Description and usage notes:
Ethylene brassylate is a macrocyclic musk, like most of those found in nature, it is exceptionally tenacious and a good fixative.
It plays well with other musks and is probably best used in combination. One of the cheaper musks but don’t despise it for that – it is the essential workhorse of the musks – but no less beautiful for it. It gives added sweetness and floral reinforcement.
Arctander, writing in the 1960s, says that “This cyclic ester was introduced into perfumery only a few decades ago, and has grown to become one of the most important musk chemicals to the perfumer. After many years as a captive chemical and at a very high cost, it has reached almost every perfumers shelf and is available at less than one-sixth of the original cost.
It is used extensively in perfumery as a ftxative and intensifier of sweet-floral notes. One very well-known fragrance type contains an unusually large proportion of this ester with Undecanolide as one of its companions. This combination results in quite unusual lasting qualities of that perfume type. So much that some people dislike it just for that reason.
Ethylene brassylate has a perceptible effect usually at concentrations starting below one percent in the perfume base or oil. Normal use- concentration is about 0.5 to 3.0 percent. It is stable in soap and does not cause discoloration. Poorer grades of this ester tend to develop fatty-rancid, almost Castor-oil-like off odors upon ageing.” He goes on to mention that it “It finds use as an ageing or ‘maturing’ agent in alcohol for perfume solution purposes.”
See also Zenolide for an alternative macrocyclic musk that is also very well priced.
heatherjshilling (verified owner) –
I fell in love with this musk the moment i smelt it. To me the ambrette notes really shine through, and this musk has all the dry, light and soulful qualities of ambrette, but without the heavy “nuttiness” that i always detect in ambrette absolutes.
A really terrific value musk for any floral accord.
Tom (verified owner) –
It was love at first… smell !
I could wear it by itself at a 20% dilution. However, not in public since this well-named “workhorse” is super erogenic…
Lucy Oldham (verified owner) –
Okay, this might be on the cheaper side, but boy is this a good musk. The tenacity is phenomenal. Soulful, sweet(ish), powdery and with warm nuzzle-y vanilla. It can bring a real beauty to floral compositions and an almost indescribable warmth to masculines. Be warned, it will last for days, and I mean days. Some people don’t like it for that alone, but I think it’s fabulous.
Hubert (verified owner) –
Holy cow, what a monster. My order just arrived, so I added just a tiny drop (I mean, about 0,5% of total volume) to my old fruity-spicy natural mix (macerates of quince, bitter orange , nutmeg, cardamom and a few millilitres of tolu) and WOW!. Strong as hell. Lifts the fruityness up and adds some floral quality.