Musk

At a glance

Musk in modern perfumery is a synthetic material engineered to reproduce the clean, skin-like scent once sourced from the musk deer, a practice banned under CITES.

Origin

Synthesized in laboratories; historically derived from the musk deer, now banned

Extraction

Chemical synthesis

Chemical family

Musk

Profile

Clean, warm, skin-like scent with soft powdery facets

IFRA status

Regulated, category-dependent IFRA limits typical of synthetic musks

Cost tier

Low