- Origin
- today a synthetic accord (the natural substance is not used in modern perfumery)
- Raw materials
- civetone, skatole, animalic accords
- Extraction
- synthesis
- Olfactory group
- animalic
- Position in the pyramid
- base
- Synthetic substitutes
- civetone, skatole
Civet is historically one of the animalic notes of classic perfumery. It was once obtained from the African civet, but modern ethical perfumery has abandoned the natural substance: today “civet” is a synthetic accord.
How it smells: neat, it is very sharp and animalic, but in a tiny dose it is warm, bodily and sensual. Civet makes flowers more alive and a fragrance deeper, like warm skin.
The key molecule of the accord is civetone, a macrocyclic “musk” that chemists learned to synthesise in the twentieth century. Thanks to synthesis, perfumers can give a composition the same sensual depth without involving animals.
What it pairs with: with jasmine and tuberose — sensual white flowers, with rose — a velvety rose, with leather — dark evening compositions, with amber and vanilla — warm depth, with musk — a “second skin”.
Good to know: animalic notes are like salt in cooking: unpleasant on their own, but a tiny amount makes the whole fragrance richer and more delicious.
