Muskrat musk

Dry, warm animal musk with a slightly powdery edge. Waxy and faintly fatty. Without the faecal sharpness of civet.

Muskrat musk has no dedicated standard in the 51st Amendment of the IFRA Standards. The macrocyclic ketones found in the secretion have no dedicated IFRA standard in that index either.

The muskrat is on the European Union list of invasive alien species under Regulation 1143/2014. Keeping, transporting and trading live animals is restricted in the EU.

Animal materials need clear documentation of origin under the laws of the exporting and importing country. Store dark, sealed and cool.

The muskrat is a semi-aquatic rodent native to North America. It was brought to Europe and Asia during the 20th century for fur farming and then spread in the wild.

Males have a pair of scent glands near the genital area. The glands enlarge and secrete strongly during the breeding season. The secretion is waxy, yellow-brown and musky.

Analyses show that macrocyclic ketones carry the odour. Cycloheptadecanone and cyclopentadecanone stand out. Muscone and civetone have also been reported. The rest is fatty acids, sterols and esters. The profile resembles deer musk with different proportions: muscone dominates deer musk, while muskrat musk has more cycloheptadecanone.

In the 20th century, Dutch chemists identified further macrocyclic compounds from civet and muskrat secretions. This work fed into later synthesis of macrocyclic musks.

In China, muskrats are farmed and the secretion has been studied as a substitute for deer musk in traditional medicine. In modern perfumery the material is almost absent from the market. Animal musk effects are built with synthetic macrocyclic musks such as muscone, cyclopentadecanone or ambrettolide.

This page records the material for reference. Supply, permits and husbandry conditions must be checked per lot and per country.