Musk is one of the most esteemed scents in the perfumery world. Since launching our Soft Botanic all natural solid and spray perfumes recently, we’ve had lots of comments that they smell like musk. We’re thrilled as we’ve been working on a natural musk formula for many years now.
What does musk smell like?
The alluring scent of musk captivates both the wearer of the fragrance and those that are close by. It has a warm, soft powdery notes with sweet, woody undertones.
Musk is a base note in perfumery, it lingers on the skin for a long time (compared to the lighter citrus notes which are relatively short lived on the skin due to their light molecular structure).
The scent has been well loved for many centuries. King Henry V was thought to have carried around a golden ball filled with scents, including musk.
What is synthetic musk?
Synthetic musk is now available which is definitely a much better option than obtaining musk derived from animals (which unfortunately was a practice prior to the 20th century and primarily came from the gland of the musk deer). It is formulated in a laboratory from various synthetic compounds and is often referred to as white musk.
However some of the synthetic molecules are now thought to interfere with the endocrine system and have been found in mothers' milk and newborn babies. They are also non biodegradable, which is not great news for the environment. Research has shown synthetic musks have been found in water communities with a harmful effect on the ecosystems.
What are natural musk options in the natural perfumery world?
There are certain plants that are known as vegetable musk (such as Ambrette Seed and Angelica) that are thought to have aromas that resemble musk. At Cherie Em, we have used these in the past and they have been well liked by our customers. But we have found that as well as a musk note, that they also have a slightly nutty or herbal undertones.
The way to get around this is to build a musk accord (an accord is a combination of different perfumery notes to produce a scent, much like a combination of notes makes up a scale in a musical composition).
Over many years we have been developing an accord for a natural musk note and we have come up with a combination of earthy, wood, herbal and floral elements that we are really happy with. It includes Australian Sandalwood, earthy florals and a hand tinctured, aged Patchouli, which keeps on getting better and better with age, like a fine wine. We've used this musk accord in our Soft Botanic Natural Eau de Parfum and Soft Botanic Solid Perfume and added a hint of spice and softness to it. These perfumes are exuding soft, musky notes with good sillage and longevity.
Watch this space for our brand new trial size 3ml perfumes which will be available by mid April 2024. A great way to try out our Soft Botanic Natural Eau de Parfum and any other perfumes you may like to try.