Fragrance is the cloak of armor against undesirable odors. During centuries where bathing was a luxury reserved only for the elites, pomanders served as a way of warding off one’s bodily stenches and dousing oneself in rosewater was an elegant way of freshening up. Of course, access to hygiene has improved since then, and so too have our tastes. Fragrance is no longer a simple way of covering up the body’s smells, but an invisible accessory (sometimes bold, sometimes subtle) to announce oneself to the world.
As the perfume industry has become the $50 billion market it is today, its audience has expanded and a majority of those shoppers want something pleasant, a compliment-getter. Think pleasant, yummy gourmands, sensual amber florals, or clean-smelling citruses. In a sea of people-pleasing scents, animalic fragrances are the beast that refuses to be tamed.
A Raunchy Revival
Defined by the use of originally animal-derived ingredients like civet, musk, castoreum, and hyraceum (although one could argue that oud and ambergris also carry animalic facets)—but now made possible through synthetic variants like skatole or plant-derived ingredients like indole—these scents have a certain funk to them. A funk that can border on the sweaty, fecal, or urine-like but in the right doses are downright sexy. After all, sex is not a sanitized act, so why should the fragrances emulating or alluding to it be censored?
But animalic notes go beyond sensuality; they also add depth and intrigue to compositions. Shalimar, when it was launched in 1925 by Guerlain, contained castoreum and civet to give it that hint of darkness and mystery. Musc Ravageur by Maurice Roucel for Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle, launched in 2000, gained its sensuality from musky notes.
But with increasing scrutiny of fragrance ingredients, and an awareness around the nonanimal-friendly nature through which animalic notes are derived, a lot of these ingredients like natural musk and civet were either prohibited or severely restricted. Furthermore, as tastes evolved and changed, many of the animalic heavy hitters were replaced with lighter creations.
Today there is a small but noticeable wave of independent perfumers and brands championing the genre. Papillon Artisan Perfumes garnered much attention in 2015 with the chypre floral release Salome, inspired by a photograph of an erotic dancer from the 1920s. Hyraceum and musks gave its rose and jasmine notes a vintage feel but also a polarizing dose of erotic flare.
In fall of 2024, BORNTOSTANDOUT released the Raw Seduction collection, with Filthy Musk, L’Animal, and Nake Laundry, all containing animalic classics like civet, musk, skatole, and tonkitone. The 2024 brand launch, Jouissance, which focuses on female desire in literature and art throughout history, gives its scents like La Bague d’O an erotic edge with musks and animalic notes. Zoologist, with its animal-inspired creations, naturally has had some more polarizing releases like Bat and Beaver, although both have been reformulated since initial launch. Indeed, animalic fragrances are not the easiest sell, but those who love them do so with unabashed commitment.
“Animalic fragrances, with (usually) synthetic accords that hint at an animal's backside, can seem like the opposite of what most people expect from perfume: that it should be fresh and clean smelling,” Barbara Herman, founder of Eris Parfums, tells BeautyMatter. “So, I think unless you're a connoisseur of vintage fragrances, or are predisposed to complex smells, animalic fragrances, which are described as ‘dirty’ and sometimes even ‘fecal,’ can feel challenging, at least at the beginning. For some, they're an acquired taste they go on to love. For others, they can never get past the idea that perfume needs to smell clean and unchallenging.”
Eris Parfums launched in 2016. Herman is a vintage fragrance lover who wrote about her passion in the form of Yesterday’s Perfume blog and also authored Scent and Subversion: Decoding a Century of Provocative Perfume. She partnered with perfumer Antoine Lie on the line, beginning with three fragrances incorporating animalic notes. Ma Bête pays tribute to the Animalis base accord developed by Synarome in the 1920s, which combined castoreum, civet, musk, and costus, and was used for scents like YSL Kouros. Lie recreated the accord with synthetic ingredients, cranking up the concentration in the fragrance to 40% (he estimates the dilution of the accord in Kouros was 5% to 8%) and pairing it with Tunisian neroli. “That was the challenge; to do something that is extremely animalic but can also be extremely attractive and overwhelming. A lot of people are looking for something completely special and very animalic, so they were really pleased with that formulation,” he adds. “That's why I love perfumery. I want to make people react and create an emotion and not a boring reaction.” Belle De Jour, pairs a synthetic musk with seaweed and jasmine for a dirty, slightly salty floral, and Night Flower marries leather and synthetic musk with Indian tuberose. Later releases, like Mxxx, which contains natural ambergris, are continuing that legacy, with 25% of the brand’s sales coming from animalic fragrances. For Eris Parfums, it’s an undeniable calling card.
“The Eris customer usually comes to the brand looking for bold, animalic fragrances. They love that dose of (synthetic) animalics in Ma Bête, which they describe as ‘furry,’ ‘sexy,’ and ‘cuddly,’ or the natural ambergris in Mxxx, which adds an ineffable richness and sensuousness to the already rich composition. But there are people who simply can't get past the animalics. They generate some fun reviews on perfume forums,” Herman explains.
The Appeal of “the Funk”
Given the smaller commercial opportunity for these scents, what is persuading brand owners and perfumers to take the risk? “I think of animalics as the unconscious of a perfume (in Freudian terms), or the minor key of a music composition. They can add depth, sensuality, an interesting contrast to the more conventionally pretty notes. They can make things smell more interesting!” Herman enthuses. “In the Freudian sense, they remind us of our own animal, sexual bodies, and perhaps things polite society asks us to repress, including death and decay. For all of its seeming reference to our animal sides, I actually think animalic fragrances are the most philosophical of the perfume categories: they make us think as well as feel.”
For Lie, it’s a matter of creative conviction. “I grew up among fragrances like Opium, Shalimar, and Silences by Jacomo—those big chypre-oriented structures made with a lot of animalic notes. That's why I became a perfumer, because of those fragrances and the way they were built,” he tells BeautyMatter. “I also think that overall, we are still animals behind every layer of pseudo civilization. Smell is still a very powerful sense. It used to be our most important sense a long time ago to find food, protect ourselves, hunt, and reproduce. I think it's still there unconsciously, and that's why so many people are still very reactive to animalic notes.”
Lie—who prefers pairing animalic notes with balsamic, spicy, and woody notes, or a bouquet of green notes—is also the nose behind another landmark creation in the genre. Secretions Magnifiques by Etat Libre d'Orange, a 2006 creation with notes alluding to blood, sweat, sperm, and saliva, garnered headlines for its inspiration and unique aromatic profile. “It was a gesture of rebellion in a way because I had enough of all those big brands that wanted to always have very standard fragrances that test extremely well, avoiding everything that could be animalic,” Lie says. “Even though it was very animalic, difficult, and polarizing, it was also the fragrance of the beauty of the nature. I was revealing outside what is happening inside when you're falling in love. And what is the most beautiful thing in the world? To fall in love.”
Lie describes animalic notes as giving scents “a new layer, another dimension of sensuality. It’s polarizing, but that’s the purpose of fragrances: to reveal what you want to smell and not just follow the trend and smell like all the others. The animalic territory is very attractive in terms of marketing, but the real animalic fragrances are not commercial. It's a different approach. I'm much more like an artist and working on a small-scale,” he comments.
Independent perfume retailers are the optimal home for these types of creations, but even in the eyes of niche fragrance lovers, it’s not an immediate or blind buy. “Animalic fragrances present a unique challenge primarily due to their distinct, often polarizing scent profiles. These fragrances can evoke strong emotional responses and may be perceived as too bold or unconventional for mainstream tastes. Some customers are drawn to the sensual and raw qualities; whereby others might find animalics overwhelming or off-putting. At its core, animalics are really what niche is about—authenticity and complexity,” Franco Wright, Partner at Luckyscent, adds. He explains that the category is still very small compared to other styles and constitutes 6% to 8% of the retailer’s sales. Karl Bradl, co-founder of Aedes de Venustas notes that about 3% to 5% of the retailer’s sales come from animalic scents, but that animalic fragrances by brands like Naomi Goodsir and Orto Parisi do very well.
Taming the Beast for the Mainstream Market
The dose makes the animal when it comes to these sensual creations. A majority of fragrances on the market contain musk or ambergris but either in a more subdued synthetic form or in small doses that simply add a little hint extra. The true animalic scent is a bold statement, and not for every nose.
“The majority of people don't like the ‘dirtiness’ that animalics add to a perfume composition. Only in the most diluted form or perhaps in name only [would an animalic fragrance hit mainstream]. I've already seen this with a couple of mainstream brands ... but a mainstream true, perfume with a pronounced animalic character? Doubtful,” Herman comments.
“Personally, I believe it's very unlikely that animalic fragrances will fully break into the mainstream, as their bold, raw nature can be challenging for many consumers. However, if these fragrances are crafted in a 'pleasant' and approachable way, while paired with an intriguing and compelling story, there might be potential for wider appeal. Ultimately, it’s about finding the right balance between artistic expression and wearability,” Bradl remarks. “Fragrances with a subtle use of animalic notes certainly can find a place in the mainstream; it just comes down to the execution and ‘finesse,’” Wright adds.
In times where niche brands are becoming mainstream hits and blockbuster scents are made overnight on TikTok, animalic scents are something of a subversive rebellion. But the ingredient restrictions for their original sources of scent also pose a challenge.
“Unfortunately, I don't think that animalic notes has a future to come back the way it used to be used before, but that’s because at this time, there are no alternatives,” Lie comments. “The synthetic alternatives are not the same thing. There are some ingredients that are good but they are not complete substitutes. It's very difficult to recreate the nature. That's the beauty of it. That’s why a lot of old vintage fragrances were completely destroyed because of the reformulation when they had to remove those animalic notes. For example for civet, the synthetic ingredient we use is called skatole. It smells exactly like its name: like shit. To me civet is more subtle, there is something more interesting, intriguing, and very attractive in a way.”
Lie sees the niche brands as the only potential for animalic scents to become a trend, noting that bigger industry players would be more likely to go with gourmand or fruity fragrances to appeal to the wider masses. In fact, the perfumer draws parallels between the addictive nature of sugar-laden foods and the super sweet gourmand fragrances currently ruling bestseller lists.
“The problem is that it’s a lazy emotion because actually it's easier to attract people with sugary taste than with greens, animalic notes, earthy notes, resins, or leather. Everything launched at the big leaders is the same kind of structure: a creamy white, petal-y structure, plus some addition of sugar or food. Something very addictive, very creamy, and edible. There is no clear identification. There is no DNA, like the way you smell when a Chanel No. 19, Poison, or Aromatic Elixir. Those scents had their own personality,” Lie states. “We are getting to an industry where we are so saturated with the same kind of DNA structure to make sure that we are going to sell more. That's why the big brands are not taking any risks, especially not with animalic fragrances.”
Perhaps now more than ever, animalic fragrances are a call to action, a regrounding in the principle of perfumery as an artistic practice. While not pleasing to every palette or flying off every retailer shelf, it’s important to uphold the pleasure of scent for all fragrance lovers, not only those who want a demure creation.It also presents an opportunity for the creations of new synthetics that can capture the spirit of the original creations even more. For enthusiasts of the genre, having niche brands that dare to be different presents a welcome home of purchase interests for the time being. Maybe the animalic beast was never meant to be tamed—so long may it roam free in all it’s splendor.
