Musk
Natural musk comes from the musk deer (now banned and ethically untenable). Modern musks are synthetic and fall into three families: white/clean (the 'laundry' musk in Galaxolide), warm/sensual (the skin musk in Ethylene Brassylate), and animalic (the nitro musks, mostly discontinued). Musk is the most-used base note in perfumery because it extends longevity, smooths the dry-down, and gives a fragrance 'skin intimacy' — the sense that it belongs to the wearer.
Scent Profile
Clean, powdery, skin-like, subtly animalic
Typical Use
Base note in almost everything; fixes and extends top notes; gives 'skin' intimacy.
Related Notes
Fragrances Containing Musk
Bleu de Chanel Eau de Parfum
Chanel
Dior Sauvage Eau de Parfum
Dior
Creed Aventus
Creed
Tom Ford Oud Wood
Tom Ford
Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille
Tom Ford
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540
Maison Francis Kurkdjian
Hermès Terre d'Hermès
Hermès
YSL La Nuit de L'Homme
Yves Saint Laurent
Versace Eros
Versace
Armaf Club de Nuit Intense Man
Armaf
Parfums de Marly Layton
Parfums de Marly
Jean Paul Gaultier Le Mâle Le Parfum
Jean Paul Gaultier
Creed Green Irish Tweed
Creed
Dior Homme Intense
Dior
Tom Ford Neroli Portofino
Tom Ford
Bleu de Chanel Parfum
Chanel
Tom Ford Black Orchid
Tom Ford
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Grand Soir
Maison Francis Kurkdjian
Hermès Voyage d'Hermès
Hermès
YSL Y Eau de Parfum
Yves Saint Laurent
Versace Dylan Blue
Versace
Parfums de Marly Herod
Parfums de Marly
Creed Silver Mountain Water
Creed
Dior Fahrenheit
Dior
Guerlain L'Homme Idéal Eau de Parfum
Guerlain
Tom Ford Ombre Leather
Tom Ford
Chanel Allure Homme Sport
Chanel
Chanel Pour Monsieur
Chanel
Hermès Un Jardin sur le Nil
Hermès
MFK Aqua Celestia
Maison Francis Kurkdjian
MFK Aqua Vitae
Maison Francis Kurkdjian
Parfums de Marly Greenley
Parfums de Marly
Armaf Aura Fresh
Armaf
Related Articles
A long-form review of Bleu de Chanel Eau de Parfum — the grapefruit-cedar-vetiver composition that defined the 'blue fragrance' genre. We break down the scent profile, performance, value, and verdict, and compare it head-to-head with Dior Sauvage.
Dior Sauvage EDP is the best-selling men's fragrance in the world. We review the bergamot-ambroxan-lavender composition, its polarizing popularity, and whether it deserves a place in your collection beyond the hype.