In short
Ambrette seed oil is distilled from the seeds of Abelmoschus moschatus. It is one of the few natural plant musks and is highly prized.
What Ambrette Seed Oil smells like
Ambrette seed oil, distilled from musk-mallow seeds, has a characteristic musky odour and contains much fatty acid, so the distillate is often called ambrette butter. A supplier describes the absolute as ethereal-fruity and waxy, reminiscent of fresh pear; glossaries note a faint pear-like sweetness and a soft, wine-like, skin-warm scent; an odour profile lists fresh musk, amber, powdery, weedy, dried fruit and woody. Its musk comes from ambrettolide.
- Leading note
- Fruity natural musk
- Supporting facets
- Pear, waxy, fatty
- Faint facets
- Winey, dried fruit
- Character
- Soft, warm, skin-like
What makes Ambrette Seed Oil distinctive
A plant musk with pear and wine in it — the natural ambrette note.
How Ambrette Seed Oil is used
Used in fine fragrance as a natural musk in floral, chypre and musky compositions.
Typical role: fixative (slow to evaporate; helps a blend last and holds lighter notes); modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Ambrette Seed Oil differs from similar materials
- Ambrettolide
- Ambrettolide is the oil's musk alone, sweet and fruity; the oil adds pear, wine and a fatty, waxy body.
Each difference compares the published descriptions of the two materials. Smell varies with grade, supplier and dilution; compare them side by side on blotters before substituting one for another.
Formulation considerations
Costly. Its musky character comes largely from the macrocyclic lactone ambrettolide.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Essential oil
- Origin
- Natural
- Odour family
- Musky / Fruity
- Note position
- Base note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Botanical source
- Abelmoschus moschatus Medik.
- CAS number
- 8015-62-1
The CAS number was checked on 19 October 2026 against a PubChem substance record that gives it for this material. A natural material is a mixture, so it has no single formula; its composition varies with origin and processing.
Safety and compliance
This page is general information, not a safety assessment or a specification. Confirm identity, composition, IFRA status and allergen content from your supplier's documents for the lot you hold.
Materials it works with
-
Isoambrettolide
Aroma chemical · Musky / Fruity — musky, powdery, fruity, soft
-
Orris Butter (Orris Concrete)
Concrete · Powdery / Woody — powdery, iris, woody, buttery
-
Galaxolide
Aroma chemical · Musky / Floral — musky, clean, sweet, floral
-
Ambrettolide
Aroma chemical · Musky / Fruity — musky, ambrette, fruity, pear
Ambrette Seed Oil is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Costus Oliffac.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 5 published formulas
Ambrette Seed Oil is an ingredient in 5 perfume formulas in the Formula & Accord Library.
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Ambrette Seed Oil
Is Ambrette Seed Oil natural or synthetic?
Ambrette Seed Oil is natural. It is a volatile oil obtained from plant material by steam distillation or, for citrus peels, by cold expression.
What is the CAS number of Ambrette Seed Oil?
8015-62-1, the registry number for the essential oil as a substance rather than a single molecule. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.
Which published formulas use Ambrette Seed Oil?
Ambrette Seed Oil is used in 5 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Ambrette Halo, Neroli Compass and Pear Lantern. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — substance 135354013, checked 19 October 2026.
- Biolandes — Ambrette absolute — manufacturer's description.
- Premiere Peau — Ambrette (musk mallow) — published perfumery reference.
- The Good Scents Company — ambrette odour category — odour database.
- Fraterworks — ambrette seed oil — distributor's description.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 21 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.