Musk in Perfumery: History, Legal Status, and Clean Alternatives (White Musks)
Animal musk was once among the animal-based raw materials used in perfumery, along with civet, castoreum, ambergris, and hyraceum. It is now extremely rare, though a few brands still use it today.
Today, many alternatives make it possible to avoid these animal-derived ingredients.
“There are fresh scents like children’s skin
Soft like oboes, green like meadows
And others, corrupt, rich and triumphant
Expanding like infinite things
Like amber, musk, benzoin, and incense
Singing the transports of soul and sense”
— Correspondences, Baudelaire
Animal Musk: History, Ethical Controversy, and Extraction
Discovered in 330 BCE by Alexander the Great, musk quickly gained popularity among perfumers for its strong aroma and lasting power. Even in small amounts, it added softness, sensuality, and depth to compositions, serving as a fixative in base notes.
The Musk Deer (Chevrotain) and Rarity
Musk is secreted by the abdominal glands of male musk deer. Only the male produces musk, which led to intensive hunting in the 1960s–70s, threatening the species. Today, captive farming has proven poor due to the animals’ nature (solitary, poor reproduction).
Despite current protection laws, the species is still subject to poaching. Due to its high price, the material was subject to fraud; genuine musk is syrupy, dark brown, and hardens when exposed to air.
Natural musk has a strong, animalic odor, often compared to black coffee. Tonkin musk (from the Himalayas) was the most sought-after due to its high concentration of muscone, the key aroma molecule—now replicated synthetically.
Traditional Extraction Methods
The traditional method involved killing the animal and inserting a small silver spoon into the gland, done without anesthesia. The extracted grains were then macerated in 96° alcohol to create a cold tincture and aged for 18 months.
White Musks: The Ethical and Modern Alternative
Thanks to WWF and regulatory actions, animal musk is banned in modern perfumery. The industry relies on clean, soft synthetic alternatives.
Modern Alternatives Used by Perfumers
- Synthetic Musks: Molecules like muscone, Galaxolide, and ethylene brassylate are called white musks for their soft, clean, and “cocooning” effect (like clean linen).
- Plant-Based Musks: Ambrette seed is the only major natural vegetal source of musk.
- Animalic Notes (Vegetal & Legal): To preserve the sensual side, perfumers use other materials:
- Jasmine: contains indole, which has an animalic facet.
- Hyraceum: fossilized urine of African rodents, legally used today.
- “Dirty” Vegetal Notes: cumin, costus, ciste labdanum, sage, atlas cedar, and osmanthus.
Thus, musky facets are preserved without using animals. You can explore this olfactory work in the perfumes Florentina and Dovana.
