Musc Ravageur (2000)
by Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle

Malle Musc Ravageur and Renee Musk Comparison

Left hand: Frederick Malle Musc Ravageur (Oil)
Right hand: Renee Musk

Musc Ravageur--It has been a really long time since I have smelled MR, and only now have I had access to the fragrance again. For some reason, I thought MR was closer to MKK, but now it doesn't seem that way. At the start, I smell sweet musk and spices. The musk is like other sweet synthetic musks I have smelled, and I actually don't think it is super special. What is more special is what is with the musk, in this case, I smell cinnamon, clove, and maybe some nutmeg. It is the pumpkin-pie 1-2-3 punch, trio of spices. I suppose if MR had a little bit of fruityness, it really could be a pumpkin pie fragrance rather than a musk, but I digress. It is either fading fast, or I am getting nose fatigue. I don't detect much progression--it is pretty much staying in the synthetic musk with spices space, although the edgyness of the spices is wearing off a bit, making it a bit smoother and very warm.

Renee Musk--For some reason I remembered that this one started with a sort of pee note, and thought it might be civet. Even in Scent Bar last week, I smelled the pee note briefly when the fragrance was first sprayed on the strip. Wearing it today, what is more apparent is the poop note (aka manure), as this so-called musk is actually very leathery. It has a castoreum-like scent which includes manure, leather, bandaid/antiseptic, etc. The musk is actually very subtle, and seems to be more of a carrier for the leather. This one is also developing very quickly. The castoreum is having its typical progression away from the horse stable and more toward the leather horse saddle. The musk is nearly undetectable at this point.

I must be very honest--after trying some synthetic musk notes in the note identification project, it is clear to me that the quality and concentration of the particular musk aromachemical is of paramount importance. The synthetic musks are mostly ho-hum, with hardly any depth or breadth, so I think they 1) rely heavily on other ingredients to make them shine and/or 2) end up being used as a base because they aid in marrying notes rather than being the star attraction.

As a result, my impressions of FMMR and RM are really not so good, because I think the musks are not so good. They lack the complexity and longevity needed to be the central note in a fragrance. And the other notes which are supposedly supporting the musks are becoming insipid--it is as though they have no base notes. On final analysis, I also have to disagree with statements that FMMR and RM are the same. They do smell *similar* when first applied, but they diverge rapidly.

If I had to pick between the two, it would be Musc Ravageur, because Renee Musk is really more of a leather scent, and I think it is better compared with other leathers rather than other musks. As a former Coty Wild Musk girl, neither of these satisfy me.

Musc Ravageur sits proudly as one of my top 5 fragrances.
The sweet, spicy opening remains all the way to the end. In fact it's development is quite linear but that's OK! It stays close to the skin but the longevity is impressive; I get 8 hours.
It radiates a warm ambery note and for that it can be classified an intimate scent - I wouldn't call it sexy but it does work well on my skin.
It is by my subjective reckoning a beautiful scent, especially worn at night.

I REALLY LIKE this one! Warm, heavy, very sensual with decent sillage and great longevity. Two notes dominate Musc Ravgeur: cinnamon and clove. Cloves are something I have avoided in fragrance since I tried Kouros – which I did not like and I associated my dislike with its clove presentation. MR has readjusted my thinking about clove: it works really well with the cinnamon. I don’t get much of the bergamot/lavender opening: it seems to get overwhelmed quickly by the heart notes. Nice base of vanilla, supported by wood and musk notes. I can't say that the cinnamon and clove ever really makes a full exit. A special scent for special occasions. Recommended!

Dirty sweet vanilla. This is no holy grail, more like French knickers served with honey. It’s a love/hate fragrance, an erotic intrigue or a sweaty sherbet.

Fantastic musky sweet amber. It's like the scent olibanum without the dark overtones. Just beautiful. Very heavy so don't overspray.

Absolutely LOVE this stuff!!! Makes me want to jump myself, thank goodness it has the same effect on females :-P. Everything else has been said, it lives up to all the hype.