Baby perfume, rice powder or fresh sheets… It is hard to resist musk. Yet the origin of this ingredient is quite disturbing. To understand it, we have to go back thousands of years, to the highest plateaus in Asia, between the Himalaya, China and Siberia. It is in these plains that we find the musk deer, solitary animal that looks like a small and primitive deer.
They noticed that these secretions with aphrodisiac powers actually came from a gland nestled in the abdomen of the animal that contained a brown odorous liquid: the musk. Desiring to take advantage of this singular smell, the natives tried to extract this liquid. As soon as the gland is extracted, the musk dries out and loses all its odoriferous power. Having taken note of the nuance, men therefore undertook a vast harvest of musk, which led to the death of the animal.
In addition to musk, the deer was hunted for all the virtues it represented: its leather was used to make bags by the Tibetans and its hair stuffed the cushions and mattresses of the Chinese emperors. Did you know that before being appreciable, the musk is hardly breathable? Once removed from its pouch, the smell of its seeds is so strong and unpleasant, that even the fastest ships did not want to carry it! Highly ammoniated, it gives off wood, fur and feces scents.
However, after refinement in an alcoholic tincture, it reveals its irresistible animal and sensual notes. It is used then as a fixative by perfumers in their creations. Since ancient times, musk has been used for its many virtues. Already at that time, it was considered a luxury product. Its trade became more important during the time of the great explorers who took part in the export of pouch of musk to all Mediterranean countries. The Arab people quickly fell in love with it and incorporated it into many rituals to fight the evil spells of the deities.
It is evoked in the Muslim religion as the perfume that the blessed will smell in heaven. Oriental medicine claims that it purifies the air and expels parasites from the body.
In the Middle Ages , animal substances such as musk experienced a veritable frenzy. The wealthiest people used musk in a pomander to fight against bad smells that were synonymous with disease. If between East and West the effects of musk sometimes diverge, the aphrodisiac power of the ingredient is always mentioned!
Some people drink it through a straw to make themselves more attractive and release their animality, while Baudelaire emphasizes its sensual side in the Flowers of Evil. A sensuality that lasted for centuries, in the four corners of the world. To face up to this growing demand, the mammal hunting was practiced intensively in the s and even more so between and I'm anosmic to most macrocyclic musks, it's a genetic thing.
Can't smell Narciso at all. It's a very interesting topic! Rowannicus Member. Jul 14, It is my understanding that there is a sharp difference to the concept of Musk between "Western" and "Eastern" perfumery and culture. Musk plays a fundamental role in traditional Arabian style perfumery, for instance, and the most sought-after seems to be musks derived from an animal source: the musk deer, but also some species of gazelle.
Since the animals from which these substances are becoming increasingly endangered, there has been greater emphasis on cruelty-free farming and cultivation since it is entirely possible to remove a musk pod without causing death or unnecessary suffering. Similar to the production of civet in Ethiopia and SE Asia, where farmers obtain the animal product without killing the animal that produces it. Anyhow, real musk is certainly available and many commercial producers promote cruelty-free cultivation.
Companies like Abdul Samad al Qurashi, Ajmal and Arabian Oud are probably the best known brands offering traditional musk, and it smells nothing like the synthetics. The principal varieties of animal-derived musk are Black Musk and Red Musk. An alternative, White Musk, which smells completely different, almost sweet and floral and totally without the "sexiness" of the animal varieties has become extremely popular and is generally known as "body musk".
I don't know enough about this kind of musk to say how it is manufactured, but I believe it is made from plants and flowers. In terms of scent profile the Western versions of musk are totally different, and to my mind bear no relationship to the original product. If you want to know what musk really smells like, it is entirely possible to sample the real thing via eBay. My main concern about synthetic musks is that they often seem to be highly toxic and to have long-term health implications - such as became apparent with the nitro-Musks.
There has been a lot of debate in recent years about the neurotoxicity and hormone-disrupting potential of synthetic musks in particular although the same is probably true of all aroma chemicals to some degree. This is only my opinion of course. Mocha Well-known member. Jan 1, Elf said:.
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Language English Deutsch English. Musk is contained in many fragrances, especially in men's fragrances, but the scent is also popular in the unisex sector or among women. It is not easy to describe the smell of musk, because it is perceived very differently.
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