MAISON CRIVELLI
AMBRE CHROMATIQUE

2022

PERFUMER
Quentin Bisch

Incense
Pink Pepper

Davana
Osmanthus absolute

Benzoin
Bourbon Vanilla absolute
Akigalawood

I was expecting a warm beast with Ambre Chromatique (after what I heard) and I was a bit afraid of that, seeing how I didn’t enjoy the previous release, Patchouli Magnetik (which is also done by Quentin Bisch and is very sweet and warm). I haven’t reviewed Patchouli Magnetik, but it’s a fragrance that I would consider washing off, because it’s overbearing to me and a rare miss from the perfumer Bisch for my taste.

To my surprise, Ambre Chromatique starts off as a strong fresher incense fragrance. There’s a hint of a milky, buttery texture and a labdanum-esque base coming through, but to my nose, the first hour isn’t overly sweet and it’s definitely not warm.

The incense comes across as cold, slightly herbal. Another review mentioned ‘bubblegum’ and that struck a chord with me. Instantly my mind went to incense fragrances like Matiere Premiere Encens Suave. There’s a tingling spicy sensation that starts off a bit rough and grows smoother. I don’t love the opening, but it captivated me enough to look forward to it drying down.

For an amber, it definitely has a slightly green and earthy edge at first, but around the one hour mark the vanilla and sweeter resinous facets of the amber start to overtake the composition. There’s a lasting tinge from the osmanthus, but to my nose that’s only subtle. What becomes more prominent is the vanilla and that’s the star of the show in Ambre Chromatique for me.

It has a strong Mexican, custardy-vanilla profile to me and it’s the most natural smelling part to my nose. Note that Ambre Chromatique uses a lot of the Givaudan ORPUR naturals, but overall, this fragrance doesn’t smell like a traditional natural composition. It’s super contemporary and you can sense Bisch’ modern and abstract touches throughout it.

Even in the drydown it accomplishes to balance the sweetness, warmth, spiciness and hint of smokiness with the fresher, cleaner and medicinal qualities for a long time. Making Ambre Chromatique perhaps less comforting than I would wish for, but therefore more interesting and unique (I mean, does the world really need another just sweet and warm amber at this point?). It lasts for ages and can be a bit demanding from the wearer, but I know that a lot of people will appreciate its longevity.

I’m not sure if I’m putting this on my wishlist, but it was the first of the Crivelli extraits that I could enjoy. The later Oud Maracuja & Tubereuse Astrale are definitely more to my taste.