Where Does Musk Come From?

Last Updated by: Perfumeaddict, on: Wednesday, 30 June 2021

Where does musk come from? Is synthetic musk just as good? Let's look at all this, as well as the best musky perfumes.

Have you ever wondered where your perfume comes from or how it is created?

If you’re a lover of musky perfume, you’ll know there are a wide variety of musk scents — white musk, African musk, Japanese musk and Arabian musk, to name just a few. There is something intoxicating about this sweet scent, but you may not know what musk is or where it comes from.

While most musk is created synthetically today, back in the 19th century, musk was generally obtained organically as a base note for perfumes. So let’s explore what musk is, where it comes from and what musky fragrances we’d recommend for your collection.

What Is Musk?

Musk is a bit of an outlier when it comes to perfume families. It’s a distinct fragrance that can give people an almost visceral feeling, demanding attention. Musk has been used for centuries but has always remained in vogue.

It's a fragrance so unlike any other that it's difficult to describe. But most would attest to it being rich, deep, and sensual. So while you might turn to a floral or citrus perfume to add a bit of pep in your step, or a woody scent for grounding, musk is great for an evening date, with its alluring and intoxicating nature.

While musk is almost exclusively synthetic today, its origins come from the glandular secretions of the musk deer.

Where Does Musk Come From?

Musk is obtained from the musk pod, a gland in the pouch of skin under the abdomen of the male musk deer. Musk is extracted in the form of a semi-liquid, but it dries into a grainy powder. When extracted, the scent of musk isn't exactly enticing. First, it needs to be soaked in alcohol for months or even years, which is why natural musk perfume is rare and expensive — especially as musk deer are now a rare and protected species.

How Is Musk Extracted?

Natural musk is extracted by first killing a musk deer. This may sound barbaric, but in the olden times, this was the norm — they killed an animal to make perfume. After killing the musk deer, they cut off its musk gland or its testicle and then dry it under the sun. Another procedure of extracting musk from the deer is by dipping the gland in very hot oil.

Musk in Fragrance Notes

Notes or fragrance notes are like musical notes in that they make up the perfume scale. To have a good smelling perfume, you must have the three-note scales blended correctly. These three are called the ‘top note’, the ‘middle note’, and the ‘base note’.

Musk is an extremely popular base note in modern perfumes. The base note appears after the top note has already evaporated, and it works together with the middle note to make a fuller fragrant experience. This note stays in your skin for several hours, making you smell good the whole day. They are usually from various substances such as sandalwood, vanilla, and others, but the most favoured is musk.

Musk Deer Extinction

Since killing deer is required to extract musk, this eventually led to a widespread and serious drop in the population of the musk deer to the point of extinction. Fortunately, with new policies and laws to protect the musk deer, killing these poor creatures is now forbidden in several countries. In fact, in India, Musk deer have been fully protected since 1972, under the federal Wildlife (Protection) Act.

Natural vs Synthetic Musk

Natural musk became popular as a base note due to its nature and molecular structure — it was able to cling to skin for hours. As the years moved on and attitudes and laws changed, it became necessary to learn to synthesise musk — after all, natural musk is not only ethically problematic but expensive. Synthetic musk has become readily accepted in the perfume industry, and there are many intoxicating musk perfumes to choose from.

Our Favourite Musk Perfumes

Looking for some inspirational musky fragrances? Here are a few of our favourites:

• Amber Musk by Montale (Unisex)
• Art Deco Collector The Majestic Musk by Alexandre J (Unisex)
• Baroque Musk by Roberto Cavalli (Unisex)
• Jovan Black Musk by Jovan (For Men)
• Exquisite Musk by Yves Saint Laurent (For Women)