Musk is a major or minor ingredient in over half the most popular perfumes. Whether as a base to support other scents or acting as the prominent odor, musk has unique properties that are hard for most people to resist. It accentuates and boosts the endurance of perfume’s other properties whether they are floral, plant-based or wood. This makes it a very valuable asset to perfumers. Muscone, the oily liquid that is the active component of musk, actually has a very unpleasant smell of ammonia and fatty tissues but once it is diluted the scent becomes very pleasant.

But where is musk found and how is it harvested? Originally, it came from the musk deer, a creature distantly related to deer but weighing only 20-40 pound with no antlers and large tusks. In order to get the musk glands, the animal had to be killed and this resulted in their population dwindling so drastically that they are now protected by laws in the countries they live. Other sources of musk include the American beaver and other animals, the musk flower, wood and seeds. It can also be made synthetically; most of the musk used in this generation of perfume is synthetic as companies become increasingly interested in preserving wildlife.

But why has musk always been in such demand, even as far back as ancient Egypt? Simply put, musk is a sexual attractant and aphrodisiac! Secreted only by male vertebrates, it is a natural pheromone specifically meant to attract a mate. Because of this, musk is the most expensive ingredient used in perfumes and other products, costing up to $45,000 per kilogram!

Alfred Dunhill manufactures Desire Blue for men, using synthetic musk to support and bolster the elements of bergamot, orange flower water, amber and tonka bean. While orange flower water may seem an odd ingredient for a man’s cologne, it gives it a sparkle that adds a bit of mystery to the impression of strength. Azzaro makes a more serious creation in Onyx, combining apple, lemon, coriander and other spices, cedar wood and bergamot with musk for a defined statement of being in charge, decisive and adventurous.

When the process of synthesizing musk was discovered, it began to be used more liberally in perfume and other products in which scent was an important marketing concept. Today it is used in household products, bath soaps and shampoo as well as fine perfumes.

Tim Walt

Animals have been used for making perfumes since people first began to use scents. You would be surprised at the wide variety of perfumes that owe their delicious and seductive aromas to the contributions of animals!

The most commonly known scent derived from animal resources is musk, a basic ingredient in many perfumes. Because of its intensely earthy odor, it makes an excellent base that accentuates other notes in a perfume. In the hundreds of years it has been used in human manufactured scents, it has always been popular because of its subtle aphrodisiac properties. Originally, people got musk from the musk sacs of the Asian Musk deer which, unfortunately, demanded the life of the animal. Modern musk is synthetic due not only to protected status of the formerly over-hunted deer but to enlightened perfume manufacturers that are increasingly more concerned about preserving wildlife as well as the environment.

Civets, a relative of the Mongoose, also produce musk that can be harvested without harm to the animal. The North American Beaver also contributes musk to perfume called Castoreum. Luckily, we can harvest the musk from both these animals without causing them harm or upsetting their glandular balance thanks to advanced and humane harvesting techniques.

Even honeybees contribute to the olfactory enjoyment of fine perfume! Their honeycombs, when distilled, produce a unique scent that has been used by perfumers for centuries. Ambergris, a digestive excretion of the Sperm Whale, is also used for cologne and perfume, particularly in amber-based scents. Rendered animal fat is used less often in solid perfumes than it was in centuries past

Tim Walt