Whale vomiting can be replaced as a perfume fixer

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Did you know that a widely used - and rare - substance to fix perfumes comes from whale vomiting? Known as gray amber, it is a solid, greasy compound that, once dried, has a sweet, earthy odor and can cost as much as $ 10, 000 per pound.

Due to the difficulty of finding the product - in addition to the danger that high demand could lead to whaling - scientists eventually discovered an alternative substance, produced by sage and pine, that can be used in the manufacture of perfume fixers - including more efficient than gray amber. The only problem was isolating the active component of the product.

According to a study by Joerg Bohlmann, a professor at the University of British Columbia, a plant-specific balm gene is very effective as a fixative. In addition, by adding yeast to this gene, it was possible to achieve greater production of the bioproduct, which, while much easier to find, is cheaper and less unpleasant than applying whale vomiting to the skin.