[cuban leaf]

How can “an ingredient in perfume” and “It smelled horrible” be talking about the same thing?

Maybe it was the world’s first “musk”.

[Red Badger]

They use the ambergis after it has been refined and liquified

From Wiki:

Freshly produced ambergris has a marine, fecal odor. However, as it ages, it acquires a sweet, earthy scent commonly likened to the fragrance of rubbing alcohol without the vaporous chemical astringency.[2] The principal historical use of ambergris was as a fixative in perfumery, though it has now been largely displaced by synthetics.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Ambergris has been used in making perfume for centuries. Surprisingly enough, some perfumes are made of several foul smelling substances that smell pleasant when mixed together.

[Joe 6-pack]

Two primary qualities perfume makers aim for are intensity and longevity. A perfume must emit molecules into the surrounding air for it to be detected. A perfume that evaporates too quickly will be overly intense for a short period and then rapidly lose all effect. A perfume that evaporates too slowly may not have enough intensity although it may have much longer longevity.

By virtue of its chemical structure, ambergris has unique properties that, when blended with various scents will optimize the evaporation rate and intensity, making it highly desireable additive.

[eartrumpet]

Perfume makers pay good money for skunk essence. The stink is removed but the stink carrier remains and is used to project the perfume smell over distances.