Muscs Koublaï Khän 1998

Muscs Koublaï Khän by Serge Lutens
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7.5 / 10 294 Ratings
A popular perfume by Serge Lutens for women and men, released in 1998. The scent is animal-spicy. The longevity is above-average. It is still in production.
Pronunciation
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Main accords

Animal
Spicy
Oriental
Resinous
Leathery

Fragrance Notes

MuskMusk CastoreumCastoreum AmbretteAmbrette BeeswaxBeeswax CivetCivet LabdanumLabdanum AmbergrisAmbergris Costus rootCostus root CarawayCaraway PatchouliPatchouli RoseRose VanillaVanilla

Perfumers

Ratings
Scent
7.5294 Ratings
Longevity
8.4224 Ratings
Sillage
7.0196 Ratings
Bottle
8.2193 Ratings
Value for money
6.947 Ratings
Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 12/23/2024.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
Original Musk Blend No. 1 by Kiehl's
Original Musk Blend No. 1
Carnicure / L'Animal Sauvage by Marlou
Carnicure
Original Musk Oil / Musk 1921 by Kiehl's
Original Musk Oil
Al Hayvaan (Elixir) by Duftkumpels
Al Hayvaan (Elixir)
Theo Fennell Scent by Theo Fennell
Theo Fennell Scent
Musc Tonkin (Extrait de Parfum) by Parfum d'Empire
Musc Tonkin Extrait de Parfum

Reviews

14 in-depth fragrance descriptions
7
Sillage
9
Longevity
10
Scent
DrB1414

216 Reviews
DrB1414
DrB1414
Very helpful Review 15  
To go down in history...
Muscs Koublai Kahn is a legend for a reason. This is the best synthetic musk perfume to ever bestow the fragrance world. But there's more to this than just Musk (synthetic accord).

Quick reformulation tip/advice, THE CURRENT VERSION SMELLS IDENTICAL TO THE VINTAGE, please don't spend 500 USD on vintage bottles. I have a vintage bottle and tested the Gratte Ciel version side by side, blotter, skin, it smells identical. This one is my favorite Serge Lutens perfume ever and one of my favorite perfumes of all time, so trust me on this. Get yourself samples of all versions if you are skeptical, but of all Serge Lutens reformulations, MKK is probably the best preserved and close to the old vintage version. Don't feed the Fragcom trolls.

Back to the scent. To me, MKK showcases a very true-to-life synthetic Musk Accord. Sheldrake really did magic with this one. The musk is there but there's a lot more going on of course. There are many other animalic notes used here, civet, ambergris, castoreum, ambrette, and lots of cumin. So, as you can imagine, this is quite a dirty perfume. However, we are talking here about Sheldrake who has proved himself again and again, so he doesn't just throw in all the animalic notes hoping for the best. He balances out the dirty facets with very well-placed resins, that sweeten up the perfume, a hint of rose, a touch of honey. He depicts, in perfume form, the duality of the Kahn, a fierce warrior but at the same time a man of great wisdom and tenderness. The perfume behaves in a similar fashion, it's dirty and provocative, and it's in your face, but maintains a constant restraint, warmth, and gentle feel. It isn't as dirty and animalic as many have made it up to be, but of course, it depends on where you are in your fragrance journey. I find it incredibly sexy. Downright erotic.
A real legend, from a legendary house. The fact that Serge Lutens has kept this scent true to its original form and that they are still selling bottles when they could have discontinued or reformulated it in order to save money and move more, just shows why this house is still above most if not all niche houses out there.

To me, top 3 Musk perfumes ever, alongside EO 2 and Onthamara, those two using the natural stuff. This is just as good and evocative though. Hats off.
4 Comments
10
Bottle
5
Sillage
7.5
Longevity
9
Scent
MemoryOScent

37 Reviews
MemoryOScent
MemoryOScent
Top Review 8  
don't fear the reaper
Musks can be generally divided in the pissy ones and the clean white ones. Most of them have a sweetness to make the note more accessible. MKK is dry! And multifaceted. Like a crystal. Every time I wear it I pick up something different. It’s like a Pandora’s box. If you read this and think “Serge Lutens stewed fruit cake and spice rack” you couldn’t be furthest from the truth. It opens with tangy top note which reminds me of bigarrade or some other bitter citrus. But what is amazing is the texture. I don’t know how Sheldrake does this for Lutens but so many of his creations are remarkably textured. Smelling the opening is as intense as running my fingers over fur. It is soft but textured and incredibly sensual. It has the same dusty feel of Cuir Mauresque or Feminité du Bois. And then there is another admirable aspect. Have you ever tasted butterscotch candy where there is an intense saltiness hidden inside the sweetness of the candy? This is how Muscs Koublai Khan feels! Like the pinch of salt every desert needs to lift it to new levels of pleasure. There is a hint of loukoum rose in there, especially in the opening. It is the smell of dried rosebuds sold in spice shops to be used in spice mixes: dry and dusty. And then there is this lovely almost burnt sugar note that I have also found in L’Air de Rien. What does all this add up to? The perfect masculine white musk. My reference musk. You see, musk can be cheesy… Too sweet, too floral, too grandpa reminiscent. Muscs Koublai Khan is serious, demure, distant musk. It reminds me of a white musk scent but where white musk scents smell sweet and girly this one is regal and introverted.

Where’s the dreaded dirty shit then? I don’t know… It is supposed to have civet and castoreum. I haven’t smelled these on their own but I think I know at least what civet smells like. I have smelled the poopy note in quite a few perfumes. Is it in here? Sincerely I cannot smell it! I do smell the cotton candy note that characterizes L’Air de Rien, a truly weird musk. And I do smell a note that I remember from Kouros: the crispy roast lamb note that makes it such a controversial fragrance. But MKK keeps this note on a very tight leash and it wears very close to the skin. Like many Serge Lutens perfumes after the first few minutes it feels like a perfume that consists entirely of basenotes. And like most of its siblings it wears close to the skin, at least to my skin. In fact MKK is the ultimate fragrance for layering with anything else to add a deep musky undercurrent. I have layered it with Sarrasins and I got an incredible thick, indolic jasmine, very close to A la Nuit.

I guess what the take-home message for this is “do not be afraid of the alleged animalic beast”. If you are looking for a serious, non-sweet, masculine white musk do give this a try. I have been wearing it for about two months and people have even complimented me on this. I know it has the reputation of a huge stinker and Koublai Khan was the man who conquered China and made it the largest empire ever. But there is also this other side in him. The ambitious conqueror who built a fleet of 3500 river boats and set out to conquer Japan. Well guess what: they all sunk. Somehow this is the side of Koublai Khan that I find most interesting: the seed of destruction inside the genius. And Muscs Koublai Khan is not the perfume of a conqueror. It is the delicate, introverted smell of a solitary man.
4 Comments
5
Bottle
7.5
Sillage
7.5
Longevity
10
Scent
MasterLi

375 Reviews
MasterLi
MasterLi
Very helpful Review 8  
The "Real" Musc Ravageur!
This is why I love Serge Lutens...

Muscs Koublai Khan is a wonderfully animalic, raw but also a very soft, gorgeous scent. I really love this one, for a lot of reasons. I think mainly because I love to be challenged and I love the smell of classic perfume, like Jicky and Shalimar. I love the way those earlier perfumes were both soft and dirty and sensual all at the same time. Muscs Koublai Khan and Musc Ravageur remind me of that.

I actually think that this one is much more authentic and raw than Musc Ravageur. I really get the honey and civet here. What Muscs Koublai Khan is all about, is Honey and Civet and Rose and spices. In the beginning I get the florals and Musk side by side. It dries down to a beautiful Amber and Patchouli base. I don't get the Cumin but I do get the Ambrette seed and Caraway seed. Basically I would describe this as a spicy Rose fragrance. Nothing sweaty or "fecal" about it (as others have mentioned). This reminds me of sexy warm skin. Warm with perfume and a little hint of sweat, but not really too dirty. As others have said, it smells "intimate" and more than a little sexual. I think it's fantastic.

I would say a little application goes a long way. This is actually a fantastic dirty and spicy Rose fragrance, and very sexy to wear. I think anyone could wear this, male or female, and it would go well with fine clothes when you are all dressed up. It's powerful but soft, and sexy and seductive. This is why I love Serge Lutens, it makes me feel that real perfume is still being made even today. Be patient with this one, and perhaps you will see the beauty inside the beast. Beauty and sensuality, just pure joy.
0 Comments
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
8
Scent
Kurai

388 Reviews
Kurai
Kurai
Helpful Review 4  
Don't be afraid
Koublai Khan, the legend. Famous and feared for being 'animalic'. Makes sense, but it is not all savagery going on here. I can imagine a first time encounter with his type may be a bit intimidating, but get to know him and you will see that he is more a huggable pet than a stinky beast.

This seems not so much a balancing act between dirty and clean -it surely leans towards the dirty side- but more an intimate get-together of various warm furry characters. For a while he is rather close to the funky grizzly bear, then he adds into the mix a beautifully warm beaver pelt and a harmless Bambi deer. A tasteful blend of musks, well-worth its praise.
0 Comments
10
Scent
ScentFan

333 Reviews
ScentFan
ScentFan
Helpful Review 3  
Magnificent Marauder
Expanding my sniff fest comments into a review. Wow, wow, wow! This is ambergris and castoreum right away, rocking all sorts of aggressively musky, bitter and beautiful notes: musk, civet, ambrette, costus, caraway, and for sheer loveliness labdanum, rose and vanilla. Add patchouli and beeswax and this may be the best animalic I’ve ever smelled. It's sexy as heck. It transfixed hubby, too. Comparing it to my reigning sex bomb perf: Narcisso Rodriquez For Her. Oh, yes, that’s gorgeous too. SL's is more raw, more blatant, muskier. I adore it. Did the Mongol women ride those stocky horses? [Still enthralled that American Pharaoh (er, unfortunately that's Pharoah) won the Triple Crown.] Of course they must have, but who cares? If the Mongol horde’s emperor was good enough for Marco Polo and Serge, he’s good enough for me. Actually, more than good. This perfume is a triumph of compelling sensuality. It's the horses, the saddles, the tents and rugs, a stew cooked over an open fire--mixing with alpine and tundra plants and flowers that turn the scent to perfume. I imagine a mongol bridal tent. At first I thought Narcisso may reek a bit louder and longer in comparison. Now I'm not sure. No prob, in any case. I’ll just pour the SL on.
0 Comments
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Statements

6 short views on the fragrance
AromazealAromazeal 12 months ago
9
Bottle
6
Sillage
6
Longevity
7
Scent
Despite all the animalic notes, this isn't very offensive. Smells like very sensual skin, cumin is done very nicely here, not B.O
0 Comments
DenisGrailsDenisGrails 2 years ago
9
Bottle
8
Sillage
9
Longevity
9
Scent
The perfume that made me laugh ,and brought joy on my face,at the same, when i first tried it ! Felt like fighting a big bear in the forest!
0 Comments
BoBoChampBoBoChamp 4 years ago
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
8.5
Scent
After a pungent soapy/spicy opening, this challenging, yet warm oriental-animalic Fall fragrance, settles to a gentle leathery-resinous base
0 Comments
Bulletpants4Bulletpants4 4 months ago
8
Bottle
5
Sillage
9
Longevity
7.5
Scent
Salty amber and fur-like musk give an impression of « second skin ». Magnetic and sensual properties. Sits close to skin.
0 Comments
ErswanErswan 8 months ago
9
Bottle
8
Longevity
8
Scent
Gratte Ciel: After a brief pleasantly sweaty ambery intro, this dries down into a rather polite animalic — understated sexy. Very wearable.
0 Comments
Jbl775Jbl775 3 years ago
10
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
9.5
Scent
A little animalic in the background, but this is mostly about the powdery amber and musk. Sexy yes, dirty no. Try it on your own please!
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