 8
Bottle

Fanny
66 Reviews

Fanny

Very helpful Review 3

Easy chic

Wow, I am very impressed.
This new treasure is perfection in a bottle.
I bought it without testing, trusting the name and the ingredients (not to mention the killer design bottle).

High but soft notes and light warmth. Ambre Gris emanates an elegance that is confident about its own beauty.
A pure pleasure.

07/19/2013

7
Scent

Coutureguru
223 Reviews

Coutureguru

Top Review 11

Enigmatic beauty ...

"Ambre Gris celebrates the architectural and graphic codes of Balmain." ... this per the Balmain website. I have loved the design aesthetic at Balmain since the late 70's, when I became interested in Fashion Design, learned to sew and eventually followed it as a career.

It seems that the note pyramid above needs some attention ... the Balmain site lists it as follows:

Head notes: Pink Berries, Sage
Heart notes: Tuberose, Frangipani, Myrrh Essence, Incense
Base notes: Grey Amber Infusion, Benzoin, Tonka Beans, Cedarwood ...

... and I must say that this is how I perceive this fragrance. Notes being a tool of marketers, however, the listed 'Grey Amber Infusion' is more than likely a chemical facsimile of natural Ambergris, which is a hard to come by and restricted (I think!) substance. There also exists a great deal of confusion between 'Amber' (Vanilla,Labdanum,Benzoin and not an oil derived from the fossilized material) and Ambergris ... which comes from whale spooge :). I actually don't get much of either of those in this fragrance. 'Pink Berries' could very well be the hit of Schinus Molle (Pink Pepper) that initiates this creation.
Balmain's Ambre Gris comes across as chic and sophisticated and straddles the blurry lines of fragrance gender right across the middle. It is elegant, reserved and feels like the soft caress of a chinchilla throw laid before a fireplace in which golden flames dance behind an intricately wrought screen.
Slightly spicy and herb infused florals carry a soapy vibe up top before some beautifully controlled incense takes over, leading the nose eventually to a refined woodsy dry down with a quite a bit of powdery sweetness. The Tuberose here feels restricted ... as if placed in a glass dome with one tiny aperture for the fragrance to escape ... but still gorgeous! The Benzoin and Tonka are probably responsible for the vanillic/nutty effect in the dry down.
Ambre Gris was a well educated blind buy for me ... I read a lot about this fragrance before I pushed the 'add to cart' button. It's one of those awesome fragrances that one will reach for when battling to make a choice from overflowing shelves. The projection here is sneaky ... I keep getting lovely whiffs of it myself but have been told at least three times today that I smell great ... from people at least six feet away. Great longevity too ... at least 8 hours on my skin, which loves to munch perfume!!

I cannot recommend this fragrance enough. Ambre Gris is subtle enough to be worn sparingly in perfume-phobic environments but amps up the volume when the sprayer is sufficiently abused. A truly delightful discovery!

3 Replies

02/02/2013

jtd
484 Reviews

jtd

The twinkie is gone but ambre gris remains

In its favor, Ambre Gris tells you all about itself up front. It's plainspoken, there are no surprises and it doesn't take much concentration. Against it, AG has the feel not so much of synthetic perfumery as fake food. It's a twinkie instead of shortcake. It's margarine and cornstarch syrup on your pancakes.

That said, I kind of like it. There's something about it that's just off, not quite right. It's like the background hum of industrial fluorescent lighting that recedes in your mind to a dull hum until you turn it off and realize that what you perceived as a quiet hum or buzz was in fact low-volume disharmony. In filtering it you had just unconsciously redefined it so as to tolerate it. Honestly though, I do like AG a bit. But here's how: one spritz. One spritz is comfortable. Two is queasy. Three is so far over the line that, in the manner of the instant conditioning that you experience vomiting a particular food that you then never want to eat again, you'll never want to smell it again.

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