No 50: Civet Cat Chypre (2020) by Meleg Perfumes

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Cruellas primäre Obsession. Zibet-Moschus-Rose-Aldehyde.DeVills Persianerpuschel unterm Pelz.Vintage/Chypre/Puderzucker in Garfields Mixer. (by Seejungfrau)

No 50: Civet Cat Chypre Meleg Perfumes 2020

Version from 2020

8.2 / 10 62 Ratings

A popular perfume by Meleg Perfumes for women and men, released in 2020. The scent is animal-chypre. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Animal

Chypre

Spicy

Floral

Powdery

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Bergamot

Aldehydes

Orange

Heart Notes

Carrot seed

Rose otto

Cedarwood

Base Notes

Indian sandalwood

Oakmoss absolute

Orris root

Tonka bean absolute

Labdanum

Ethiopian civet

Perfumer & Creative Guidance

Matthew Meleg Brand owner, Perfume maker

Ratings

Scent

8.262 Ratings

Longevity

7.954 Ratings

Sillage

7.354 Ratings

Bottle

7.951 Ratings

Value for money

6.517 Ratings

Submitted by Odysseus · last update on 06/30/2025.

Source-backed & verified

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Jicky Extrait

180 Ans de Créations

Civet Cat Chypre (2021)

Bois des Îles Eau de Parfum

Diaghilev Parfum

Reviews

5 in-depth fragrance descriptions

12/10/2020

Kike
21 Reviews

Kike

Me sabe a poco

Salida algo cítrica y un poco amaderada para dar paso a ese toque sucio que le aporta la civeta.
Esperaba notar más la civeta más que nada por el nombre del perfume pero. O ha sido así.
He de decir que enseguida se ha quedado a ras de piel.
Huele bien pero su rendimiento no es nada bueno.

06/04/2020

8.5Scent 10Longevity 10Sillage

Talisker
1 Review

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Talisker

Top Review 31

Matt and his cat

Dear esteemed readers,

before I lose my "commentary innocence" here, let me say one thing upfront:

I am aware that many users of this forum reject fragrances that contain real animal ingredients for ethical reasons. I completely understand this, because unlike the extraction of musk glands from already dead deer, which are primarily hunted for their meat, obtaining glandular secretions from living animals is certainly a very painful and questionable procedure that I do not want to sugarcoat at this point.

Nevertheless, I must admit that I wanted to know at least once in my life what real civet smells like, just as other people want to try lobster (also not particularly pleasant for the animal) or want to recklessly and selfishly speed down the highway in a rental sports car at 300+ km/h (not exactly the same, I know).
So here I preemptively say "ash on my head" and promise to balance my karma account soon. ;-)

And now to the main topic:

Today, the eagerly awaited "Civet Cat Chypre" finally arrived after a long odyssey (Matthew Meleg had mistakenly sent my order via "surface mail") from Vancouver.
With reverence, I opened the small beige package and looked at the simple yet elegant flat glass bottle.
How would the legendary "cat" smell, whose scent was so often used in perfumes from times past?

After I had read the terms "cat pee" and "urine-like" in various reviews of other fragrances containing civet (or its synthetic variant), I bravely, albeit a bit apprehensively, pressed the sprayer and aimed with squinted eyes at my right elbow.

The surprise came promptly, but completely different than expected. What crept into my nose, hidden among all the loud, soapy-floral notes, vaguely reminded me of grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Admittedly, not a scent that seems particularly desirable in a perfume, but just as I had feared that my cats might react hostilely to the supposed intruder, I now found myself briefly confused, wondering if I might instead attract mice.

However, this notion dissipated within seconds; the "cheesy note" completely vanished. Minute by minute, the scent transformed from a rather shrill, aldehyde-boosted floral bouquet (rose and especially jasmine) into a soft and warm fragrance.

Now, after 4 hours, I find that the tonka bean and wood notes are in the foreground, and the "cat" purrs quite lushly along. It smells "cozy" and "comfortable" and invites relaxation. I really like the scent on my skin and have the impression that the fragrance is now significantly closer to the body and "more personal" and no longer radiates as extremely as it did at the beginning.

I have tried the perfume very cautiously and used only a single spray, which I will likely continue to do in the future, as I think it is completely sufficient to perceive the scent well while also being considerate of others who might actually have a "cat pee" association.

Fun fact to conclude: I cannot relate to the scent of female genitalia that Matthew Meleg associates with it (after all, I am a holder of female genitalia myself). A soft (synthetic) musk, like the one I remember from a 90s bottle of "Clair de Musc" by Serge Lutens and in "Kingdom" by Alexander McQueen, would be a more accurate scent double. The latter fragrance once elicited a bewildered (unfortunately quite audible) exclamation from an American friend: "Whoa! Smells like my fingers after prom night back then." Naturally, we promptly left the perfume shop under the disturbed gazes of some bystanders within earshot...

09/05/2020

10Scent

FrauHolle
556 Reviews

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FrauHolle

Very helpful Review 29

You had me at meow.

Somehow different from my predecessor, I hope that the civet glands of the cats are only extracted AFTER the medication, sunscreen, eyeliner, and makeup experiments, namely when the kitties, worn out from all the strains, are too tired and exhausted to notice anything at all, to put it very, very gently.

This is how the essence of desire smells here in Meleg's Civet Cat Chypre.

My two tomcats just confirmed this hypothesis for me.
If they could smell adrenaline in any form, they would surely let me know.
Nothing. The Red & the Black were glued to my perfumed petting hand and even forgot about their happy-happy for a short time; and that says a lot. That is love, respect & loyalty.
To Meleg perfumes.

There, overseas, in the lab, no cat was stressed. On the contrary.
They jumped around the perfumer in a pack, clearly indicating with their begging and running around his feet that they absolutely wanted to be involved in his Jicky dupe.

Looking ahead, and well aware of a sustainability that, at first glance, seems quite difficult to comprehend, in order not to end up as a trendy-cute luxury bauble or on the edge of a Moncler hood.

Hats, uh, tails off!
10 points.

12/09/2020

7.5Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

Manogi
89 Reviews

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Manogi

Top Review 19

Powder Cat

This cat comes across as very tame. It has powdered its little nose and appears rather elegant. Only in the background does it show its sour-sharp animal side. Personally, I find the scent too powdery. But I think it is, objectively speaking, very wearable.

A word on ethics. Many commentators talk about animal cruelty. Before purchasing a sample, I thoroughly researched the treatment of the animals from which the civet used here comes and the extraction of the raw material, and I consider the accusation unfounded. Many commentators assume, for example, that the civet is taken directly from the animals. This is incorrect. In this case, it is "harvested" from areas where the animals rub themselves. This is a natural behavior of the species that also occurs in the wild. The cats therefore suffer no pain for the raw material and are certainly not killed. According to various statements I have read, they are also said to have sufficient space.
Assuming this is true, in my opinion, there is nothing objectionable about it other than the captivity. The animals are treated better than any factory-farmed pig in German intensive farming and, unlike them, suffer no pain. I therefore hope that the critics here never eat meat and do not keep animals in captivity.

03/16/2025

9Scent 9Longevity 7Sillage

Medusa00
846 Reviews

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Medusa00

Helpful Review 17

Eau de Civet Cat

In my statement, I couldn't clearly express how much the scent has overwhelmed me. So I doused myself with the rest of my sample (thanks, Sapho), indulged, sniffed, searched (what it's all about with civet cats and what Civet Cat reminds me of), and sniffled (because I can't afford it), and now here we go.
If any ethical apostles raise their fingers here about the extraction of civet oil, please read the reviews from Monogi and Frau Holle, but according to my own research, no civet cats need to die or be tortured for this. Where should one even start? With real musk? Agarwood, or oud, one could also wonder when the last tree will be cut down or if they grow in monocultures. Blood, there are also bizarre niche fragrances with blood or even urine. Well, I grant such perfumers the bloodletting or the bedpan. Let's leave that aside.
Civet cats belong to the family of civets, as do the genets, the binturong, the meerkats, and other cute representatives. There are African and Asian civet cats. They are spotted with stripes, quite large (about 15 kg), and have a raccoon-like pattern on their faces. Pure civet oil really smells like the pee of an unneutered tomcat, pungent and sharp. It is diluted with alcohol, which gives it a characteristic softness. Civet can also be found in many classic chypres or orientals.
But now to Civet Cat. I must admit that I was very, very skeptical before the test, because what has recently come to my nose as an alleged chypre has been very disappointing. But civet can also be very demanding. However, here I was not jumped by a puma, but rather a bathed civet cat, shaking off the last aldehyde foam from its fur and then rolling green bergamot and citrus fruits across the meadow just for fun. You all know how carrots smell, and this vibe comes from the carrot seeds and the iris root, which adds a bit of creaminess. No iris powder here. Civet cats are often kept as pets, and here the owner plays with sandalwood sticks.
The scent is devoid of any floral notes. The rose is hardly recognizable. Civet Cat becomes plush, furry, purring. It occasionally flashes its fangs, hisses a bit while sneaking around your legs and giving headbutts.
Civet Cat somehow reminds me of Zibeline by Weil. But the one from 1927, which I received as a gift from an old lady what feels like 500 years ago, not the one from 2011, which they had severely neutered.
Here I stroke a warm, spicy cat fur from which - during thunderstorm moods - a few sparks fly.
Similarity to Jicky? No. The lavender whip is clearly missing here.
Ah yes, there are still signs and wonders.