The term Oriental, is used to define olfactory sensations which are very embracing, luxurious, which evoke distant lands from which almost unknown odours arrive, and can be used in various accepted ways.
Compositions to which powdery, musk, vanilla, touches of spices or woody facets have been added to the rich oriental notes, become structures with a strong impact, extremely embracing and sensual, and can be declined in both male and female versions.
The fresher versions, where a decisively lighter component is highlighted (aromatic, floral) are called semi-oriental or florientals: some exponents of this trend are "Poison" by Dior, with its fascinating tuberose note, "Dolce&Gabbana Donna Classico", which blends aldehydes and opulent flowers, "Obsession" by Calvin Klein, whichsparkles with mandarin and bergamot.
For a long time in the fragrance industry the terms Oriental and Amber were considered synonymous. However, considering the marked olfactive differences between the two, the tendency is to divide them into different groups.
Included in the category Oriental are compositions which are characterised by the presence of patchouli, vanilla and spices, mainly cinnamon, which made themselves known at the beginning of the 1900s, principally in Habanita by Molinard and in Shalimar by Guerlain and gave life to a fortunate generation of successful fragrances such as Opium by YSL, Youth Dew by Estee Lauder, Samsara by Guerlain, fragrances which are of great impact and strong exotic evocations.
Angel by Thierry Mugler was the first composition to combine oriental notes with the innovative gourmand facet, a trend followed by Lolita Lempicka and many others which are still very popular.
The term Amber defines fragrances with a more caressing tonality, where Grey Amber is dominating less and less and new accords are emerging constructed around vanilla and balsamic raw materials such as benzoin, Tolù, Copahu ... which are in the heart of fragrances such as "Alien" by Thierry Mugler, "Kenzo Amour", "L’instant pour Femme" by Guerlain, "Trussardi Inside".
In men’s fragrances, the way was opened by "Habit Rouge" by Guerlain, which was then followed by other important creations such as "Gianfranco Ferrè pour Homme", "Obsession for Men" by Calvin Klein, "Versace l’Homme" and "Pi" by Givenchy, up to "Armani Code", which is just one of the most recent.
