Reviews of Kiehl's Original Musk (1963)
by Kiehl's

Kiehls musk is a very and by very I do mean very floral musk. It is a little creamy, but the fermenting fruit and floral musk is overbearing in everything except the coolest of climates. Certainly more funky if you will than Jovan and Alyssa Ashley. If I were to wear a musk of this nature, I would probably choose Alyssa Ashley.

It's funny how people perceive different musks so differently. I tried Kiehl's musk in the oil form and was expecting a major funky monster based on others' comments, but on me it seemed creamy, sweet, floral - very feminine - with a cloying drydown that only had a slight bit of funk to it. Kiehls' reminds me of musks from the 70's, when they actually still smelled like musk. I suppose I still use the musks from the past as my standard, so when I smell the musks of today I'm like..."where is it?" I don't get quite the amount of skank and dirtiness in the Kiehls that others do (I get that more in civet fragrances, actually). I really like this musk, but I don't often wear straight musks as they can make me feel a bit queasy. Maybe twice a year or so I get a craving for musk, and this might do the trick then. I can actually smell it, which is a good thing!

This smells like a sexy, mysterious vampire that wants to bite me, not only for blood-sucking reasons! Fascinating and deep!

This is a gorgeous, heavy-languid scent… not my style at all. It has a sweet, honeyed opening which is quite perfumey. The florals are heady and beautiful, giving prominence to rose and jasmine. The musk is potent, sweaty and animalic. It is kind of rubbery too… and hard to describe. I get an image of an eraser in a sunny classroom, held by a girl’s hand. In her purse is an old make-up case of lipstick and powder. check it out, it is interesting.

AFTER sampling about seven or eight different musck based scents, I can say that I'm not a big fan of musk based scents [with the exception of Helmut Lang EDC (which, in itself is not completely musk based, but has a good dollop of musk)]. That being said, I was completely shocked to see how fantastic a musk fragrance can be. At first wearing, it smelled like any other musc, the smell of sweat. Then after the second wearing, I realized Kiehl's Musk is quite withheld and refined, not as crotch-shocking as Kouros (i cringe thinking about it), or as sweet as Musc Ravageur (which i do NOT like). It is dirty, raunchy musk with the classiness and refinement of distinguishable floral notes: like a kiss on the neck, as opposed to a hickie down under. Longevity is a good 7-8 hours, which is also a plus, but not so sure about sillage, as I am not ready to wear this baby outside just yet.

I had no idea it had such a complicated pyramid. All I can smell is a very good, enwrapping warm musk, more on the sexy animalic side than on the clean one. Very good for layering with almost any fragrance, if you want to enhance it's sexy, musky notes-

Simple but great! It has a reminiscence of a milder, softer Kouros but it's short lasted. A great musk that's mixed with some orange and silght floral notes. A great fragrance that lasts a long time

This is musky and dirty like the wonderful earthy smells that come out of humid dark places deep in the woods in the heat of summer. Very unique and sexy in a dirty and sweaty x-rated way.

This is definitely not for everyone. It won't appeal to everyone and it definitely isn't going to work well with every single person's chemistry.

The first time I smelled it, it struck me a lot like Kouros. Now that I own a bottle, not so much. Still, I love the smell of Kiehl's musk, although up til now I've never had the courage to wear it in public. It's funky, dirty stuff in a vintage way-- like how women of previous generations used to wear really musky animalic perfumes. But this stuff is manly. I'm finally getting to the point where I don't feel uncomfortable wearing this in the right situations. It's deep and sexy, but wears somewhat close to the skin. The rose note is well done.

Definitely one of the more funky ones on the market, but it's got serious sex appeal as well. Must be worn with a little bit of confidence.

Awesome musk! Just got a bottle 2 weeks ago (finally!) and have had 2 compliments from strangers!! One said I smelled "delicious," and the other said: "you smell really good."
So, after god-knows-how-many bottles of moderate to Creed-THIS is what the women prefer!
No problem...the price can't be beat!(1.7 for $40.00 approx.). Awesome fragrance!

A musk touted as the best musk. I don't think it's all that great. A mix of florals on top of the musk don't help it from being a tad unnerving. If you love musk, don't hesitate with this one.

When I see all the excellent noses that have reviewed this positively, I have to wonder what I'm missing.

I smell a mild, pleasant musk surrounded by cheap synthetic florals. Neither bad nor good, inoffensive but totally uninspiring, it reminds me of a soap I used to use.

Blandness is hardly a crime, but I can't see myself buying this despite its good price.

I tried the EdT - perhaps the oil is better.

I really like this fragrance. The musk and rose blend nicely together and stay well blended throughout the lifespan of the fragrance. The musk is an Earthy, soil, root-y, animalic, sandalwood musk which starts off the fragrance and lasts all the way through along with a hint of citrus, orange blossom. The rose is also there making an appearance in tandem with the musk but is more of a dusty, green, dirty and coarse rose rather than a creamy tea rose. I feel that I detect root-y terrain woods [possibly sandalwood?].

This scent is complex and well blended. Kiehl's Original Musk wears close to the skin, the sillage is fantastic, bold yet unobtrusive and lasts for a good eight (8) to ten (10) hours. This scent is more of a cool/cold weather fragrance to be worn under a suit/shirt and tie or for an evening out. It is unlike any other musk or rose scent out there...I highly recommend this fragrance!

EdT.

Nice unisex musk for everyday use, more suitable for women. A bit alsamic florals back up the musk very good, quite similar to the legendery unisex musk by Alyssa Ashley. This is slightly more animalic though, and a tad more complex creation. Great bottle, nice lasting power, and atleast the EdT has nothing to do with (the marvelous) Muscs Koublai Khan.

Especially recommended for women, great choice for the office etc. when moderately applied.

For the first half an hour or so after applying Kiehl's all I could think of was "this smells a lot like Kouros". After the initial blast of Kouros-like goodness, a more floral character starts to emerge with roses and some other florals (ylang ylang?) making an appearance. A slightly dirty musk holds everything together and stops it from becoming too floral. The florals die down a little in the dry down and a certain powderiness to the musk appears, smoothing its edges and taming it to a large degree. Longevity is very good (I got slight hints of it in the breeze a good 10 hours after a light application), and it projects well although it is not a "sillage monster".

Overall, a Kiehl's a nice musk that although it brings to mind other perfumes it has a character all of its own.

A stunner!

I've had the edt--the 1.7 spray as well as the original Kiehl's ":Love Oil." I have to say that is is, at once, pure animal sex and pure sexy soap. A clean, sexy experience. I have not experienced such a sultry, sexy, CLEAN scent my whole life!

KIEHL'S ROCKS! .

Male/Female alike (we are, you know) try it. You won't regret it! I hope that I will wear this with each passing year.

I am, at 48 years of age, a new grandmother. Let me be, if possible, the BEST smelling gramma there ever was!

JM Jeannemarie : ) Love you my perfumista friends!

If Muscs Koublai Khan is your holy grail of musks, but either you can't afford that bell jar, or you still saving up for it, Kiehl's Original musk is great to have around in the meantime. Kiehl's isn't as full and complex as MKK, but it's beautiful none the less and comes closer to MKK then any other musk that I've experienced. Sometimes I spritz Kiehl's on one wrist and dab MKK on the other. It's nice to be able to sniff at them both all day.

A fragrance that is quite rich and smooth with some very well executed floral notes providing the main direction for, as well as depth. I get just a bit of the citrus / orange blossom in the beginning, but it’s not what I would call a citrus opening, because already the rose from the middle is making its presence known quite strongly. That rose note very quickly grabs control with active support from the ylang-ylang and neroli from the middle, giving an almost total floral ambiance that holds for a long time. The heart notes are especially beautiful to my nose, and they are also rather feminine. The base is equally balanced among the patchouli, tonka, musk, and the remainders of the florals from the middle. Although the musk is well represented, I personally don’t find it the most dominant note in the fragrance. I would have named this “Original Rose” rather than “Original Musk.” It has excellent longevity and is linear in the sense that its progression is simply the gradual amelioration of the rose and other notes. No question about it — Kiehl’s Original Musk is a beautiful, traditional fragrance; one that on my skin turns more than a bit feminine. As much as I like it, I probably won’t be wearing it very often.

i have a backup bottle of this...really great drydown, but beware its tricky with skin chemistry

This is one of my favorites if not my no. 1 favorite musk. I still love it after years of wearing. The bottle has lasted forever too. I find it very comforting and clean. It layers well with almost anything. I am NOT a fan of Musc Ravageur. I found that boring and not at all exciting which is what I expected after all the raves I read. See my review there.

Bought it while on shop therapy. The scent reminded me of my grandma. Very comforting. Got compliments wearing it. I use the shower gel and lotion too. The initial spray (I spritz behind each ear) can be a tad overpowering especially on warm days but it wears well as it settles down and smells lovely even til the end of the day as I snuggle deeper under my comforter surrounded by it's soothing aroma. I also like knowing that not everyone wears of even knows about it.

This is not an "In your face", scent.

Musk may not be a top note ,but it is very evident along with the Orange /Rose.

Its dry down is pleasant, quiet and long lasting , the Sandalwood predominant.

I agree with Mark3861,people do seem more friendly, maybe it's the key to world peace?......not!

Inexpensive and very comfortable.

Musk isn't really my sort of thing, but this Kiehl's is truly classic. PURPLEBIRD7's comments still have me snickering! She's right you know, this is a funky musk, and it's everything else she said too! I personally classify it as being masculine, although it is clearly unisex. You can find this stuff just about anywhere and it's very affordable. 44 years and still going strong, how can you argue with that?!

This is as dark as the bottle it comes in. I envision big, wet scent molecules seeping into my skin after it's sprayed. It is rich, and surprisingly complex but in a way that its complexity comes together to perform a singular unified task, not to go through the typical handoff of ingredients and layers. It is at once fresh as rich, clean with an underlying darkness. It seems so male on one inhale and then with the rich florals, rather feminine. It's as if it just depends on what I picture when I close my eyes: a man or a woman.

Incidentally this seemed like it could be similar to the base of some of the great perfumes of the past, and one of the mixes was astonishing... I sprayed Bulgari Eau Te Rouge on top of it and it morphed into something VERY rich... extremely reminiscent of the masterpiece by Houbigant, Quelques Flores.

There is a lot of beauty and artistry in this fragrance. It's a great rich, floral musk.

From Kiehls:
top: Bergamot Nectar, Orange Blossom
mid:Rose, Lily, Ylang ylang, Neroli
bottom: tonka, white patchouli, musk

This warm, straightforward, musk is pleasant, comforting and easy to wear. It is far less complex and animalic than Serge Lutens's Muscs Koublai Khan, with which it is often compared, and it lacks the rich, sweet sensuality of Frederic Malle's Musc Ravageur. Kiehl's Orignal Musk is linear and lasting, but it also wears close to the skin, which makes it more versatile than some of the more agressive musks. It doesn't really excite me, but its reasonable price point makes it one of the best fragrance buys around. Unquestionably unisex.

This musk is senual and warm.....it goes on strong and mellows only slightly in the drydown. It smells "human", I consider Kiehl's Original Musk to be more of a skin-scent. I notice that people are more friendly when I wear it....strange, but true.

Originally, the top was very brisk refreshing and rather manly. Similar to the top for Kouros for men.

But then more subtle notes appear which are sweet, floral and feminine. I still like it, but not for a guy.

I tried the oil, which had a stickiness to it that was almost organic. I don't want to get to graphic, but I had thought of its sexual aspects even prior to reading about the "dirty musk."

From my perspective, very sexy frag on a girl. I disagree that it goes with jeans and T shirts, I think it would go better with more formal attire to add a little dimension.

Funky musk. This is dirty, sweaty musk with flowers, real hippie musk. I tried the EDT, not the oil. I disagree with people who say this is "clean" or smells like Jovan. Nix. This is brave stuff. It is sexy, probably more masculine than feminine, and definitely strong. This will transport you to the 60s--the era of unwashed bare feet, dirty jeans, and free love. So, let it all hang out. Do you swing?

My first musk purchase and I am very very pleased. it goes on rather strong but dries out extremely nicely.
And the price is very reasonable.

I haven't tried MKK or Musc Ravageur, so I don't know how Musk Oil compares. I'm not crazy about musk in general, but this is pleasant. It's a little dated.

OK, not sure whether to be extatic or completely deflated now. I am somewhat of an amateur perfumer (hobbyist) with a very good nose, and I waited a month and spent $210 for an impossible to find bell jar of Serge Lutens MKK. I love it. Two weeks later, I came back from my local TJ Maxx with two bottles of Kiehls snatched for $20, and was able to duplicate MKK simply by adding a drop of cumin oil in alcohol and two drops of amber paste tincture. A dead ringer, top notes through drydown, one minute to four hours later. I guess it's good in a way since I can now refill my bell jar when it's empty.

I'm *really* surprised no one has mentioned the similarity to Jovan Musk yet. I just tried this on the back of my hand & all I could think of was that someone had put Jovan Musk in the bottle. Now, that's not necessarily a BAD thing. I have a bottle of Jovan Musk & I like the smell of it from time to time. And as Kiehl's dried down, it did become just a tad more distinctive and refined than Jovan. But my bottle of Jovan was $5, and they were asking $35 @ the store where I saw Kiehl's. Is it really worth it?

Don't understand all the negativity toward s Kiehl's here. Musc Ravageur it's not, true, but it's also not $150 a bottle, either. For the price, I think it's a very pleasant little scent. It's a tad heavy on the sweet incense notes at first, but this dries down quickly into a classic animalic musk.

It does remind me quite a bit of what a tamed MKK might be. I don't see the resemblance to Musc Ravageur at all. Kiehl's is a strongly animalic musk to start, but not quite as much so as is MKK. There is a strong rose note in Kiehl's that reminds me of a perfume my grandmother used to wear, which throws me off a bit and leads me to my neutral review. I don't get a lot of development - just a gradual softening over time. It does project a good bit and longevity is very good. I can't get over the musty rose though...

I am sooooo glad that this is an original scent -I would hate to think anything else could smell equally as bad on my skin. I guess it is too 'pure' a musk for me. Perhaps if your skintype more oily than dry this scent blends in with more subtlety but on my dry skin Kiehl's musk is just awful.

This is a very beautifully designed musk which starts out strong and then develops into a nice, lingering, creamy, soft, sensual scent. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes musk-based fragrances, as this is a really good one.

Long ago I got a bottle of Kiehl's "Supurb" Musk Oil and supurb it was. It was a heavy liquid with a dipper and the fragrance was light and astonishing. Thinking this might be the same, I bought some samples of Kiehl's Original Musk Oil and what a disappointment. It's dirty all right.

This is another truly lovely fragrance whose discovery I owe to basenoters before me! My only musk has been Jovan's White musk, which I like very much, but this one is so different, rosy, and delightful! I love the initial blast of rose and enjoy the orange blossom clean sensation that follows. Its earthy and smooth, I don't get the dirty vibe others mention, rather a clean if slightly warm animal sensation. I appreciate the total lack of powder, and the floral overnotes keep it just civilized enough for me to wear easily.

The antithesis to today’s omnipresent “fresh and aquatic” fragrances, the magnificent Kiehl’s Musk EdT is unabashedly down, dirty and musky. For those of us to have lived through any part of the 60’s or 70’s when musk and patchouli oils were the last word in scent, Kiel’s musk is instantly nostalgic. Wear it and you are transported back to the world of jeans, fringed leather vests and peace symbol pendants with Laura Nero records on the record player. If that time isn’t in your frame of reference, this not wholly masculine aroma might even remind you of your mother’s finest musk based perfume. Heck there are even references in this smell to your first bottle of Jovan Musk.
Initially this scent may seem quite “in your face” but eventually settles to wear very close to the skin. Amazingly, this quite assertive scent is also quite multidimensional.
Out the bottle there is musk mixed with an almost overpowering rose note. As the alcohol fades, you immediately notice patchouli kicking up her heels and begin a dance with the rose. Occasionally you notice a slightly sharp lily note trying to cut in, but it is basically the rose and patchouli tango with musk providing the music. This pas de trois lasts quite a while and after an hour or so they start to take a rest leaving the musk to play on with lily still twirling through occasionally. Kiehl’s says there are orange blossoms, bergamot and ylang ylang in the mix and these bring an occasional clean soapy smell to the mix which, although not necessarily “fresh”, is still quite refreshing.
At its heart, this is a musk fragrance. Make no mistake. This is not “white” or powdery and if you are not sure if you like true musk scents, you should not buy this blind. Even though it is synthetic or botanical in origin here, the “animal” quality found in true musk is still present. When I read that people smell sweat or barnyards or old ladies in this scent, I believe them! A lot of my enjoyment of musk based fragrances comes from the associations they bring with them. Luckily for me, all of the associations are happy, warm and nostalgic. Without those references for me, I shudder to think of what connections my brain would be making between the musky smell and objects or events.
I won’t even pretend to be able to discuss the intricacies of personal chemistry and resulting smell, but this will play a part in your enjoyment of this or any scent.
Kiehl’s Musk Edt may turn out to be your signature, or simply your weekend with jeans and a t-shirt scent. Anyway you can appreciate it, be happy you were able to find this treasure. Three cheers for Kiehl’s! They could have just as easily consigned this to memory and come out with a more sure fire commercial “scent of the moment”. They have my enduring thanks at their decision not to.

Surprisingly enough, this is a muted, tamed, and neutered Muscs Koublai Khan. It’s slightly dirty and smooth musk. It’s well made, and very wearable, but it’s not nearly as interesting as MKK or Musc Ravageur. It’s great for the price.

Brilliant!!! It's essentially a poor man's Musk Ravageur. It starts off animalic with a huge blast of patchouli. However after a half hour or so it warms up and sweetens up and becomes a truly wonderful scent that is a great bargain at $59 for 100ml. It also works wonderful in a diffuser as a room scent.

I bought this because I wanted a pure musk scent. I'm not sure if this is it, but it is definitely distinctive. It goes on very strong, and stays that way. It reminds me of Azzaro pour homme, but does not mellow as nicely - it keeps quite an edge.