Raw materials of animal origin and their use in perfumery.

Raw materials of animal origin and their use in perfumery.

 For over a century, raw materials of animal origin have been used in perfumery, mainly, thanks to their fixative power, to give the perfume more persistence. Currently almost all these materials have been replaced by synthetic molecules, both for cost and ethical reasons. Let's see the 4 main ones most used:

The animal musk

This substance, also called tonkin moss, originates from the musk, an animal similar to the deer native to Central Asia. During the reproductive phase, the musk emits a gland with a wild and woody odor and, being an animal at risk of extinction, its breeding and export from its habitat has been prohibited, which is why natural musk has been replaced in perfumery from the synthetic one.

The ambergris

Raw material originating from the sperm whale, this animal feeds on large squid capable of injuring its digestive system. To defend itself, the sperm whale releases a substance which, once expelled from its mouth, floats in the currents and is then collected by fishermen or on the shoreline. Its perfume has similar characteristics to the amber one, but more animalic, marine and musky. Ambergris, being very expensive, is most of the time replaced by synthetic molecules such as ambroxan. In fact, it is estimated that 1kg of ambergris costs around 37 thousand dollars.

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The castoreum

The castoreum It is a substance obtained from the perianal glands of the beaver. This element, with its wild, animalic scent and leathery facets, is dried and aged for over two years to remove its typical acrid smell before being applied in perfumery. Subsequently, once collected, the castoreum scent is extracted with a solvent and purified by alcohol. Approximately 5kg of castoreum is need to obtain the absolute.

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The civet animal

The civet animal Civet is an anal secretion coming from the Civet itself, an animal of African and Asian origin. The substance is collected from animals subjected to captive breeding; subsequently, to obtain the absolute, it is also processed through solvent and purification in alcohol. Civet, with a musky and animalic odor, is used in perfumery mainly as a fixative to give greater persistence.

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