Jovan Musk for Men (1973)
by Jovan

A "nothing but" musk that I refer people to when they ask "what does musk smell like?" since it's so readily available at drugstores everywhere. It's also got a nice amber sweetness in conjunction with the musk. For something so simple, cheap and synthetic, it's good and classic.

An easy to access time capsule that has the added bonus of actually being quite wearable. The musk and amber presence are pretty restrained, and beyond the lightly citric opening it, this barely evolves,and remains pretty close to the skin. I don't see this being more than a seventies curio, and I remain doubtful that this would be one to reach for on a regular basis.

I bought this in Nov '73, when it first came out. It made for many hot times. Women loved this on a guy. It's real simple but clean smelling. To this day, I still like it!

A strange mixture of gruff, antiseptic tones along with the softer lavender and carnation. Wore this alone for about a year and have not gone back since. Likable one minute and slightly nauseating the next.

Opening notes and the actual color of this product aside, this is nice stuff. I do agree with the occasional sense (for me floral) of dissonance like a slight lilac maybe. But the overall efffect is one of soap and powder in the drydown. This is the best non-musk musk out there for the money. While I recommend it, it is also a scent that make me want to go back and write a less off-handed review of Brut, believe it or not, another Basenotes winner, believe it or not.

I sprayed it on and my initial impression was “Ouch!”. The top verged on being harsh and it was very loud as citrus and spice seared their way into my consciousness. I was beginning to think my 14-year old self had a much stronger constitution than my current incarnation. Then just like that too loud person you meet at your high school reunion who first bowls you over with too much information but then eventually lapses back into the personality you remember you liked; so too does Jovan Musk for Men. Once the top burns off, fairly quickly, there is a straight-forward lavender and woods before the musk makes its appearance in the base. As this dries down the musk takes a solo turn on my skin and really smells very nice. The longevity is not so great but for something that is less than $10 a bottle I think it is certainly adequate.