Uncovering a key ingredient in perfume: whale poop

[UrbScotty]

Ambergris is an animal by-product that's been used for centuries in, as flavoring for food, and as an aphrodisiac. It's one of the world's most expensive substances.

Pretty glamorous, especially when you consider that ambergris is: whale poop.

Christopher Kemp is a molecular biologist at Michigan State University. He's written a book about ambergris called Floating Gold: A Natural (& Unnatural) History of Ambergris.

Kemp says ambergris is used in perfumes because of its musky scent that can hold together the other lighter tones. Besides, its fatty, cholesterol-rich texture can stabilize the fragrance and make it last longer on the wearer's skin.

http://michiganradio.org/post/uncovering-key-ingredient-perfume-whale-poop

You're welcome, DU.

[In_The_Wind]

1. ___

[pinboy3niner]

2. Bookmarking to read with a nice cup of civet coffee

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopi_Luwak

[Xyzse]

3. I thought it was whale throw up...

Well, I guess that makes sense.
Poop is far more common than throw up.

[frogmarch]

4. It can be either. It's used by the whale

to coat sharp objects it has swallowed to make them easier to expel. If the object is too large, it and its amberis coating are vomited.

Only sperm whales produce it and only a small percentage of them do.

Ambergris isn't used often nowadays as a perfume base because not only is ambergris rare, synthetics are cheaper.

[blogslut]

5. Yes.

And it is my fond desire to eventually buy a chunk of it. I want to see if it is the magic fixative that so many claim it to be.