Collection: Musk Fragrance Materials
Buy musk – macrocyclic, alicyclic, polycyclic
Musk notes soften a composition, bind its components together and support the base. By structure they fall into groups, and the group largely determines the character.
Macrocyclic musks – powdery, warm, skin-close, very long-lasting.
- Habanolide® (dsm-firmenich) – elegant, powdery-earthy, about two weeks on the blotter.
- Globalide® (Symrise) – transparent, powdery, with a fruity and dry-woody facet.
- Exaltolide® Total (dsm-firmenich) – cyclopentadecanolide, solid, powdery-woody.
- Muscenone® Delta (dsm-firmenich) – at low dosage a fragrance booster, at higher dosage a powdery musk in its own right.
- Velvione (Givaudan) – powdery-metallic, with a nitro musk facet, over one month on the blotter.
- Silvanone Supra (Givaudan) – a duo of two macrocyclic musk compounds: sweet-powdery, slightly animalic, very wide dosage range.
- Ambrettolide (Givaudan) – restrained, skin-close.
Alicyclic musk
Polycyclic musk
Musk indanone
A detailed comparison of the groups is in the encyclopedia: Musk molecules compared.
How to choose
Galaxolide and Cashmeran® come as 50% in DPG and can be weighed in directly; the other musks are undiluted. The macrocyclics give a skin-close, powdery musk, Galaxolide rather volume and cleanliness. Available from 10 ml (Ambrettolide, Velvione, Silvanone Supra) or from 20 ml, up to 300 ml.
Frequently asked questions
What does “50% in DPG” mean?
Half of the material is dissolved in dipropylene glycol (DPG). When dosing, only half counts as musk.
Which musk lasts longest?
According to manufacturer data, Velvione lasts over a month on the blotter, Habanolide® about two weeks, Galaxolide over 48 hours.
Where can I find background on individual molecules?
In the encyclopedia, e.g. Habanolide, Helvetolide® and Velvione.
Related collections: Woody Fragrance Materials and Amber Fragrance Materials.
See also: Ambrettolide in our encyclopedia · on the history of animalic materials: The Amsterdam civet monopoly (in Dutch).
