It is a substance secreted by the beaver and is in the form of a (double bag) and is now banned from use internationally. Its natural animal smell provides leather and musky features, which also include:

• Civet musk
• animal catch
• whale catch
• Lint catch

The origin and history of animal observations

Discovered by Alexander the Great around 330 B.C., animal ingredients have always been widely used by perfumers, who value their strong scents, resistance to evaporation, and high performance. Animal ingredients are generally used in small doses, and can be combined with more subtle scents, bringing softness and refinement without being noticed. into the mix.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, most perfumes consisted of animal components and were called "fixatives", noting that they are very strong and stubborn when shared with other ingredients in the aromatic base, although they add sensual and warm touches in the fragrance, as for the beaver musk when used in the mixture It adds some very pronounced leather notes to both women's and men's fragrances.

Today, animal protection has led to most animal ingredients being banned (with the exception of whale musk, as it does not cause any animal suffering), although it is shunned by customers today and is thus less popular in contemporary perfumery.

So what is beaver musk ( Castoreum )?

It is an oily secretion secreted by a beaver, which is very aromatic, and is produced from pockets in the beaver's abdomen, in the upper region of the anus, and the beaver uses this to mark its territory.

These oils are treated with volatile solvents, and then a thick, resinous product is obtained in its final form, or an absolute extract (Abs), or by maceration (soaking the organ for a long time in a container with alcohol), and then it is purified. 5 kg of castor musk yields approximately 1 kg of castor oil absolute (Abs).

Unfortunately, the beaver that lives in the wild is hunted in both Canada and Russia, especially in January when the beaver is at its best and the fur is densely covered. Nowadays, they are mainly sought after for their fur (hunting is permitted to avoid an increase in their number).

The history of beaver catching

Beaver musk was commonly used in ancient times until the twentieth century, then this animal component was banned in perfumes about twenty years ago, as well as after the activity of the International Fund for Nature Conservation WWF, and the reason was that the beaver animal had to be killed to bring the oily pockets from inside it.

In the past, beaver musk was used to treat many ailments such as epilepsy, headaches, or fever (it contains a molecule close to the one found in aspirin), and it was also considered an aphrodisiac. Its scent and distinction, perfume makers took care of it.

Use of beaver musk

Castoreum is the cheapest natural animal product (compared to musk deer, whale or civet), due to the abundance of the animal (every year, Canadian hunters have to kill a lot of them to curb the animal's over-breeding).

Like all other animal raw materials, castoreum can be used in perfumery as an alcohol-diluted ingredient, consisting of fermenting the pockets in an alcoholic vat and then using the alcoholic liquor into the aromatic blend.

Today, synthetic peprums are produced that mimic the scent of beaver musk not quite the same, but very close to it.

Olfactory description Castor musk

The smell of beaver musk is leathery and animalic, with some smoky hints. And it has some hints that appear in its smell (fur, ink, ..), and the strange thing is that some versions emit a fruity smell, such as (prunes) or fermented fruits. Castor musk has been used in luxury, oriental, chypre, woody, as well as leather perfumes.

How is beaver musk replaced?

Although the International Fund for Conservation of Nature (WWF) has banned the use of castor musk, there are still those who use this product, especially manufacturers in the Middle East, for local production. However, it is important to know if there are other solutions to avoid natural and forbidden animal ingredients. internationally, and the most prominent solutions are:

• Industrial castoreum
• Animal ingredients found in jasmine: indole
• Paracresol
• A floral musk like ambrette
• Botanical notes with slightly animalistic overtones like cumin, costus, labdanum, sage, atlas cedar wood, hyssop, and osmanthus pair well with leather notes.