White Musk The Body Shop Eau de Toilette

It's a surprisingly cold, kind of metallic musk. I have no natural associations for this smell. It's not soapy like bar soap, nor is it like laundry detergent or body wash. I'm surprised aldehydes aren't listed because that is what best describes the sparkly synthetic cleanliness I get here.

My one association is vaguely with a particular flavour of "girl culture" around the new millennium. Think of mall fixtures like Limited Too or Claires. Like no joke, this is what I imagine Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century smelled like. The more I think about this, I'm wondering if it's the smell of CD cleaner that I'm being reminded of...

Aside from the associations, I do really like this. It's my current go-to bed fragrance. It's simple and comforting. Putting it on for sleep also works well the with so-so longevity and very linear profile. It's smells the same the whole time and just becomes weaker as it goes.

I see others here mention it's great for layering and while I have not found any amazing combos in my small collection, I totally see the logic and have no doubt it is a nice addition to the right fragrance.

Oh white musk... This is one of the best plain musks and layering fragrances I've ever tried... Such a clean and comforting scent. The perfume oil lasts longer than the edt/edp, of course.

Seriously. If you're not sure about a fragrance, try layering it with this. 9 times out of 10 it will smell better!

When I first applied White Musk to my skin, I was not impressed. What I smelt was a synthetic and bland musk, nothing that I would call particularly interesting nor outstanding. For at least the first hour or so, White Musk was cheap like its price tag.

However, since re-visiting this fragrance, and allowing it to settle, I have found many likeable qualities. I am beginning to see why it's so popular.

This fragrance is indeed quite musky, however it is more feminine and clean on the skin rather than animalistic. The floral accords play a big part in this fragrance's composition. Jasmine, lily and iris are the strongest notes, being quite sweet and soapy when blended with the musk.

White Musk EDT is pleasant, easy to wear and simple. Despite the opening being less than pleasant, the heart and drydown are worthy of praise. It's a bit of a crowd-pleaser and can be worn all year round.

It's kind of like a musk scent for beginners. I personally prefer Kiehl's Original Musk, but if you find that fragrance too heavy, than this lighter musk scent will most likely appeal to you. The Body Shop gives you the option to layer this scent with its matching body products, so I would recommend buying it in a set.

Original review written: October 2012.