Animalic

Animalic notes in perfumes go way back – back to the beginning of modern perfumery. The French city of Grasse, known as the world’s capital of perfume, was known not only for its flowery fields but also for its tannery business back in the day. So, it made sense to incorporate leathery animalic notes to give the perfumes more allure and depth. Now, perfumers still use some captivating animalic scents – like musk, ambergris, civet, castoreum, and others, because these scents remind us of the often-forgotten fact that we too are part of the animal kingdom. Because the ways of obtaining or extracting certain animalic scents involve the killing of the animal itself, there are scientific advances made to replace these scents with artificial ones, with varying success. Or, at least, to find a way to humanely cultivate these animals. So, vegans beware!