I've been exploring castoreum fragrances this week and thought I'd share here for those that may be interested in this beavery magic. :) *What is castoreum?* Castoreum is a yellowish, oily, and pungent exudate produced in specialized pockets called castor sacs located near the base of a beaver’s tail in both male and female beavers. *What does it smell like?* - In its raw form, castoreum has a sharp, intense, aggressive, and somewhat unpleasant aroma with heavy notes of birch tar, leather, and musk. - Diluted and aged as a tincture for use in perfumery, it softens into a warm, rich, cozy, leathery, and animalic scent with subtle undertones of smoke, wood, tobacco, fruitiness, and a sweet quality reminiscent of vanilla or raspberries. *Harvesting Note:* Although castoreum can be harvested without harming the animal it is not generally done that way. Beavers are not hunted/farmed for castoreum, it is taken as a by-product as part of legal wildlife management. However, due to ethical concerns many perfume houses use synthetic castoreum. *Fragrances I wore this week and how the castoreum presents.* - Roja Danger PPH | Castoreum is subtle with a lightly animalic leathery note. - Meleg Canadian Gentleman | Castoreum is a bit dirty but not overly so. The overall composition is quite intimate so even being a bit dirty it is light - Caron Yatagan (80s vintage) | The funkiest of the bunch. Boldy animalic and a bit of a dirty leather vibe. - Angelo Fusco Aah | This fragrance is only available in Dr. Angelo Fusco's boutiques in Milan and Rome. A friend was kind enough to grab me a bottle. The best I can describe this is a niche version of Chanel Antaeus with brighter top notes and a richer dry down. Castoreum is present but very, very polished. I love this scent. - Bortnikoff Oud Monarch | Castoreum is pretty rich in this but fairly smooth. Anyone else enjoy castoreum in scents and have some to recommend?

How do you decide whether a perfume smells “age-appropriate” for someone? I tend not to treat age as a hard rule. I look at the style of the fragrance and how it tends to read on a person, then consider the setting and the person's taste. What do you guys think? And what are good examples for the different ages?

Impassable Wilderness - FRAGRANCE NOTES GRAND FIR SCOTCH PINE RESURRECTION FERN RED CEDAR OAKMOSS PETRICHOR THE ANCIENT GROVE … They had me at Scotch Pine and Petrichor

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dd59NMzTpjM/?stkn=MXhmMHZxaTJxdjF4eQ== My son just asked me the other day how much I have spent on my collection. I told him exactly what he says in this reel lol

Anyone else explored Meleg? I've got this one and his Civet Cat Chypre and both are really nice. Canadian Gentleman is an aromatic fougere with a touch of castoreum. These wear very light so I'm pretty generous with the sprays.