Oakmoss

Oakmoss is the lichen behind some of the world's most expensive perfumes. Its complex chemical bouquet provides the 'base notes' in Chanel No. 5 and hundreds of other fragrances. A single kilogram of oakmoss absolute (concentrated extract) can cost over $500, making this symbiotic organism more valuable per weight than many precious materials.

The business parallel is premium positioning through irreplaceable inputs. Oakmoss cannot be synthesized - attempts produce inferior substitutes that perfumers reject. This creates pricing power for wild-harvested material from specific regions (primarily Morocco and the Balkans). When your input is irreplaceable, you control the value chain.