Animal Scents

[Guest guest]

At 12:44 PM 5/11/2004 -0700, you wrote:

>What info do you all have on animal scents. Just interested.

>I've heard of muskand ambergris. What others are there? Are animals

injured in their making? Thought this may be interesting.

>

>Diana of Dewberry Hill

 

Hi Diana:

This subject is frequently discussed on my group, Natural Perfumery.

Synchronistically, I just received a smidgen of both ambergris and civet

today from one of the members. They had obtained it from an old perfumery

company's stock (pre-ban).

 

Historically, it is believed that the whaling industry slaughtered the

whales to supplement the naturally-discharged ambergris. Nowadays,

slaughtering them for this purpose is banned, so any ambergris 'harvested'

is via the old-fashioned method -- collecting the lumps that have washed up

on beaches or are found floating in the sea. There is a great link to an

ambergris site in a recent post on my group, don't have it at hand (also

has info on the trade ban.)

 

Civet is an excretion from the civet 'cat', and there is much debate on

whether the animal is harmed in its extraction. There are tribes in

Ethiopia that have been doing this smelly chore for centuries, and there

are many theories on the method. Some who have witnessed it says the

animals do not seem to show stress or pain, others say they do.

 

Since this group is really devoted to oils - essential oils -- I feel

comfortable sharing that bit of information. I really don't want to delve

further into it here, since it is off-topic.

 

I would not eat a whale steak (I have a friend from Japan who does), nor

would I eat a civet cat (folks in China do, and that was the ground zero

for the SARS outbreak), but I think using excretions of animals for

perfumery is OK. (could make a joke here about egg-eating, but I won't :-)

http://member.newsguy.com/~herblady

[Guest guest]

On top of these Anya have mentioned there is also Costorum (correct

me if I'm wrong, but I think it's from beavers) and Musk (from the

musk deers). I don't know about how one extracts the castorum, but I

when it comes to muskdeers, I believe that they are killed in the

process. Maybee I'm wrong, so correct me.

 

Even though much of the ambergis is " harvested " from the floating

stuff, how on earth can anyone be sure - if they intend to buy any

amergis oil, that it doesn't come from whales humans have

slaughtered?? Ther is still wale hunting going on in all oceans, no

matter what Greenpeace and other animal/natures rights organisations

hope for. F.i. have Norway descided to start hunting thema again - if

they are the kinds who gives up the ambergis, I absolutely don't

know - but I find it horrifying anyhow.

 

Well, before I get of my soap box all I can say, that even if I'm a

carnivore LOL and eat meat, shellfish etc, I won't use any

animalistic materials on my body (exept for beeswax and yeahh, it's

kind of beespoop I know :-P) - but then again, that's my very

personal standpoint. Heck, I don't even use lanolin in my products,

no matter how beneficial and good it is.

 

Fragrant Blessings,

Ylva