In the vocabulary of perfumery, an animal scent signifies very “sensual” smells. But it doesn’t necessarily require the use of ingredients from our animal friends. Still, animal raw materials have been closely linked to perfumery for a long time! And the four key ingredients? Amber, musk, civet and castoreum. We (well, not us!) use them to improve a perfume’s hold and give it strength, character, and depth. And contrary to popular belief, no legislation has totally banned the use of all these materials.
Nevertheless, it has been many years since European fragrance houses, like Sillages Paris, stopped using these controversial ingredients. The reason for this is often their price (these ingredients are rare and precious), but also for ethical reasons as well. Consumers are increasingly refusing to accept beauty products that contain natural ingredients obtained through the slaughter of an animals.
So how do our perfumers replace these animal ingredients?
We’ll tell you everything 😉.
What is an animal scent?
In perfumery, we use the word “animal” to describe a potent (almost unpleasant) smell with skin, fur, and even faecal facets! But the term is also used for fragrances that evoke human body odors (like perspiration, for instance). Basically, when it smells like a beast, a farm, or a bed after a crazy night.
For a long time, creating perfumes with “animal” notes has meant using ingredients of animal origin.
Animal scents: the really uncool ingredients
Musks
You’ve probably already heard of white musks with their clean, cottony-soft smell (very fashionable these days). Well, they have nothing to do with the animal scent of Tonkin musk! One is synthetic, and the other is natural. But this is a classic example of how natural isn’t necessarily good, and synthetic isn’t necessarily cheap or dangerous. Of natural origin, of course, Tonkin musk is very controversial! This raw material comes from an abdominal gland in the musk chevrotain. This gland is located under the skin, between the navel and the sexual organs, and therefore requires the animal to be killed. Highly sought-after for centuries, the powerful scent of musk was at the heart of many fragrant creations throughout Europe. It was appreciated for its virile, aphrodisiac, animal scent, as well as for the hold it gave to the perfume.
But fortunately, in the 1960s, CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) helped to protect the musk chevrotain. This endangered species is now protected and its hunting is strictly controlled. But contrary to popular belief, the use of animal musk has not yet been banned!
Nevertheless, most perfume houses today use synthetic musks. These include muscenone (a molecule naturally present in Tonkin musk), galoxolide, tonalide, and musk T (known as white musk).
Castoreum
Castoreum is a greasy and oily substance that allows beavers to waterproof and protect their hair. This small animal breeds en masse in the United States and Canada, so it is hunted to avoid overpopulation. But the beaver is also popular for its fur and the castor sacs that are situated around the genital area. So, to collect the castoreum produced by two glands, you have to kill the animal 🙁.
Contrary to other animal materials, castoreum is not very expensive and is therefore widely used in the perfume industry (around €500 to €700 per kilo compared to several thousand euros for the other materials). Its animal scent, which is initially very powerful, gives off essences of leather and smoke similar to those of a chimney fire. You can also decipher fruity and sweet notes of plums, black olives, and dried fruit.
Civet
Look at this little darling… <3 It’s a civet, formerly called “musk cat”! Originally from Ethiopia, it looks like a mix between a cat and a fox.
But have you ever smelled pure civet used in perfumery? The smell is faecal and extremely strong. So clearly, you don’t want to perfume yourself with it! And yet, if it’s used in perfume making, it is because it’s an excellent fixative. But it has also long been appreciated for its wild scent, which was thought to be an aphrodisiac. After the first few minutes (or hours) of excremental odours, and when it’s well diluted and blended, civet adds a sensual, round, and warm note that some people find interesting.
The civet has long been captured for its civettone: an odorous substance used in perfumery that the animal secretes to mark its territory. Because this substance is found in its perianal glands, the animal was hunted and then caged to extract the precious substance. Regrettably, the civet was subjected to very painful curettage procedures and consigned to a life in captivity. This pushed animal protection associations to take action in the 1970s!
Still today, though, civets are at the heart of another industry with the invention of a very luxurious coffee, Kopi Luwak. The poor civet sadly still continues to fascinate us with its natural smell…
Animal scents: the “collected” ingredients (not great either)
Amber
Amber gris Stone via Ambergris. 
Sperm Whale via FranceInter
You’ve probably already heard of the amber stone that is widely used in jewelry? Well, it’s also frequently used to reproduce amber in perfumery. Interestingly, this stone is actually a resin with caramel reflections, which has no smell!
In perfumery, it is amber gris that interests perfumers. The ambergris stone is not very striking: it is grayish, light and reminds one of a pumice stone. But appearances are sometimes deceiving as it is an extremely rich and rare material! It is a substance that the sperm whale expels naturally when it has eaten too many octopuses and squids. Carried by the waves, the blocks of amber end up on the beach.
The smell of ambergris varies according to the origin of the blocks of stone and their floating time. Super rich amber offers an animal, woody, camphor, leathery, even fecal scent, with notes of tobacco and musk, but also marine notes including seaweed, sea urchins, and even dead fish! Ambergris is known for its warm and very sensual notes. It also gives perfumes a harmony that is rarely found with other raw materials.
Nowadays, synthetic materials like ambroxan and ketalox are used to reproduce this wonderful fragrance, but natural ingredients are also used. Vanilla, labdanum, and opoponax have very warm and resinous notes reminiscent of the smell of ambergris.
But also, the beeswax absolute
Used to give a natural effect in floral notes, it is also used for tobacco and dried fruit accords. The wax can be recovered from old beehives to obtain a more powerful odour.
Animal fragrances at Sillages Paris are guaranteed 100% animal cruelty-free
Have you ever considered switching to vegan cosmetics? You don’t have to be Brigitte Bardot to agree that we should insist our beauty products are 100% animal cruelty-free. Do you agree? That’s why at Sillages Paris, our ingredients are mostly natural, but if they are not, it’s to protect the fauna and flora. Thus, all our perfumes are guaranteed vegan (none are made from animal matter) and cruelty-free (which means that we do not test any of our fragrances on animals before they are sold).
Our talented perfumers have replaced these ingredients with other beautiful materials, such as woods (sandalwood, cedar, patchouli, vetiver), vegetable leather, vanilla, and white musks. We guarantee you that our perfumes will last all day on your skin!
In closing, there’s really is no need to kill or harm animals to create a fragrance that leaves a bewitching trail behind you!
So, are you ready to take the plunge?
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