SignatureAmber Hour
Eau de parfum. Warm resin, vanilla pod, smoked wood
$96
Scents composed above the shop, worn all day
Amber Note makes its own fragrances in a small studio upstairs and sells them in the shop below, with discovery vials to try at home and wrapping for anything bought as a gift. Every scent here is our own composition.
Sixhouse fragrances
2 mlvials in every discovery set
$28back against a full bottle
- Our own compositions, never copies
- Ingredients and allergens listed
- Gift wrapping on any order
- Shipped where perfume can be sent
The house fragrances
Eau de parfum is the stronger concentration and lasts longer on skin; eau de toilette is lighter and brighter. Not sure yet? The discovery set comes first for most people.
Signature
Fig Leaf and Cedar
Eau de parfum. Green fig, cedarwood, a little salt
$88
Night Neroli
Eau de toilette. Orange blossom, bergamot, soft musk
$64
Start hereDiscovery set of six
Six 2 ml vials of the house scents, and the $28 comes back against a full bottle
$28
Solid perfume compact
A balm in a refillable brass compact, 5 g
$42
By appointmentThe delivery fee is worked out at checkout. Perfume contains alcohol, so carriers and countries limit how it travels, and a few addresses can only collect from the shop.
The house scents, note by note
Top notes are what you smell first and fade within the hour. The heart carries the scent through the day, and the base is what lingers on a scarf the next morning.
| Scent | Top | Heart | Base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amber Hour | Bergamot, pink pepper | Labdanum, rose | Amber accord, vanilla, smoked wood |
| Fig Leaf and Cedar | Fig leaf, grapefruit | Violet leaf, sea salt accord | Cedarwood, vetiver |
| Night Neroli | Bergamot, mandarin | Neroli, orange blossom | White musk |
| Salt Iris | Pear, sea air accord | Iris, mimosa | Ambrette, driftwood accord |
| Velvet Plum | Plum, cinnamon | Rose, tobacco leaf | Patchouli, oud accord |
| Linen Tea | Lemon peel, black tea | Jasmine tea, fig milk | Clean musk, sandalwood |
Weighed drop by drop in the studio upstairs
Each fragrance starts as a formula of thirty to sixty materials, weighed on a scale to a hundredth of a gram. The blend then rests for several weeks before it is filtered and bottled, which rounds off the sharper edges.
Formulas stay within the safety limits the fragrance industry publishes for each material, and every box lists the allergens that labelling rules ask for. Nothing on these shelves is a version of another house's perfume; each scent begins with a blank page.
- Batches of two hundred bottles or fewer
- Allergens listed on every box
- Formulas kept on file for refills
Wrapping, engraving and an hour at the counter
For a present, a bottle that carries a name, or a slow afternoon finding the right scent.
Gift wrapping
Heavy cream paper, an amber silk ribbon and a card written by hand. Choose it with any bottle or set.
per gift$6
Engraving
A pattern or up to three initials cut into the glass while you wait, about twenty minutes.
per bottle$18
Scent consultation
Forty five minutes at the counter smelling the range on strips and then on skin, with tea.
redeemable$35
Wedding and team gifts
Discovery sets or solid perfumes in matching wrapping for guests, colleagues or clients.
each from$28
A bespoke blend in three sittings
Six to eight weeks from the first conversation to a bottle that exists nowhere else. Prices start at $380 for 50 ml, agreed after the first sitting.
Conversation
An hour with the perfumer about scents you love, places you remember and anything you cannot stand.
Three sketches
Three trial blends in small vials to wear for a week each, with notes on what you noticed.
Refining
A second sitting to adjust the favourite, and a final vial to live with before anything is fixed.
Bottling
A 50 ml bottle, engraved if you like, with the formula kept so it can be made again.
Strips, raw materials and the wrapping table
The shop floor, the studio shelves and the counter where gifts are finished.
Worn for a while, then reviewed (example reviews)
The discovery set lived on the bathroom shelf for a month before Fig Leaf and Cedar won. The $28 came straight off the full bottle, as promised.
Three sittings, three sketches and a scent that smells like the orchard at a grandmother's house. The formula is on file, so refills are simple.
Amber Hour wrapped in cream paper with initials engraved on the glass, for an anniversary. Still noticeable on a scarf the next morning.
Wearing, keeping and sending perfume
How long does a fragrance last on skin?
It depends on the skin, the weather and the concentration. Eau de parfum usually lasts longer than eau de toilette, and scent lasts longer on clothes and hair than on dry skin.
Do you make versions of famous perfumes?
No. Every scent here is an original composition, and the shop does not make copies of, or scents inspired by, other houses' perfumes.
Can perfume irritate the skin?
It can for some people, because fragrance materials include known allergens. The allergens are listed on every box; try a little on the inside of the wrist first, and spray onto clothes instead if skin reacts. Anyone with a skin condition is best advised by a pharmacist or doctor before wearing fragrance.
Why can some orders not be shipped?
Perfume contains alcohol and counts as a restricted item for many carriers and some countries, especially by air. Each address is checked before the order is sent, and where shipping is not possible the order waits in the shop for collection.
How should perfume be stored?
Away from sunlight, heat and steam, with the cap on. A bedroom drawer suits it better than a bathroom shelf, and a well kept bottle stays good for several years.
Can a discovery set be turned into a full bottle?
Yes. Keep the order number, and the $28 for the set comes off any full bottle bought within three months, online or in the shop.
Ask about a bespoke blend or a consultation
Tell us what you are looking for and when suits you. The perfumer replies within two working days with times for a first sitting or a counter consultation, and the price of a blend is agreed before any work begins.
- First sitting in the studio upstairs
- Price agreed after the first conversation
- Payment arranged directly with the perfumery
Visit the counter
Smelling strips, a glass of water and a chair by the window are always ready.
Reach the shop
Shop and composing studio in the old covered market, shipping where perfume can be sent
Counter hours
| Tuesday to Friday | 11:00 to 19:00 |
| Saturday | 10:00 to 18:00 |
| Sunday and Monday | Closed |
Smelling more than a few
Noses tire after four or five scents. Smell coffee beans or the inside of your elbow between strips, and come back another day for the rest.