Musk

It is a vigorous, very strong scent that spreads fast like an arrow and is used as a fixative by the perfume industry. Musk comes from a gland in the belly of the male musk deer (fam. Moschidae) that inhabits the Himalayas, Nepal, and Central Asia. This gland produces a scent that attracts females during the rutting season. It is a scent so close to testosterone that we can perceive it in quantities as small as 0.0000000000000000001 gr. Currently, trade in Himalayan musk deer and derived products is regulated by all member countries of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Its importance in perfumery is such that the Swiss researcher who obtained synthetic musk received the Nobel Prize. It is said to stimulate men's libido. Perhaps that is why Cleopatra loved musk above all other scents. Also in the France of Louis XV it was used by his favorite, Madame de Pompadour: 20 years after her death her room still retained the scent of musk.