5 mysterious musk perfumes to try

25 January 2017

By Fashion Quarterly

Perfumes with enigmatic sex appeal, please come-hither.

The smell of sphinx-like musk has enchanted humans since ancient times. Muslim mosques were built with musk mixed into the mortar to fill the building with a beautiful scent as the sun shone on it, while the infamous Catherine de Medici and her personal perfumer hid recipes for their musk perfumes down a secret passageway in 1500s France.

Today, musks with wood, pepper and vanilla notes have a gender-neutral appeal, which carries from day to night – because a sexy scent must work wonders in the evening too.

Clockwise from top: Grandiflora Queen of the Night 100ml, $229. Versace Dylan Blue Pour Homme EDT 100ml, $131. Van Cleef & Arpels Moonlight Patchouli 75ml, $230. Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire EDP 50ml, $158. Lancôme La Nuit Trésor Caresse EDP 50ml, $153.