Due to the history of musk, there are many who believe musks to be strong fragrance that would be comparable to heavy notes such as leather, but the musks in the perfume world are in fact exactly different.
Musk is a superior class of fragrant substances used as a base note in the perfume industry. This amazing animalistic note designs a groundwork on which the rest of the unique fragrances rest.
Musk is the commonly used raw material, present in almost all scent compositions. What makes musk so unique in the perfume industry is its exceptional property to balance the composition and add a touch of sensuality and warmth. Musk is also considered as a superior fixative, which lowers the evaporation rate and allows the fragrance to last longer while keeping its real aroma.
In the perfume world, the term “musk” doesn’t apply to a concrete perfume component, but rather shows the whole impression of the fragrant composition. Natural fragrance of musk is highly complex and usually described with so many contradictory statements.
Musks may range from sweet, creamy or powdery, to rich, spicy, leathery and even woodsy. Generally, the musk is described as an animalistic scent, with a lively, often contrasting nature. The common smell of musk develops from the natural musk tincture once the volatile parts have evaporated, enabling the sensual and warm real musk notes to come up to the surface.
These days, white musk note is one of the most commonly used in the manufacturing of perfumes, offering a more ethical approach and being less expensive than the natural musk. Used in almost every scent, yet the human nose isn’t perfect at detecting the aroma of musk.
Some people will be completely unaware of musk fragrance while only a few will sense a very strong animalic note. The clean, soft, powdery, animalistic fragrance brings perfect balance and helps the scent last longer.
Musk – A Fixative Aroma
Musk is a fixative. Musk clings to the wearer’s skin and encourages oils with which it is mixed to ensure balance. One of the main reasons why musk is used prominently throughout the perfumery world is that it plays well with other fragrance notes and can be used to either amplify or diffuse their fragrances, depending on how a perfumer applies it.
What is unique about this product is that historically, it came from an animal, so it does have an inherent earthy, woody element to it. And yet, it is now used to convey a sort of sexy, clean or warm, sensuality in the fragrance world.
Perhaps the amazing thing about musk, however, is that it’s often described by users as offering a -skin-but-better smell, meaning it smells differently on everyone’s skin.
In that case, it is recommended not to focus much on the musk itself but rather the aroma as a whole. There are different types of synthetic musks, and they all work differently depending on what you mixed them with. But, what matters a lot is not the ingredients but the emotions you can create with them, and the feelings they pass as a whole.
To have a nice fragrance, you should have the three fragrance notes – the top note, the middle or heart note and the base note mixed properly. Musk is one of the most popular base notes in the perfume industry.
The base or bottom note appears after the top note has already evaporated, and it works together with the heart note to ensure an amazing fragrant experience.
Base note settles in your skin for several hours, turning you smell pleasant the whole day. Base notes are generally from various substances such as vanilla, sandalwood and others, but the most common is musk.
Natural musk became highly popular as a base note due to its unique nature. Natural musk was able to cling to the human skin for long hours. As the laws changed, it became essential to learn to synthesize musk. Synthetic musk is now accepted in the perfume world, and there are countless intoxicating musk perfumes to choose from.
Final Thoughts
Musk is highly versatile. Musk exceptionally softens, balances, and fixes. It offers strong staying power and keeps a fragrance on the skin for a day long, while stopping other short-lived ingredients from disappearing too fast. Musk smells like skin itself.