Our take
What does Musc Tonkin smell like?
In 2012 Marc-Antoine Corticchiato released Musc Tonkin at Parfum d'Empire, first as a limited extrait. An eau de parfum followed in 2014. The aim was to recreate Tonkin musk, an animal material no longer used. The house never published a note pyramid. Corticchiato used modern musks, flower absolutes and African stone, a fossilised animal material. The first minutes are rough: brine, lemon, hot skin. It smells feline, quite literally. Few perfumes go this far into animal territory. Then indolic white flowers move to the front. The base grows softer with leather, powdery amber and an earthy moss. The development spirals rather than moving in a straight line. On some skins, only a musky haze remains after two hours. Longevity varies widely from one person to another. Next to Muscs Koublaï Khan from Serge Lutens, it's saltier and wilder.
When to wear it
An evening and winter scent for lovers of animalic perfumes. One drop of extrait on the wrist is enough.
It belongs to the Floral, Musky family. Musc Tonkin is one of 7 creations by Parfum d'Empire in our encyclopedia.
