Animal materials once shaped classical perfumery: castoreum from the beaver, civet from the African civet, musk from the musk deer, ambergris from the sperm whale, hyraceum from the rock hyrax, muskrat musk and choya nakh from sea snail opercula. Most have been replaced by reconstitutions built from synthetic molecules and plant materials; some are restricted under CITES or national law.
The pages in this section are reference notes on history, odour and regulation. Lê Mai does not trade in animal materials. Plant materials such as absolutes, resinoids and CO2 extracts are indexed under Absolutes and extracts A-Z.
| Name | Vietnamese | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ambergris | Physeter macrocephalus (source) | |
| Castoreum | Castor canadensis, Castor fiber | |
| Choya nakh | Sea snail opercula; sandalwood oil base | |
| Civet | Civettictis civetta | |
| Hyraceum | Procavia capensis (source) | |
| Musk (deer), Tonkin musk | Musk (deer) | Moschus spp. (M. moschiferus, M. berezovskii, M. chrysogaster and other species) |
| Muskrat musk | Ondatra zibethicus (Linnaeus, 1766) |
| Name | Vietnamese | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ambergris substitute (ambergris reconstitution) | Synthetic molecules and plant materials | |
| Castoreum substitute (castoreum reconstitution) | Synthetic molecules and plant materials | |
| Civet substitute (civet reconstitution) | Synthetic molecules and plant materials | |
| Musk substitutes (synthetic musks) | Synthetic molecules and plant materials |