Van Cleef & Arpels Collection Extraordinaire Ambre Imperial invites you on a journey through the East, the legendary and historical birthplace of perfume. Highlighted by a voluptuous amber accord—a note considered to be regal and nearly magical—Ambre Imperial is exquisite and addictive. Inspired by a dreamlike journey through the Orient, Ambre Impérial is a celebration of one of the most luxurious ingredients in perfumery. It is a unisex amber spicy fragrance that launched in 2015. Created by Quentin Bisch it features top notes of pink pepper and bergamot; middle notes of amber, tonka bean, vanilla and benzoin; and base notes of woodsy notes. It is an eau de parfum, edp.
VAN CLEEF & ARPELS AMBRE IMPERIAL REVIEWS
Fragrantica: Best amber out there! I can't smell even a trace of the top notes - if there are any citrus or pepper in this, they are gone in seconds. What I get first is warm amber, a hint of benzoin and a rounded, soft vanilla. The deep dry down is heavenly woods and benzoin on my skin. Absolutely gorgeous! In my opinion this leans feminine. I don't find Ambre Imperial to be similar to the Hermes Merveilles-perfumes at all, I didn't like the burnt orange note in those, and I can't smell anything orangey in this. Projection is so-so, but it lasts really good on me. I get 5-6 hours out of it at least, which almost never happens! Happy with this, worth every penny.
Fragrantica: Wearing this beauty first time this year and wondering why I have been neglecting it so much. With life and weather transitioning into Autumn, it's time to enjoy warm, cozy cuddling fragrances. Ambre Imperial embodies all that and stands in front of the line. A very delicate, warm and comforting scent. The amber is there, airy and never powdery. Vanilla, tonka and benzoin play the main role. Benzoin mimics a soft, smoky incense. Like burning a log of aromatic wood. It's true, as many have noted, it bears many similarities with Eau des Merveilles and Ambre des Merveilles. You can feel that burnt orangey smokiness typical of Eau des Merveilles.
Fragrantica: Divine liquid amber with pepper, smoky woods and incense nuances, very natural and high-quality smelling. Unisex but due to the sweetness in the dry-down leans a bit feminine. Well mastered vanilla, barely there. More oriental than gourmand. Way finer than "Merveilles" line. Longevity about 12h on my skin and sillage is quite good. I feel like a Goddess wearing this.
Colognoisseur: Ambre Imperial asks perfumer Quentin Bisch to create a different type of vanilla, something classic. Ambre Imperial is that crème brulee with a solid shell of amber lying on top of it. M. Bisch opens the fragrance with a typical flourish of bergamot made piquant by the presence of baie rose. It is nothing more than a momentary fillip towards the real business of Ambre Imperial which comes with a warm deeply satisfying amber accord. M. Bisch then uses benzoin to turn it into that hard fluid shell which coats the top of any good version of crème brulee. The vanilla comes to the foreground and while the amber and benzoin still have the floor it creates a caramel accord which eventually transitions into a solid vanilla base. The vanilla is supported by the toasty quality of tonka bean. The tonka reminds me of the black flecks of real vanilla pods I see in the best things featuring vanilla. It adds a sense of depth with its presence. Ambre Imperial has 10-12 hour longevity and average sillage. It is probably the most straight forward composition of M. Bisch’s career so far. Which is a good thing because while I appreciate his sense of adventure there is a point at the end of the day that I want my favorite sense-based artists to soothe me with something simple but rich. With Ambre Imperial M. Bisch has crafted crème brulee for my soul.
