Egyptian Musk

There is something so incredibly comforting about Musk in perfumery. This, to me, is the ideal form. I discovered Nemat's Egyptian Musk in my local Whole Foods (can that sound any worse?). Since day one, it's been a love affair. And though I've tried to move on, I keep coming back for more. How does it smell? It smells archaic - but in a venerable way. Something royal. The musk is complex and dense. Attars tend to have the latter quality, but not necessarily the former. This is more than a simple, fresh, clean, musk. This has character and distinctness. Upon application, I get notes of amber, dank patchouli, and an almost camphorous bottom. All I can say is, it's glorious. As with most oils, the scent is linear and stays close to skin, but presents with impressive projection for an attar. Longevity is also good. Solidly unisex. I can't help but feel it's become the "old reliable" in my collection, as it's simply perfect in so many ways. Want to smell clean, but not boring? Wear it on it's own. Want to boost other fragrances? Layer this first and spray over it. It only compliments whatever you combine it with. Layer this with Molecule 01 and people will be all over you. Highly recommended and well worth it's humble price tag.

Oils usually wear pretty linear on me, whether they be high end, niche or grocery store chic, linearity is the theme. But this Egyptian musk is a roller coaster, and I’ll try to describe the different stages to help people decide whether to buy it or not since it’s hard to find (by the way Nemat is sold at Follow your Heart in the San Fernando Valley-the whole line). The first thing you need to know is that the opening is sharp and pungent, almost aggressive with what appears to be aldehydes and a nose piercing powder that can be uncomfortable, but fear not, let it sit for 10-20 minutes and you get a powdery floral that’s better than the opening but it’s not your final destination. Another 10 minutes and the Egyptian musk that can be found in the Narciso Rodriguez line emerges, way more powerful than Narciso’s oil, this is more like the pink edp with even more musk. After several hours you get a sweaty clean white musk that’s light but detectable. Recommended for musk fiends only.

Nemat's Egyptian Musk is a really interesting scent -- in a good way! To my nose, it doesn't resemble the musk in either SJP Lovely (which I don't especially like) or NR For Her (which I love). Rather, this musk has almost a mineral-ly, metallic quality, closer to the musk in Reminiscence Patchouli Blanc -- itself a really interesting fragrance. Egyptian Musk is the kind of musk you find in the beautiful, insanely inexpensive, and decidedly unisex Paul Sebastian Fine Cologne or in the rich 1932 classic, Tabu, by Dana. Egyptian Musk is neither a clean, white laundry musk, nor is it a dirty, animalic musk; instead, it's a musk redolent of the warm ground and concrete -- petrichor? -- when the summer rain starts falling late in the afternoon. It's a really nice, warm, powdery, non-floral, un-sweet musk that I have really come to appreciate. <3

This perfume oil is a great value not to mention that it smells terrific, sort of like incense and musk. Some of the Nemat oils take a while to macerate but this perfume smells strong right away. It's good for layering or wearing solo and lasts a decent amount of time for an oil. The scent sits close to the skin and it better for days when you want a low-key scent. This would be good for a signature as it's special without being too showy. This is one of the more unisex or universal Egyptian Musks I feel. It would be just as good on a man. If you like EM, I highly suggest you give this one a try. It's really a standout.

I’m obsessed, it smells sweet, clean, warm, musky. Does smell like incense but I like the smell of this way more than incense. Sits close to the skin as with any oil. It’s indescribable, the citrus isn’t screechy at all, the fresh clean notes balance out the warm musk perfectly. Definitely a more feminine scent due to how sweet it is. It smells like fresh laundry but with a distinct warmth, earthiness & groundedness. Well blended in perfect harmony. I wear this all the time, even to bed. Very inoffensive and pleasant scent overall, I could never get tired of this smell. 9.5/10

Lovely & earthy musk. Slightly 'dirty' in the sense that it smells kinda human, which I love, but certainly not in an offensive way. It gives patchouli/ incense/ new age shop, so I can see why people would call this a hippie scent. I find it very sexy. The dry down is more powdery and clean than the opening. I absolutely drenched myself in this during a sweaty solo roadtrip one summer careening down the 101 through Redwood National Park and the Southern Oregon Coast blasting Liz Phair, so I have very fond memories.

Smell like grandma AND grandpa, you can absolutely tell this came out in the 90s and I love it. It’s like a dark clean citronella almost when I smell it out the bottle. I usually wear stuff I’d like as an incense, this is in the same genre as blunt effects dark kush in my opinion. This just might be the “weirdest” one you can find in an ulta/sephora/whatever. I actually don’t think it’s floral at all, on me at least it’s like aftershave mixed with a metaphysical store.

I adore this scent! I find it addicting, it is sweet, clean, and such a lovely musky scent. Funnily enough I really only smelled the lemony note when I was sick, otherwise this is somewhat marshmallowy sweet on me while still being clean and inoffensive. I don’t get the earthier layers some mention but that may be due to my overall lack of fragrance experience. I love this fragrance and cannot recommend it enough for its insane value and addictive scent

I've been wearing this for months and my bottle is still half or 3/4 full. You only need a drop on pulse points and it lasts and lasts. It's strong stuff and smells high quality. It's my favorite Egyptian Musk. I like it much better than Kuumba Made's. On my skin, it's slightly sweet (I turn anything sweet), powdery, spicy and floral. I'm so glad this has been added on here! Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5/5 Hearts

i smelled this in a muggy ulta and immediately knew i had to have it. started off as dark and overpowered by saffron. when it settled down is when the absurdity came on. it smelt like sweat badly concealed by a powder scented deodorant. an old fur rug stained by beer. i have no idea what's wrong with my skin or my nose, but this smells amazingly off putting. a good scent for the strange girls.

My favorite go-to perfume oil for the summer. To me, it smells almost sweet and flowery and like what most people said, incense, very mysterious, clean, and feminine. I like to wear it on top of other more fresh or musky smells and I like to consider this as my signature scent.

My bestie gave me a little decant of her abdul kareem egyptian musk oil and I have been chasing that high since!! This one is the highest quality oil I have found but not as warm as the famous one bought in the 90s. Still SUCH a clean scent and lasts 2 or 3 hours on me

Lovely! Light, airy, powerful musk with vanilla undertones. It’s great for the price. So fresh you can wear in heat of summer. I apply to the back of my hands and can’t get enough of the scent bubble that creates. Great bedtime scent - such goodness!

I love this so much! I can't stop slathering it on my wrists & forearms. It does smell like incense, as another reviewer described, but I'm ok with that. It lasts & lasts on my skin, and I've been wearing it to bed, which soothes me.

I adore this one! Incensey, soap and musk. It's like a cloud of softness around you. It doesn't shout, but it stays with you all day. Smells good when you put a little in your hair. I prefer this over all the other skin scents.

this is my ultimate clean go-to scent- it's fresh and bright without being offensive. makes me feel like i'm wrapped in warm laundry right out of the dryer in the best way possible. so comforting!

The most wearable musk ever! Oddly enough this is my most complimented fragrance, it projects very well especially in the heat. It's sweet, warm, and perfectly simple.

Instantly fell in love! Clean, fresh, and sophisticated smell I feel comfortable wearing in professional environments. Inoffensive but still has personality.

Instant love upon first sniff. Layered it today with White Musk by the same brand. Clean and cuddly skin scent that will project more than you realize.

The review below me is exactly how I would describe this perfume. Most definitely smells like incense! I adore this! Has a comforting smell to it. :-)