Wild Musk (1973)
by Coty

Though I'm not a musk fan in general (and in fact usually go out of my way to avoid it), I wore Coty Wild Musk Oil all through the '70s. To me it was less animalic than sweet and ambery-vanilla. Sexy but not in-your-face dirty. Men loved it, and I felt beautiful when I wore it.

I just rediscovered it, finding a bottle for less than $15 online. I expected to be disappointed, having in the meantime developed a taste for more sophisticated and complex scents -- but it still casts the same spell.

13rd January, 2011.

I have been wearing Coty Wild Musk since the 70's when it first came out. I absolutely love it. It is one of the few perfumes that does not give me a severe headache and nausea and I get more compliments on how good it smells. It is becoming harder and harder to locate, they do come out with specials on it at Christmas, so I buy a lot of it and put it up at that time. It stays for a very long time, on my clothes, I can smell it a week later when I get them out of the laundry basket to wash them. I have tried other musks, but this is the only one I really care for, apparently others can smell it long after I can smell it on myself because I get comments on it long after I have aplied it

31st August, 2009.

This is the perfect perfume for nervous teenagers (and adrenalized adults.) When it mixes with sweat, it undergoes a chemical reaction and turns into this piquant, voluptuous nectar which makes people want to stick their noses to your neck. Seriously.
But if you want something a bit more pronounced, Jovan Musk is the next step up.

27th June, 2009.

Coty Wild Musk and Marc Jacobs Amber Splash Comparison

On the right arm: Coty Wild Musk Oil
On the left arm: Marc Jacobs Amber Splash EDT

On first application:

They both had very similar sweet ambery vanilla top notes, with the CWM being slightly more sweet but with a penetrating chemical or "hairspray" smell peeking through. I noticed this quality in excess when I sprayed the CWM EDT, and have been wondering if the oil was any different. Turns out--no, it is not, however, at the start, this note is greatly diminished as compared to the CWM spray.

The MJA was a tiny bit more dry, and for lack of a better way to say it, sort of baseless. It definitely didn't have the same chemical undertones as the CWM, but likewise did not seem to have anything anchoring it either.

Development:

Both scents developed very quickly, but the MJA lost its top notes a bit faster than the CWM oil. However, as the two developed, that chemical scent from the CWM became more apparent. By this time, I was wondering if this the the Musk part of the CWM. Further, I was wondering if perhaps the CWM I wore as a young adult had the dreaded NITRILE musks. If so, it would make sense that the newer one smells different to me. Also, since both the CWM spray and the oil have it, clearly it was an intentional part of the composition. The MJA started to literally disappear--it either burns through the entire composition very quickly, or the base notes are almost non-existant.

Complete dry down:

Now, almost 9 hours later, I can't really smell anything from the MJA arm. On the CWM arm, there is very little sweetness left, but the chemical musk smell is still present, though not very strong anymore. On the whole, the CWM oil also seemed to last longer than the CWM edt, based on a previous wearing of the spray.

Prices:

The MJA, is $65 retail for 10 ounces--which makes it $6.50 per ounce (could be less if found at a discounter). Due to its short longevity, it would need to be refreshed about every 4 hours, probably 1-2 sprays per wrist at least.

The CWM oil I saw for varying prices, but typically is around $15 ($11 plus shipping) for 0.5 ounce. So, $30 per ounce, but only a dab is needed and it lasts all day.

The CWM edt was around $10 at Target for 1.5 oz., so $6.67 per ounce (surprise--it is MORE than MJA). Longevity as I remember from my last wearing was more along the lines of MJA.

I think if you are a CWM lover, the MJA is actually not a bad deal, and has some of the same sweet character as CWM. However it does not have the oily chemical musk base, and fades to nearly nothing. The fading could be desirable for people who like to switch fragrances from morning to evening. Also, the low concentration of the MJA makes it a refreshing splash-type application.

9th November, 2008.

Not as nice as Jovan Musk or my signature scent, Jovan White Musk, but it was nice and playful. A bit different. I like musks, so this was worth a try.

20th April, 2008.

Do you guys know this has been rebranded as Exclamation Wild Musk? In a VERY nasty orange and black tiger-print bottle!! I haven't smelled it before this rebranding, can anyone comment on whether the scent is in fact the same? I find it to be the first slightly offensive musk I've encountered, and I LOVE musk! But could be lovely on someone else.

7th April, 2008.