Ambergris tincture at 3% in alcohol

It's a long story. The ambergris trade is complex and all a bit smoke and mirrors, cloak and dagger.

It's a relief to have a tiny source which is ethical and useful; ours was found in the Bahamas by fishermen whose boats were washed inland or broken up by a hurricane in 2015. I bought it from a man whose dad lives in the Bahamas and who brought it back to the UK hoping to find a way to raise money to rebuild the fishermen's boats, businesses and livelihoods. Happy to tell you that the chap whose boat was washed 300 metres inland is now afloat again. Now they know what it looks like, the fishermen are still finding little pieces of ambergris.

I've been using this, and so has Liz Moores of Papillon perfumery.

Photos show the bottles (official 10mls - actually hold 14; 20mls actually hold 25), a little piece of ambergris, and the tincture filtering upstairs at our studio. You can see that it's almost clear once the powder is filted out.

It doesn't smell of much; it's not supposed to. It works mostly as a fixative. Put just a drop on your skin, wait a few minutes and smell the difference; that's when you know it's worth it. You just smell better. It makes your perfumes smell better too.

I would love to keep all of mine, but my new friend and his fishermen have more than I can use, so knock yourselves out.