What is ambergris that many people are looking for?

(Dan Tri) - The renewed interest in ambergris thanks to a hot movie at the box office has helped audiences get a closer look at this substance.

Products of the sperm whale's intestinal defense mechanism

The movie "The Quest for Ambergris" is causing a stir at the Vietnamese box office just a few days after its release.

Right at the beginning, the film takes the audience into a major event. Ambergris, a solid wax considered an important item of faith and protection from the South Sea in the culture of fishermen, suddenly disappears.

This disappearance begins a dramatic journey of discovery and leaves many people leaving the theater still wondering: What exactly is ambergris and why is it considered so precious?

The sperm whale ( scientific name: Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest toothed whale and one of the ocean's most mysterious and giant sea creatures (Photo: Getty).

According to the British Natural History Museum, ambergris is “a rare natural product from the squid diet of sperm whales” and was once considered a great mystery to the scientific community.

This is a solid waxy substance that forms in the sperm whale's body when it eats squid and octopus with hard beaks. These hard pieces can damage the intestines, so the sperm whale secretes a thick layer of fat to cover it. Over time, the fat solidifies, forming the characteristic waxy mass, according to the museum.

When released into the sea by sperm whales, the wax initially has a foul odor and a dark brown color. According to analysis, the natural oxidation process under the influence of seawater, sunlight and air will turn the wax to ash gray or light yellow, while creating a characteristic warm and sweet scent.

Ambergris blocks (Photo: Getty).

It is this transforming aroma that makes ambergris such a valuable ingredient in the perfume industry.

According to research by R. Clarke published in the Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals , only about 1 in 100 sperm whales are capable of producing ambergris.

This figure shows why ambergris is so rare and finding it is entirely down to luck.

Treasure of the perfume industry

Research also shows that the undigested squid beak is the first cause that triggers the formation of wax.

A chemical study at Plymouth University analyzing ambergris samples washed up at sea also noted similar copper and zinc content in squid and squid beaks.

This strengthens the hypothesis that hard objects in the sperm whale's gut are the starting point for the ambergris-producing cycle, according to the research team.

In the field of fragrance, ambergris is considered a substance that helps keep scents on the skin for a long time.

When processed, it has excellent scent fixing properties and is often found in high-end perfumes. The price of ambergris depends on the weight, the degree of refinement and the quality of the scent, and can reach tens of thousands of dollars per kilogram.

Ambergris is also closely associated with the cultural life of coastal fishermen. In many Vietnamese fishing villages, this item is considered a “blessing of the sea” that brings peace and a favorable fishing season. People believe that whoever finds ambergris will have good luck, so it has spiritual value in addition to economic value.

In traditional medicine, ambergris has appeared in some folk remedies in the East and Arabia.

However, according to experts, modern science does not have clear evidence of its treatment effectiveness and more research is needed.

A 2025 study published on the scientific platform ResearchGate noted the existence of a special odor receptor that interacts with a key component in ambergris. According to the research team, this discovery helps to better understand the mechanism of ambergris's odor but has no relevance to its medical effects.

Another study, titled “DNA preserved in jetsam whale ambergris,” showed that ambergris samples drifting at sea still retained sperm whale DNA.

According to the research team, this opens up the possibility of using ambergris as a source of biological data to monitor marine ecosystems and sperm whale population status.

Because whales are a protected species in many countries, direct exploitation of sperm whales is completely banned.

The current legal source of ambergris comes mainly from natural drifts in the ocean. According to environmentalists, commercial ambergris needs to be closely monitored to avoid creating an incentive for whaling.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/khoa-hoc/long-dien-huong-la-gi-ma-nhieu-nguoi-truy-tim-20251119070753220.htm