5 ms·

Seems like ambergris[0] would be rarer since you can’t cultivate it in any way. Just have to stumble upon it. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambergris htt

Seems like ambergris[0] would be rarer since you can’t cultivate it in any way. Just have to stumble upon it. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambergris https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambergris

sandworm101 8y ago
>> Just have to stumble upon it. You can physically remove it from the whales, which is why ambergris trade is illegal in many countries. Even where legal, you have to be able to prove that it was pooped out and found, that you didn't kill a whale to get it.
- cobbzilla 8y ago
  >> pooped out technically isn’t the ambergris “vomited up”?
  - epapsiou 8y ago
    Nope. It is pooped out.
    - cobbzilla 8y ago
      Thanks. Wikipedia [1] says you’re right, and also offers me a small condolence that my misconception is fairly common: “Ambergris is usually passed in the fecal matter. It is speculated that an ambergris mass too large to be passed through the intestines is expelled via the mouth, leading to the reputation of ambergris as primarily coming from whale vomit.” [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambergris#Formation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambergris#Formation
  - sandworm101 8y ago
    It is used in perfume, reason enough for marketers to avoid any "whale poop" descriptions.
- plink 8y ago
  I would hazard that Japanese "scientists" must have vaults crammed with this stuff.
majos 8y ago
A possible explanation, also from the ambergris Wikipedia page: > Ambergris used to be very highly valued by perfumers as a fixative that allowed the scent to last much longer, but it has been replaced by synthetic ambroxan. But buyers still exist for the natural stuff. > A 1.1-kilogram (2.4 lb) lump of ambergris, found on a beach at Anglesey, Wales, was sold to a French buyer for £11,000 at an auction in Macclesfield, England, on 25 September 2015.
- overcast 8y ago
  Saffron is more expensive per pound, and is cultivated. So it's not TOO crazy. Depends I guess on how much is required. (still crazy though)
  - mkstowegnv 8y ago
    to summarize in consistent units: Orris oil 50,000 euros per kg OP BBC story Ambergris 1,140 euros per kg Wikipedia Saffron 958-9,583 euros per kg Wikipedia
epapsiou 8y ago
I think it has more to do with demand. Ambergris can't be found in large quantities. This makes it useless for big houses like Chanel,Dior,Guerlains etc. The other thing is consistency. The commercial fragrances want their fragrance to smell the same every year. Something you cannot guarantee if you do not know what Ambergris will you stumble upon. These days Ambergris is used mostly by artisan perfumers.

Seems like ambergris[0] would be rarer since you can’t cultivate it in any way. Just have to stumble upon it. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambergris https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambergris

sandworm101 8y ago

>> Just have to stumble upon it. You can physically remove it from the whales, which is why ambergris trade is illegal in many countries. Even where legal, you have to be able to prove that it was pooped out and found, that you didn't kill a whale to get it.

cobbzilla 8y ago
>> pooped out technically isn’t the ambergris “vomited up”?
- epapsiou 8y ago
  Nope. It is pooped out.
  - cobbzilla 8y ago
    Thanks. Wikipedia [1] says you’re right, and also offers me a small condolence that my misconception is fairly common: “Ambergris is usually passed in the fecal matter. It is speculated that an ambergris mass too large to be passed through the intestines is expelled via the mouth, leading to the reputation of ambergris as primarily coming from whale vomit.” [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambergris#Formation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambergris#Formation
- sandworm101 8y ago
  It is used in perfume, reason enough for marketers to avoid any "whale poop" descriptions.
plink 8y ago
I would hazard that Japanese "scientists" must have vaults crammed with this stuff.

majos 8y ago

A possible explanation, also from the ambergris Wikipedia page: > Ambergris used to be very highly valued by perfumers as a fixative that allowed the scent to last much longer, but it has been replaced by synthetic ambroxan. But buyers still exist for the natural stuff. > A 1.1-kilogram (2.4 lb) lump of ambergris, found on a beach at Anglesey, Wales, was sold to a French buyer for £11,000 at an auction in Macclesfield, England, on 25 September 2015.

overcast 8y ago
Saffron is more expensive per pound, and is cultivated. So it's not TOO crazy. Depends I guess on how much is required. (still crazy though)
- mkstowegnv 8y ago
  to summarize in consistent units: Orris oil 50,000 euros per kg OP BBC story Ambergris 1,140 euros per kg Wikipedia Saffron 958-9,583 euros per kg Wikipedia

epapsiou 8y ago

I think it has more to do with demand. Ambergris can't be found in large quantities. This makes it useless for big houses like Chanel,Dior,Guerlains etc. The other thing is consistency. The commercial fragrances want their fragrance to smell the same every year. Something you cannot guarantee if you do not know what Ambergris will you stumble upon. These days Ambergris is used mostly by artisan perfumers.