A gelling agent having a high ability of gelling an oily base which is capable of giving a gel composition having a strong gel strength and a good transparency, a gel composition having a strong gel strength and a good transparency, an external composition having a good feel upon use, a cosmetic preparation having a good feel upon use, and a fragrance composition having a good transparency and a good appearance is provided. An amide compound represented by the following formula 1: ##STR00001## is used. In formula 1, R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 are each independently a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having a carbon number of from 1 to 3 with the proviso that at least one of R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 is a hydrogen atom. R.sup.4, R.sup.5 and R.sup.6 are each independently a saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched hydrocarbon group having a total carbon number of from 6 to 24 which optionally has at least one group selected from the group consisting of an ether group, amide group, ester group, amino group and hydroxyl group; and m, n and p are each independently an integer of from 0 to 3.