Animalic notes in perfumery
Coralie Frébourg
Musk, civet, castoreum, ambergris: animalic notes ruled perfumery for centuries. Sensual, troubling, sometimes downright disturbing, they give a perfume character. Today, they are all recreated through synthesis. Here's the story.
What is an animalic note?
Animalic notes are warm, carnal smells, sometimes fecal or leathery, reminiscent of skin, fur or leather. Used in small touches, they bring depth, sensuality and longevity.
Quite popular in perfumery, they are nonetheless not one of the six original olfactory families defined by the French Society of Perfumers (SFP): floral, citrus, woody, oriental, fougère and chypre. They are a facet.
A bit of history: from glands to molecules
Animalic notes have been around for a very, very long time. Like musks, they were originally natural: poor animals were killed for their glands, which produced very distinctive smells. What for? To cover bad body odors.
For centuries, four materials were in vogue:
- Castoreum, from the beaver;
- Civet, from a small mammal called the civet;
- Ambergris, a concretion produced by the sperm whale;
- Musk, from the musk deer.
Their smell? Civet, for example, smells… of excrement. Really not glam. And yet it was an excellent fixative: as a base note, it gave character (no kidding), depth and longevity. It was long part of the signature of many classic perfumes.
Today, almost all natural animal materials are banned from our perfumes, by regulation and by IFRA (International Fragrance Association) guidelines. We now use synthetic animalic notes: they protect animals while keeping those unique facets, woody, smoky, leathery, sharp, “pony”…
Fun fact: jasmine is a little bit animalic
Jasmine, the beautiful white flower we associate with sun and monoi, naturally contains indole, a molecule with a very peculiar animalic smell (we talk about it in Stop the clichés in perfumery). Crazy for such a refined flower!
Key raw materials
These are usually base notes. Natural materials are marked with an asterisk.
- Paracresyl acetate: anise-like, leather, floral
- Civet absolute* (banned): fecal, leather, fatty
- Castoreum resinoid*: olive, leather, fecal
- Indole: jasmine, tar, metallic
- Indolarome: floral, tar, mushroom
- Paracresol: balsamic, tar, plastic
Iconic perfumes
- Panthère, Cartier (1986), Alberto Morillas: floral oriental
- Vapeurs Diablotines, SLM (2016), Nathalie Feisthauer: spicy oriental
- Peau de Bête, Liquides Imaginaires (2016): woody oriental
- Tubéreuse Manifeste, Evody (2017), Cécile Zarokian: animalic floral
- Nudiflorum, Nasomatto (2018), Alessandro Gualtieri: animalic floral
- The great classics of the early 20th century, which used civet in the base before it was banned.
This list is not exhaustive: there are many beautiful launches, some iconic, others more commercial.
Where to find an animalic facet at Versatile?
No “animalic” box at our place: we let your nose decide. But if you love the carnal side, go straight for Accrodisiaque: green, rose, blueberry, matcha, then sensual, leather, smoky, animalic. The perfume of a night of passion, 100% vegan, 0% civet. Leather lovers, also check out our guide to leather notes.
FAQ
Are animals still used to make perfume?
No. Natural animal materials are banned or have disappeared from formulas. Today's animalic notes are synthetic molecules. Honey and beeswax remain the rare exceptions.
Why put a “fecal” smell in a perfume?
Because in very small doses, these notes make a perfume more alive, more sensual and longer-lasting. A good perfume is a balance between “good” and “bad” smells.
What is ambergris?
A concretion formed in the intestine of the sperm whale, which sometimes floats ashore. Today it is replaced by molecules such as Ambroxan, with an ambery, woody, mineral smell.
