AMBERGRIS

One of the most prized products in perfumery since time immemorial is  ambergris , and its history sails through the great oceans within the bodies of whales and sperm whales.

It is a grayish stomach secretion that sperm whales, after digestion, release into the sea – pieces can be found from 15 grams to four kilograms, a true treasure – and that,  thanks to the salt and the sun, gradually solidify  and float patiently in the waters until some fortunate person finds it.

It is estimated that,  for the amber to have the proper consistency and quality,  , it needs to float in the water for at least thirty years. . An invaluable treasure in antiquity, when there was no chemical substitute for it.

Pure ambergris does not have a "pleasant" smell but, paradoxically, it is essential in perfumery due to its power as a fixative for other pleasant aromas.  Without it, perfumery would not have endured through the centuries, as the created fragrances would be ephemeral and would not last months or years enclosed in the precious glass bottles that contained them.

For thousands of years, brave sailors and whalers from around the world pursued these enormous marine animals to retrieve the pieces of amber that could float in the waters of the great oceans.