The Secrets of Musk

• Musk is a scent secreted from the scent glands of the male Tibetan musk deer, musk ox, civet cat, and several other species.
• It's name is probably derived from mushka, the Sanskrit name for scrotum, which describes the appearance of the deer's scent gland.
• Musk is used as a pheromone to attract and impress the females of the same species.Technically, a pheromone is a chemical messenger that has an involuntary biological effects on other members of the species.
• Pheromones secreted by female moths can attract males from several kilometers away.  It is doubtful that humans produce pheromones . Other than making someone move away from you, your natural body odors are unlikely to cause any involuntary behaviour in other people!
• The odor of musk is not particularly pleasant, but despite this, many females are attracted to it. It also has the effects of heightening and increasing the persistence of scents from flowers. 
• Musk is, therefore, a valued fragrance chemical and is used in many perfumes and deodorants.
• Muscone (also spelled muskone) is the active ingredients from the scent gland of the musk deer, while civetone is the main fragrance and produced by the civet cat.
• Manufacturers rely on these animals as the main source of these fragrances.
• Unfortunately for these animals, and despite the simplicity of their chemical structures chemists have not yet been able to develop and efficient method for manufacturing these fragrances.

• Chemically muscone and civetone are remarkably similar in structure, being based on a ring of 17 carbon atoms into a chain, but the problem comes when they try to join the ends together and fasten the bracelet (these string-of-beads' molecules writhe around like a bucket of worms.
• Their movement is random and the chance of both ends of the same molecule coming together so that the bracelet can be fastened, is extremely small.
• The probability that all of the molecules will find their way into this position is zero) As a result, the synthetic musk can only be produced in minute amounts that cost vastly more than their natural counterparts, which is why manufacturers still have to rely on animals for their main supply.

• Musk Substitutes

• Nitro-musks are simple molecules that are easily and cheaply made. They are chemically unrelated to muscone or civetone but they have odors that are remarkably similar.
• They were once widely used as musk subsitutes in cheap perfumes and toiletries , but some of these compounds have since been found to be harmful.
• As a result, three nito-musks - moskene, musk tibetene and musk amberette  have been banned from use in cosmetics in the EU.
• Nito musks are also capable of reacting chemically with other ingredients, forming nitrosamines which are potent carcinogens, or cancer-causing chemicals.
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  Reference: Cosmetics Unmasked: Dr Stephen & Gina Antczak