Mongolian Deer Musk

Note Profile

Animal

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About

Mongolian deer musk is the dried gland grain of the musk deer taken from Mongolian stock. It is the same animal material as Siberian musk and reads as the softer type of it: animalic at the core, but powdery and sweet on top rather than sharp. Trade suppliers say the Mongolian grain is the gentler one. It is a CITES-restricted animal product with no legitimate supply through the big aroma houses, so all published description of it comes from specialist grey-market suppliers and from people who have smelled samples side by side.

Scent Profile

Mongolian deer musk is animal at the core, but softer and gentler than the sharper Siberian type of the same material. A powdery, sweet quality sits on top, closer to sweet powder than to anything sharp or urinous. Underneath is a warm, clean musk body with a dry, woody leather base. A faint sweetness runs through the whole thing.

ScentWheel

Breadthbroad

EnvelopeBase · ~40h lasting

Family Amber · Musk · Leather, Floral, Sweet & Gourmand

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

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Materials That Can Make This Note

Perfumers can build Mongolian Deer Musk from materials such as:

Natural extract Musk tonquin (natural deer musk, Moschus moschiferus)
3-methylcyclopentadecan-1-one musk · animal · powdery

Smell words come from published sources.

A given perfume with this note may use some of these, or something else.

Origin

Animal. The grain is dried musk taken from the gland pod of the musk deer, sold by weight by specialist suppliers. The Mongolian pod is nearly hairless where the Siberian pod is furry, which is how the trade tells them apart, but that is a physical mark and not an odour claim. Suppliers say the Mongolian grain is softer than Siberian by smell, with powdery, sweet, chocolate notes. Musk in general is strong, animal and potent, and the Mongolian type is slightly softer and sweeter. The same grain smells different wet than dry, from soft to very animal.

Usage in Perfumery

Sibermusk recommends it macerated in sandalwood oil, oud or rose. Attested on 9 Parfumo entries across 6 brands and absent from Fragrantica, which fits a material that artisanal oud and attar houses name openly and mainstream brands cannot use at all.