Civet tincture

One of the rarest of traditional fragrance materials, Civet has been used for thousands of years as an exotic perfume ingredient that brings depth, dimension and a note of erotic urgency to a perfume blend.

In North Africa and Arabia Civet paste and products containing Civet are traditionally used to treat hormonal imbalances associated with excess menstruation, acne and hair loss. In Libya, a friend tells me, Civet paste is massaged into the scalp to stimulate hair growth.

Again, less is more

Browsing through historical references on the subject, one finds the suggested ratio for Civet tincture varies from 1:10 up to 1:100 which is 1 gram Civet paste to 100 grams ethanol. Piesse recommends 1 ounce to a gallon which is approximately 1:128. The moral of all this is that as with other animalics/animal essences, less is more. For the time being I have settled on a ratio of 1:40 as my ideal.

Civet tincture is one of the best teachers of patience in the perfume-making process. The fragrance of the fresh tincture changes from month to month and year to year. Even in a few weeks, one notices the appearance of softer and sweeter notes that continue to compound and deepen as the months pass. This evolution is evident in quantities as small as a couple of millilitres!

Civit-A Musk and Aphrodisiac

The scent of Civet has an uplifting effect on me especially noticeable when I'm feeling down or depressed. I can attest that it makes my heart skip at every sniff. I find it addictive, though it's not to everyone's liking.

Said to have been one of the gifts the Queen of Sheba brought to King Solomon, Civet, in many cultures, is considered to be an aphrodisiac and thought to arouse desire in both sexes.

The Civet, reminiscent of a cross between a Mongoose and a Raccoon, is of the family Viverridae. It has a perineal gland with which it produces a paste used to mark its territory and transmit sexual/social signals. This paste is collected and processed into a perfume absolute or tincture.

The Ethics of Civiculture

There has been much controversy around traditional methods of keeping Civets for their musk, and rightly so.
The Western world has boycotted the use of Civet in the fragrance industry for decades due to the cruel traditional methods used to collect the paste.

After extensive research and visiting Ethiopia 3 times for a closer look at the situation, I think we have done more harm than good with our passive approach. I believe that by turning our back and withdrawing our financial support from the industry we have increased the poverty of the traditional farmers, leaving them even less resources to effect change. We have added one more obstacle to an already struggling country and have created a black market and back door for large corporations to continue using Civet products in their perfumes unseen by the public eye.

The animals in captivity suffer just the same as before our boycott, and the market is rife with adulterated products.

I believe that only through our active engagement as concerned western consumers can this unhappy situation be rectified. We are losing our natural aromatics and medicinals slowly all over the world through our own mismanagement.

If there is a financial incentive, a healthy market through our increased western demand, (our purchasing power), for high quality and ethically produced Civet products, I believe the farmers and government of Ethiopia will have the incentive and the means to modernize their practices to meet our ethical standards.

The more voices that can join, the more likely it is we can together transform the industry..

For more information about the Ethical Civet dilemma, please read the post Ethical Civet, A View from the mountaintop.
http://apothecarysgarden.com/2014/04/30/ethical-civet-a-glimpse-from-the-mountaintop/

You can purchase Civet pastein the shop and make your own tincture with the instructions that are included. https://apothecarysgarden.com/product/civet-paste-musk-aphrodisiac-natural-perfume/

This tincture is not comparable to Civet oil from the '60s which was not a natural product.

This is not a perfume but a perfume ingredient, uniquely smelly and meant to be used in minute amounts when formulating perfumes.

Thanks
Dan

What customers have said about this Civet tincture

"It has a wonderful smell of very strong black forest honey and wild Flowers. But my sister said it smelled like sweat after sex, so a more pleasant kind of body Oder smell. Maybe it's both, but for me, it is more Floral and honey-like."

"Repeat buyer. Great tincture. His magic helps my magic oils get that extra OOMPH!!! Very happy!!"

"This stuff completes me as a human being."

"Bien reçu en France Produits absolument fabuleux (je vais en recommander avant qu'il n'y en ai plus) Quel plaisir d'avoir découvert cette boutique tenue par un homme passionné, intègre, honnête et généreux (merci vos cadeaux) N’hésitez pas à acheter vous serez ravis Encore un grand merci"

Translation-"Well received in France
Produced absolutely fabulous (I'll recommend until there have more)
What a pleasure to have discovered this shop held by a passionate, honest and generous man (thank you for the gifts)
Do not hesitate to buy you will be delighted
A big thanks again"

"wonderful stuff !! cant wait to start using it in my compositions"

"I'm very happy to get my hands on such a potent tincture. Excellent"

"Amazing smell that really gives me a sense of the Middle East. Item as described and perfectly speedy delivery."

"My first experience with Civet outside of already being in a perfume. Powerful at first then the amazing transformation once it dries down. Can't wait to experiment with this one. Thank you."

"I wouldn't hesitate to place another order!"

"Love it. Always a pleasure doing business with Dan."

Materials: Ethiopian Civet paste 95% alcohol