Leather

Castoreum

Note Profile

Animal 213 perfumes

About

Leathery, animalic

Scent Profile

Castoreum has a rich, leathery scent with pronounced animalic facets and a phenolic opening that is sharp and almost medicinal - creosote, birch tar, old saddle leather, the inside of a tannery. The phenols are dietary: 4-ethylphenol, catechol, guaiacol and salicylaldehyde, metabolites of the beaver's birch, willow and poplar. The heart is a warm, fur-like animality that is unmistakably biological. It dries down soft, sweet and vanillic, ending closer to amber than to leather, and persists 24 to 48 hours on a blotter.

ScentWheel

Breadthfocused

EnvelopeBase · ~44h lasting

Family Woody & Earthy, Amber · Musk · Leather

Read off the wheel, not a label applied to the note.

What this is made of

Castoreum absolute

A natural extract

CAS 8023-83-4

Castoreum absolute (IFRA NCS). Genuine castoreum is rare and expensive; most modern 'castoreum' is a reconstruction, but the material exists and is used.

How the layers join

Origin

Traditionally, castoreum is obtained from the castor sacs of beavers, where it is secreted as part of their scent-marking. In perfumery, the raw material is aged and tinctured in alcohol to mellow its intensity, though modern usage often relies on synthetic substitutes due to ethical and regulatory considerations.

Usage in Perfumery

Perfumers use castoreum primarily as a base note, lending longevity and a leathery-animalic foundation to fragrances. It is commonly blended with woods, resins, florals, and other animalic notes to add realism and complexity, especially in leather, chypre, and oriental accords.