Castoreum

Castoreum is a secretion from the beaver. Now banned from use, castoreum is one of the natural animal notes used in perfumery, that also include:



Origin and history of animal notes 

Discovered by Alexander the Great around 330 B.C., animal notes have always been widely used by perfumers, who appreciated their powerful scents and their resistance to evaporation. Generally used in small doses, animal notes could be combined with more subtle scents, then they brought softness to the perfumes, without their presence being noticed.

At the beginning of the 20th century, most fragrances were composed of animal notes. They were called "fixatives". Indeed, they were very tenacious, and participated in the base notes, while giving a real sensual side to fragrances. As for the castoreum, it gave a very pronounced leather note to both perfumes for women and for men.

Today, the protection of animals has led to the banning of most animal notes (with the exception of ambergris, as no animal suffering is caused). These are also less appreciated by today's customers and therefore less popular in contemporary perfumery.

 

The pomanders 

In medieval times, glove-makers created "apples of scent", also called pomanders. These small pommels contained plant scents sublimated by one or more of the above-mentioned animal notes, that added depth and trail. These jewels, openworked to let the fragrances through, were sometimes chiselled or covered with precious stones. Aristocrats hung them on their belts for decorative purposes, but above all because they were supposed to conceal miasmas (pestilential emanations), while at the same time perfuming the person wearing them. 

 

 

What is castoreum?

The castoreum is a very fragrant oily secretion produced by the pockets located in the abdomen of the beaver, in the perianal regions. The secreted fat allows the rodent to waterproof its coat and delimit its territory.

The secretions from the odorous pockets were treated with volatile solvents. The final product was obtained in the form of resinoid, absolute, or by dyes (by macerating the product for a long time in alcohol). The substance was then purified. 5 kg of product was necessary to produce 1 kg of castoreum absolute. 

The rodent, who lives in the wild in Canada and Russia, was hunted, especially in January, when its coat is at its best. Nowadays it is sought after mainly for its fur (hunting is allowed to avoid overpopulation).

 

History of the castoreum 

The castoreum was commonly used from antiquity until the 20th century. This animal note has been banned in perfumes for about twenty years now, following the action of WWF, because the animal had to be killed to allow the pockets to be recovered.

In the past, castoreum was used to treat many diseases such as epilepsy, headaches, or fever (it contains a molecule close to that found in aspirin), and was also considered an aphrodisiac. The castoreum is mentioned in medical texts from the Byzantine period, and many uses have been attributed to it in perfumery.

 

Use of the castoreum 

The beaver is the cheapest natural animal product (compared to musk, ambergris, or civet), due to the abundance of the animal (every year, Canadian hunters have to kill a lot of them to limit the animal's excessive reproduction).

Like all other animal raw materials, castoreum can be used in perfumery as an alcoholic dye, from crushed pockets or directly in compositions as a resinoid or absolute. 

Today, the beaverum is reproduced in synthesis: the scent is not exactly the same, but is very close to it.

 

Olfactory description of the castoreum 

The scent of the castoreum is leathery, animal and smoky. It evokes notes of fawn, ink and fur. The little extra of this scent is its fruity note of plum, black olives and dried fruits.

The castoreum was used in prestigious perfumes, orientals, chypre, woody, and leathery ones. The substance was also used in cigarettes, in some sweets, and even in vanilla flavouring.

 

How to replace castoreum? 

Despite WWF's ban on the use of castoreum, a few labels continue to use this product, notably Middle Eastern manufacturers, for local production. However, it is important to know that there are other solutions to avoid natural animal notes, such as : 

  • Synthetic castoreum: as the Artessence de Biolande castoreum does
  • The animal notes contained in jasmine: indole
  • The paracresol
  • Vegetable musks like ambrette
  • Vegetable notes with slightly dirty notes such as cumin, costus, cistus labdanum, sage, atlas cedar, hyssop, osmanthus that goes particularly well with leather notes.

 

Sylvaine Delacourte fragrances

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