Skin Musk

I wanted to add that I keep sniffing this and feeling like the creaminess makes me think of nuts.... Maybe a nut gelato, Maybe pistachio rather than almond, but it does have a sweet nuttiness that (as mad as this sounds) made me think of Ellie Saab girl of now when I was getting whiffs of it on me today. I don’t like that perfume because it’s so insanely sweet, but the nutty notes in it are pretty creamy and amazing, so getting that same warm and creamy pistachio vibe is quite a treat - feel free to tell me I’m insane! Anyway.... The original post below! A little tale for Fragranitica! The early 90s were the Coty years in the UK. After growing out of impulse body spray and moving up to cheap and cheerful real perfumes, most girls at my comprehensive school wore L'Aimant, Wild Musk, Tribe or vanilla fields (blurgh! Pretty sure this is where my hatred for vanilla in perfumes came from!)?. I was a Wild Musk lass, although it felt a bit grown up and sultry for my young self and it was super strong, I wanted to be mature so I wore it anyway! I have very vivid sense memories of visiting my new friend Lorna’s house. Lots of dogs, which was shocking to me and I still remember the fear I felt when they jumped on me! I can still taste her dads freshly baked crusty bread that made even beans on toast the most delicious meal imaginable. But the most powerful memory is a smell. In her bedroom she had a pretty glass perfume bottle that her mother had given her. One of those cute old fashioned ones that has a glass stick on the lid that you dip into the fragrance then dab on to yourself. A perfume oil had been decanted into this little bottle and she let me try some. What heaven was this?! Wild Musk.... But so much better! Smoother. Sweeter. More natural. Warmer. Intensely comforting. I was obsessed! I searched for that oil for years, but frankly in the 90s finding anything from abroad was tricky. I gave up, re-tried wild musk occasionally but meh.... Kinda ruined after smelling the oil! Skip forward to my 30s and thanks to Fragrantica I found the name skin musk. I threw caution to the wind and ordered a tiny bottle from America. It was like getting into a time machine! This is it! Almost 30 years later and I’ve got a bottle of the heavenly oil from that decanter! I don’t know how to describe this smell as outside of the wild musk / skin musk family I’ve never smelt anything even approximating it. It’s musky (obviously!) but in a snuggling under a warm blanket way. It’s sweet but not in the cloying or sickly way so many modern perfumes are. It’s woody but in a joss stick sort of way that makes you think of tiled rooms in Morocco. It’s sexy but not in a try-hard way, more in a I’m going to let this woman wrap herself around me sort of way. If having a hot shower in a candle lit bathroom, on a cold night cloaked by fragrant steam had a smell..... skin musk oil would be it. I am obsessed! I have a feeling the sweetness here is coming from vanilla. It is a perfect blend against my skin. Maybe not everyone would feel this way but as I said. I’m obsessed. Ps, I also have the spray cologne now as I wanted to be able to spray my clothes when I’m wearing the oil. It dries down to be very similar to the oil but less creamy and warm. Perhaps a touch sweeter. Much more powdery. My husband says it smells like Turkish delight and I can see why.... The spray has a musk, sandalwood and rose feel with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. When first sprayed this has a sharper and more tangy smell. It’s much more like an old fashioned and traditional perfume (the old brown ones if you know what I mean?) until it calms down a bit, but calm down it does. Not as nice as the oil and doesn’t last long at all on the skin, but good for a spritz on the way out the door when you’re dressed if you’re wearing the oil underneath!

What a gross sounding name for such a beautiful perfume. Yes, I know that musk has a different meaning in perfumery, but for most people musk and body odor are practically synonymous. I blind bought a spray bottle of this in August and was not disappointed! I've definitely smelled this somewhere before...probably on an older female relative. Likely my paternal grandmother. I so love the late 20th century aesthetics of the packaging and bottle...I hope they never change it. As for the smell: I mostly get woodsy notes and musk in equal amounts. At will I can make either one of them stand out more to my nose. There's just a hint of something floral in here, but it's difficult to detect. I'm also picking up something powdery, but woodsy notes often read as powdery to me. This is solidly unisex, but if you pushed me, I'd say it's more on the feminine side of unisex. Another reviewer compared this to Avon's Skin So Soft -- I definitely agree there's some shared DNA here. My mom had a big bottle of the bath oil when I was 9, 10, or 11 years old. It also smelled very woodsy, powdery, and musky. The longevity and sillage on Skin Musk isn't anything to write home about. After an hour or two I believe it turns into a skin scent. But a subtle scent like this doesn't need to be a beast. I hear the oil version of this has better performance, but I'm always wary of perfume oils that don't come with a roller ball -- too much opportunity for a mess. Without using fragrance jargon, this is how I would describe Skin Musk: imagine a barely sweaty woman used a wash cloth soaked in hard well water to clean herself and then let it air dry. Skin Musk smells like that wash cloth when it's about 85% to 90% dry. This scent reminds me of a memory from when I was a toddler -- I'm autistic and one of my favorite games (if you could call it that) at that age was to wet a wash cloth while I was in the bathtub, wring it out, flatten it out over the ledge of the tub, and brush it with a toothbrush. This really smells just like a wet washcloth to me. But it's a wonderful smell!

This is my signature scent. Sexy, mysterious, unique, intoxicating... some how subtle yet sneakily strong but not really overpowering...hard 2 describe its mystery but it stands in a class of its own. I'm not one of those ppl who won't tell others what my scent is. Why wouldn't I want the world 2 smell better according 2 my nose lol!?!? I have had it in all its forms and thru all the makers, Bonne Bell, Prince Machiavelli and now Parfums De Coeur. I still have a bottle of OG Bonne Bell and comparing that 2 todays... I STILL Love it although it's not as strong or long lasting as the OG. Still, I'll take what I can get. This musk ruined me 4 all others as musk can b a tricky and over powerful (stinky) thing... I like a subtle sexy musk not a manly nose-punch one. They somehow round the musk with a sweetness in a perfect marriage. I love vanilla and while I can't say I detect it in there, I can't help but wonder what makes the sweet of this scent? Like musk, sandalwood can either b intoxicating and lovely or offensively strong...again this is the best of that scent 2 me. If there ever was a successful thrupple --this would b it, although they say "floral" so there's more nuanced scents I just can't detect in there? I generally do not like florals. My nose can't discern any floral note but I know there's a je ne sais quoi in there... so no doubt whatever they choose quietly hides in the pairing, like a true match made in heaven. I will say I remember smelling Cool Skin Musk in the 90s and I hated that. I don't remember what the notes were but it repelled me. I'm so happy this fragrance keeps on keeping on <3 This truly heavenly and heady, yet earthy, scent is one that I so adore and can wear all year around day or nite! I just wish it were stronger lasting and sillage was better like it used 2 b....4 both the oil and EDP. Happy sniffing

Bonne Bell Skin Musk was very much a 70s/80s kind of a musk, before The Body Shop White Musk took over in the early 90s in the States (The Body Shop didn’t become popular in the States until this time), or Egyptian musks like Egyptian Goddess (1993). The 70s/ 80s musks were a little different. I remember a while back, a guy on a different forum was trying to figure out what girls smelled like when he was in school during that time period, and I think what he was remembering was this kind of a smell. Like if you washed your hair with Wella Balsam shampoo (those golden, musky, balsam shampoo scents that don’t seem to exist anymore) and used Tone soap, were out in the sun, and a few hours later the scents mostly faded, and you still smelled clean, but like “skin”. Anyways, I loved this stuff, but I noticed the perfume oil I bought today is made by Fragrance Rebel? And it still smells like “nude skin musk”, but it’s pretty heavy on the sandalwood. I don’t recall the Parfums De Coeur version being quite so heavy on it? I still like it, I just wish they would tone this note down. The spray smells different, not as sandalwood heavy, and it’s more “80s drugstore musk body spray” / almost like a Designer Imposters Shalimar. The oil is softer and more wearable. The Skin Musk perfume oil from It’s Perfume Oil is closer to what I recall the original Bonne Bell oil smelling like; clean 70s skin musk, minus the pronounced sandalwood note of today’s oil, and not particularly animalic.

Addictive.. I could literally wear this every single night if my self control wasn't so good. First up I'm giving this a personal score of 10/10. Tl;dr soft, powdery (Baby), sandalwood musk with floral notes. You really do get what it says but it's just SO good. I get the perfume oil, I've heard the spray isn't as good? I love the oil so I won't buy the spray to test that theory out but oh my god this is just addicting. I do think you very much need to like a powder vibe though because it IS powdery but it isn't like baby powder in your face powder if that makes sense? This to me is a delightful skin musk scent. Beautiful musk and flowers on a creamy sandalwood base. Everything about this is just comforting to wear. It is the epitome of a bedtime scent like fresh out of the shower, drip some on your wrists and dab it to your neck, maybe the nape of your shirt/clothes.. I have worn it to work once but decided it's a bit weird to me personally to wear it at work since I associate it with bedtime but when I did one of my coworkers sniffed me up and was like "Girl you smell SO good what is that!?" so, to me at least it is a compliment getter. Just keep in mind it is powdery but that's mostly on initial application. Once it dries down you only get traces of powder and a whole lot of creamy, delicious musk/sandalwood and your skin but better.. ugh 10/10 Also it's dirt cheap. GET IT WHILE YOU CAN P.S. It's also fabulous for layering as a perfume oil!

I wore Bonne Bell Skin Musk throughout my high school years in the early 1980s. I was originally attracted to it because it smelled so different from my previous fragrance experiences (like Love's Baby Soft, Love' Musky Jasmin, Village Aspen Glow...not exactly a refined palette), and I thought it smelled unusual. Another reviewer mentioned Skin Musk being reminiscent of vintage Revlon Flex shampoo, and I know just what she means! (I'm also reminded of Flex, oddly, by Bois Des Iles). I used to spray Skin Musk on my body as though I was afraid I'd miss a pore, or a skin cell. I used the EDP spray as well as the parfum oil, just to make sure the scent lasted. (Did you just shudder? I did). Skin Musk was not timid back then, like its current incarnation in Parfum de Coeur body spray. I recall a friend telling me he knew where I'd wiped out on a ski slope because he could smell my perfume in the snow in the place I'd fallen...Skin Musk is a dry, green musk; slightly "Egyptian", slightly "white", and balsamy, with a hint of what smells like oakmoss, to me. Skin Musk still smells beautiful. It reminds me of the intensity and passion of my very true first love, and of teenage angst, and those things should never be forgotten.

I can’t believe Skin Musk is still here! Everyone and their mothers used to wear this scent when it was made by Bonne Bell. My godmother got me this for my birthday, along with Lip Smackers lip gloss. This is really the ultimate clean girl scent. It’s a sweet soft musk perfectly balanced with a gentle underlying touch of sandalwood and delicate floral. It has this slightly soapy quality about it in the best way possible. I’m generally not drawn to scents that could be described like this. But Skin Musk is definitely doing it for me. I bought the perfume oil and the cologne spray, and was instantly hooked again. It’s surprisingly long lasting when both are worn together. In hot weather, it projects quite well. In cooler temperatures it sits closer to the skin, enveloping you in a pretty little scent bubble. A coworker who just turned 21 told me how good I smelled, and asked me what I was wearing so she could buy some. Another coworker in her 50s did the same. It seems to be a scent that is appreciated across generations, and doesn’t have any set age group it’s more appropriate for. It’s a very safe blind buy in my opinion, especially considering how inexpensive it is.

Oh Skin Musk, how I love you...I wore this as a girl when it was still made by Bonne Bell. For only two notes listed, it really does actually smell more complex. I wore the cologne spray but they stopped selling this up here in Canada quite a while ago :( I recently rediscovered this beauty for sale on an American website and I IMMEDIATELY purchased two fragrance oils and four cologne sprays in the fear I may never find it again :( How I have lived without this scent for so long is beyond me, many fragrances smell entirely different when reformulated so I knew I was taking a chance in purchasing so many, but no...this gem smells exactly was I remember it so many years ago :) Soft, SEXY, sensual, warm...the type of scent that if you feel like getting "closer" to someone, this baby will do it :) I always recieve compliments whilst wearing this gorgeous treasure, perfect for day or night (I personally find it too special for daywear) and it wears well in warm or cooler weather. It is subtle, but it WILL get you noticed. I will NEVER be without this again :)

After reading about several musks out there I decided to add this to my collection. The first thing I have to say is yes, the packaging is horrible. Who cares, the scent is all that matters. This is a subtle musk at least in the EDT or whatever this 2oz is, I might go for the oil next time for more bang. Very appropriate for professional work. Also appropriate and sexy enough for intimate times, which you might not understand how both are possible until you try it on. Strong going on but it mellows in say 10-20 minutes. Like many people have said, it smells clean like someone who just had a shower. Don't confuse that with soapy. It smells like...a warm day, like your skin after a day at the beach. That being said, try it for yourself because musk is different for everyone. For example another very loved musk on this website smelled horrible on me. I would not recommend ANY musk for a blind buy. However, this one is cheap enough to try and give away if needed.

I can barely remember the original, mostly because when it was popular, I was having some bad reactions to musk. However, now this problem seems to have improved and I can enjoy musk again, within moderation. I recently purchased the deodorant body spray. I found that I have to overapply, as Skin Musk sits a little TOO close to my skin if I don't. (I think the oil will be stronger, and will purchase some soon). However, it is a lovely scent, not as soapy as some "clean musks". There is a powdery note which smells like lavender and very soft violets, mixed with the musk and a very creamy sandalwood. The sandalwood is more noticeable in the drydown. Longevity and sillage are not bad, although again I think the perfume oil may be a better choice for me. I do love Skin Musk, as it is an excellent musk for daytime and work. Update: I bought the oil, and it is stronger than the spray, but works best if the oil is applied after the spray has dried.

I am revisiting some of my favorite smells from back in the 70's when I was in high school and talk about FUN! First of all, they are pretty inexpensive , especially compared to the Tom Ford and Guerlain that I so love. Dana Tabu was yesterday and I still think it rules and holds it's own. Probably why it's still around after more than 80 years. Got my Skin Musk today and I am not disappointed at all :) It still smells of soft, cozy musk and sandalwood with a touch of something faintly floral way down under. I loved it then, I love it now. I remember having mainly the perfume oil back then. And I can imagine laying this with other perfumes to bump up the cozy musk in them, since it is one of my very fav scents. BTW, this Musk is definitely NOT the civet musky smell that so often puts people off. On the contrary, this really is just soft, cuddly, yummy and wouldn't offend a soul. Oh, if you are wondering, this used to be Bonne Bell.

About a year ago I picked up a Skin Musk body spray, actually two, that I found at a discount store. My co-worker became enamored of it all over again (like me she remembered it from her teen years in the 80s), and talked me out of one of the body sprays by offering a trade of her brand-new bottle of Skin Musk oil. Layering these two definitely makes the scent last longer but I've also found it layers well with my Narciso Rodriguez EDP, which I've always found extremely floral to my nose and a little too cloying for work or while in close interaction with others unless diluted. Unlike many here and on other sites, I don't detect much sandalwood. If only! Sandalwood is my favorite note. So, I layered this once just a few days ago with Samsara and it was a hit. Like Narciso EDP, Samsara EDP can be cloying in close proximity. Next up: layering with plain patchouli oil, then another day, with coconut body cream.

I remember finding this at the Bon Ton, way back in the summer of 82. At first spray, I fell nose over heels at how it smelled fabulous straight out of the bottle.There was no bitter top note, no screaming flowers. I didn't have to wait to see if I liked it. I KNEW that this was my new scent.That soft, irresistible subtle musk was exactly what I was looking for.It wasn't one of those overbearing glandular musks. This one shyly drifted up and whispered of it's presence.These were the days of Jordache Jeans and the preppy look. It was time to find something a little more grown up than Love's Baby Soft. Bonne Bell really nailed it with this one. I bought some recently, the only way I could find it was in the oil form. It is still the great scent that takes me back to when I was getting ready to start my senior year in high school. One of my favorites.

Where has this been all my life?! I just discovered this through youtubers as we all seem to do these days. And boy am I glad that I did! This is that mysterious scent that someone you know has been wearing and you've silently been enjoying it without asking. I know I've smelled this before, but it was just a memory. Oh well, ITS MINE NOW bwa ha ha ha! It is the best of musks; gently wafting through the air but never too powerful. Almost floral, almost incense but the best of those two. And you know what, I love this dang bottle too. That vintage-y type of simplicity, secretly perfect. I love it. I hope it never changes. It to me is reminiscent of a simpler time. Maybe my teen years? 80s? 90s? When did this come out? Does anyone know. It is a mystery to me at the moment. Oh well, I am loving this covertly perfect little thing!

Sarah Jessica Parker was said to be obsessed with this, and I hoped and prayed she would create a scent based on Skin Musk, but she hasn't, wahhh. I remember when it was $7 in drugstores, and it is not much more these days. Can you believe the hilariously picky and snobbish-in-a-good way perfume critic Luca Turin gives this 3 stars? I am delighted that he appreciates it, and I am so glad it is still around. The top note is unlike anything else, so very warm and a little white pepper. It is my reference point for clean musk. I swear I thought this was made by Bonne Bell, but it says Prince Matchabelli here. I have no complaints about the reformulation by the company which now owns it. And will you please smell Aerin's Tangier Vanille and tell me if she had to have Skin Musk in mind when she created TV?

I've been feeling nostaglic about my fragrances a lot lately so I had to pick this one up again today. Wow! Does this bring back memories! No, this Dana version doesn't smell exactly like the old Bonne Bell version from back in the day, but its not bad at all for the price. For me it opens with what I think of as "that Dana"-esque quality to it. Once it has settled down to the heart, it mellows to a sweet floral bouquet, smells like some white flowers in there, too. The sandalwood & musk also soften giving a wonderful oriental feel in it's base. For the cheap price, the longevity is very good, lasting about 6 hours on me. Nice sillage, too. This one gets better the longer it stays on. It's a great value for a nostalgic cheap thrill down memory lane for me! 'Got the body spray, too.

I used to wear this ages ago and loved it, and am fortunate enough to still have a bottle of vintage in my refrigerator. I couldn't pass up the chance to try the newer formulation (green cap on bottle) when I found it on clearance for $8.00. At first I thought it was a wonderful reformulation - and I will say it remains more than rather true to the original: beautifully done musk with a touch of soft floral, a touch of sandalwoody base...but it's not as well-rounded nor does it have the depth of the original to me. Then, unfortunately...I got hit with a chemical sharpness that I just can't 'unsmell,' if you know what I mean, and it's there for the duration, at least on me. Sadly, I won't be keeping this.

Absolutely precious. Months back i was searching for my signature "dollhead" scent and who wouldve thought it was sitting at my local walgreens all this time. Picked up the oil for 10 bucks and dabbed it on my wrists in the car expecting a nice white musk (like jovan white musk, a new favorite of mine) but was blindsided by something different. Doll-heady, playdoughy, warm-yet-clean. Nostalgic for ambiguous reasons. The sandalwood definitely makes this. The oil is a very nice consistency and warms up in the skin without leaving a residue which is very important to me. I am so excited that this will fit in my bag and take it with me everywhere. ps: i personally love the bottle design and label

This review is for the Parfums de Couer perfume oil. I love this! It's great in cool/cold weather, and it lasts really well on my dry, perfume eating skin. I do wear it in the daytime, but I apply it more lightly than I do for nighttime wear. I just feel so sexy in this! I guess this is my ultimate musk although to be fair, I haven't tried that many. I think this is one of those fragrances where if it works on your skin, it really works. And I'll always want to have a bottle of this around for as long as I can get it! EDIT: I just checked my bottle, and it's the one with the green plastic cap, not the one pictured above. And yes, the bottle is nothing special, but you get what you pay for.

I have the 15 ml oil of this beauty. I don't know the original formula, mine is made by Parfumes de Coeur, and I'm happy that I don't know the Bonne Bell version because almost everyone seems to agree that the old formula was mor elonglastig and the scent itself way better. I wouldn't ever spend tons of money on vintages so I get the best out of what I can get now. The only thing I know that this perfume oil is beyond beautiful in it's current formulation as well. It's soft, calming, clean, not overpowering and overly feminine with touches of citruses, powder and woodsy accords. Longevity is not huge, really, but considering the relatively low price, I can deal with reapplying.