Musk Musa

You probably know many people have said my name should be Ensar Musk. I love to explore the hidden facets of musks – how they exalt other aromatics, and the age-old depth that keeps pulling me back in.  In Musk Musa, I wanted a scent that’s a bit dry, but more importantly: vast. Wide open desert plains, dunes hiding shrubs. Camel trails disappearing into the distance, trailing the scent of… musk. Our Musk Trifecta – Tonkin, Tibetan, and Mongolian – is on full display. Wafts of musk reach you before you’ve consciously registered it. Warm and truffle-like, with that particular intimacy of a scent that smells closer to skin than to perfume. Civet sneaks in around the edges, adding just enough animalic bite to confirm what the musk is already suggesting – and to coax out tinges of orange blossom and mandarin. An accord of hyraceum, cedar, and hinoki helps give the profile its dry, mineral, dune-desert tone. The musk never recedes. Every other ingredient submits in service of it. Then wild Malinau oud pours in, and any darker edges give way as honeyed resin oozes everywhere. None of the heavy, leathery, barn-like associations many bring to oud – instead, a bright nectarous glow with a cool, mint-like lift. The Malinau’s signature cinnamon warmth follows, its smooth vanilla tone and a distinct raspberry-like nuance wafting from the oleoresin itself, all shining through the prisms of the Musk Trifecta. And to complete the vision of dry desert dunes, sandalwood’s quiet, zen-like dryness wafts serenely through the background.