The Lab Economy
Amber is the lab's credit, named for the resin. You earn it by contributing, and you spend it when you want someone's time — a proper review of your formula, a smelling test, a session with the AI assistant.
Everything basic stays free. You can browse, create, and publish without ever touching your balance. Amber only prices the things that cost real effort, and when that effort is another perfumer's, the Amber you spend goes to them.
01 Earning
The first-time rewards work as a starter pack: do the ordinary things once and you'll be sitting on roughly fifty Amber before you've had to think about it.
| Activity | Amber | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Create your first formula | 10 | Once, ever |
| Create your first sketchboard | 10 | Once, ever |
| Set a profile photo | 5 | Once, ever |
| Publish your first formula | 10 | Once, ever — on top of the regular publish reward |
| Publish a formula | 5 | Per formula, up to 5 publish rewards a day |
| Like a formula | 0.25 | Once per formula, ever |
| Your formula gets liked | 0.25 | Once per person, per formula |
| Comment on a formula | 1 | Your first comment on that formula each day |
| Your formula gets a comment | 1 | Once per person, per formula, per day |
| Monthly stipend | 20 | Arrives with your first visit of the month |
| Daily visit | 12 | Every day you show up — no streak required |
The daily top-up is sized so regular visitors can use the AI assistant without watching the meter.
02 Earning, soon
The biggest earns are tied to feedback, and they switch on when reviews launch. Reviews are quality-checked — a drive-by "smells nice" won't count — and only the person who requested a review can mark it Helpful. They paid for it, so their judgment is the one that counts.
| Activity | Amber | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Write a formula review | 5 | A real desk critique, quality-checked |
| Your review is marked Helpful | +10 | Awarded by the requester; brings the review to its full 15 |
| Complete a smelling test | 5 per stage, up to 15 | Mix it, wear it, report top, heart, and drydown over real hours |
| Give your first evaluation | 10 | Once, ever |
| Write your bio | 5 | Once, ever |
03 Spending
When you request a review or a smelling test, your Amber isn't burned. It's held until the work is done, then released to the perfumer who did it. You're paying a colleague for their attention, which is what makes the feedback worth having.
| Activity | Amber | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Request a formula review | 15 | Posted as a bounty; the reviewer who does the work earns it |
| Request a smelling test | 15 | Routed to members who own your materials; paid per stage |
| Live match score | Free | Always |
| AI assistant (chat) | ~1–6 per message | Metered by actual usage — longer, heavier messages cost more |
| Feature your formula for a day | 50 | Optional; arriving later |
More ways to spend Amber are planned, and we'll add them as the lab grows.
04 Fair play
A few things keep the economy honest:
05 Status
These numbers are starting points. We'll tune them in the open as we watch how the economy actually behaves, and we'd rather adjust visibly than pretend we got everything right on the first try.
Your balance lives in the hexagon chip next to the notification bell, and the full history is in your wallet.
Open your wallet →