Art de Parfum does not use any raw materials of animal origin, such as ambergris, the rare secretion from the sperm whale that adds a salty glow to perfume and increases longevity.
Ambergris is protected under CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, and although it is legal to use, it is difficult to guarantee that natural ambergris has been obtained in a legal, ethically-clean, and cruelty-free manner (beach-cast rather than harvested from the intestine of a beached whale).
Therefore, the brand uses a synthetic replacement derived from sage called Ambroxan that gives a similar effect to natural ambergris.
Similarly, the brand does not use raw materials that may endanger the livelihood or physical safety of farmers in third world countries.
A good example is oud, a material that gives a wonderfully smoky, deep, woodsy tone to perfumes. Oud wood is a naturally-occurring resin in Aquilaria trees in South East Asia but the trees are now endangered and the process of harvesting resinated wood in the deep jungle is hazardous for local hunters, a number of whom are killed each year.
The only way to guarantee that the oud oil used in perfumery has not harmed the local economic interests or physical safety of indigenous farmers and hunters is to source it from an ethically-managed plantation. Until Art de Parfum can safely guarantee such a supply source, it will continue to use a plant-derived oil called cypriol, which replaces some of the woody, smoky nuances of oud oil from wild Aquilaria trees.
Learn more about sustainable packaging at Art De Parfum here!