Ambergreen
Avant-Garden Lab (2016)

This is not an cologne-style herbal composition as the shiso and basil might have you thinking–it's cold, bone dry, extremely synthetic, but still somehow approachable. We all have a sense of “green” perfumes–that dewy, wet grass vibe. But this is totally different. It's sharp, bitter, and astringent. It has the crisp, metallic tang of celery, or of a leaf ripped apart. The ambroxan rings very much like ambergris (and what a pun with the name), bringing a mineral salinity to its core.

It doesn't evolve much, so that sharpness you get at the beginning is there to stay (for a long time). But that's sort of the joy of this one. Early spring seems to be its ideal time for me–the first hint of greenery coming out of the bare ground. It's taken a while to click, but now that it does I find I really enjoy it, even if I find it lacks a bit of pathos. A seasonal wear.

A very interesting take on ambroxan. Very green, herbal, dirty, earthy, with a twist. It brings in the ocean with the raw ambroxan note. The beach meets the forest.

This is how I would imagine the setting of Almazon Kitchen on Youtube to smell like. As he cooks in the wilderness, the culinary herbs, and spices blend in with mother nature. A gust of wind picks up, and brings in the salty water from the near by ocean. The result is Ambergreen.

While very interesting, a challenge to wear, for sure.

A must try for any frag-head.

Ambroxin, basil, galbanum reminds me of wet earth and damp leaves, in November. Funerary. This becomes "dark green" with amber, fig leaf, and grass. I thought I smelled tangerine here. I'm not sure. Maybe it was wishful thinking. Woody end, with a bit of orris. A bit too odd for everyday wear.

Ambergreen recalls to me the piercingly direct green/sharp angelica opening of Malle's French Lover to me, but made bright and shiny, instead of dark. Where French Lover goes in an incense/musk direction, this stays resolutely GREEN, with the barest hint of florals and softening amber deep in the base to smooth it. I'm not sure if angelica is actually used here. This is a stew of all things green, the pure olfactory representation of the color. I don't know what specific notes are responsible for this effect. Angelica is simply the closest single reference point I can think of.

I have a strong memory/emotional response to this accord, though again, I can't place the exact plant(s) involved. I grew up with a lush a greenbelt behind my house, and scents like this generally recall that lush, sharp, ionized, cooling, wet environment. Not the dirt, just the greenery.

I know the extended green effect is achieved chemically, and the fact this doesn't smell like a nuclear meltdown is remarkable. At times, it does toe that line. It smooths out as the heart and base arrive, notably with jasmine/hedione but it's actually fairly linear to me, and that sharp greenery is always evident.

After a long search for a scent that pulls off an extended, focused take on that spiky, bright, pure vegetal/grassy structure, I've finally found it.

Cut grass. Kitchen herbs. Ultrasonic galbanum. Synthetic and harsh in parts but at times oddly riveting in others. I wanted to hate this green ‘thing' but somehow I couldn't. AMBERGREEN is to my mind Oliver Valverde's olfactory interpretation of The Incredible Hulk. Tread carefully with this one...

King of England's notes are fabulous and provide a wonderfully articulated review of this scent. Ultimately I find a grating Synth harsh soapy aftertaste that obscures a wonderful bouquet of grasses and green Tangerine? Well OK.
Scrubber for me, however very well may suit Contemporary tastes to a tea.
methinks