musk

Ingredients

musk, alcohol

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

A standard tincture of 3% musk is prepared from the raw material, and a highly concentrated absolute can also be produced through alcohol extraction (p. 14). This absolute is characterized as dark brown and viscous, representing the most valuable and concentrated form of the substance (p. 15). In preparations, musk acts as a base and a fixative due to its slow rate of evaporation, which helps to stabilize and underlie compounded scents (p. 15).

Evidence

"In perfumery, musk can be used in several forms. A standard tincture of 3% musk is prepared from it, and an absolute can also be made through alcohol extraction. The absolute is dark brown and viscous; it is the most valuable form of musk because it is so highly concentrated."

Remarks

Musk is utilized as an erogenous animal component and fixative in historical and modern preparations. Scientific nuances of true musk scent include pungent-ammonia-like, sweet-nutty, and bitter-animalic notes (p. 14). The characteristic odor is linked to steroids such as 3a-androstenol, though these are chemically distinct from the substance itself (p. 14). Historically, Robert Boyle (1675) described an alcohol-based essence so potent that a single drop could perfume large quantities of wine, appearing as a vast disproportion of ingredients (p. 15). The chemical indol, found in human feces and certain flowers like jasmine, is also identified as a component contributing to the erogenous appeal of musk-based floral scents (p. 16). Economically, the material has fluctuated from a quarter of its weight in gold to three times its weight in gold between the 1850s and 1970s, with high-grade granular musk reaching $45,000 per kilogram in 1979 (p. 16).