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trp981Bessinepome – :
Having just reviewed Creed Royal Mayfair—I can’t help but smile as I’m about to sing the praises of what amounts to its polar opposite.
In terms of prestige, provenance, quality, and cost, Creed and Dana couldn’t possibly be more at odds. Nevertheless, I’m prepared to express my true thoughts about this cheap and battered oldie.
I like it. I find myself sniffing my wrist again and again. It’s simultaneously clean and dirty. Soapy and musky with traces of cigarette smoke lingering about. Please know, I’m a non-smoker and despise cigarettes. And yet, somehow this kooky and perhaps vile sounding accord has a strange allure. It’s a little sexy in a cheap and trashy way.
To top it all off, I picked up a combination cologne and aftershave set on a lark for something like $15. I hope I’m not damning Monsieur Musk with faint praise if I suggest it’s worth at least several times that. I’m quite certain I won’t be wearing it to my next black tie event, but I’m happy to own it. I’m already smiling.
veter611 – :
Monsieur Houbigant (Dana) is one of the most unique fragrances I’ve encountered; definitely an acquired taste but I do like it a lot.
It also has great projection and borders on beastly.
Am I the only one who instantly gets green Bell peppers upon application?
For me MH is the ugly puppy one loves and cannot ignore.
Edit July 6 2018 –
I have both the most recent formulation and what I can only guess is its predecessor, the second of three formulations that I’m aware of.
The latest formulation comes in a clear-ish bottle with a black and silver label with:
Monsieur
MUSK
printed on it. The next earlier version is in a black bottle with a
painted text which reads:
Monsieur
Houbigant
at the bottom and the word:
M
U
S
K
down one side.
After comparing the two I’ve concluded that the most recent
version is an altogether different fragrance; it has the M.H.M.
DNA assuredly but is simply nothing more than a flanker, if
you will. It’s actually nice but it just is not Monsieur Houbigant
Musk cologne.
rukodel – :
It’s musk at first with a touch of almost incensy spice, becoming more cinammon later on. It’s a pretty light and basic sort of scent – not complex, just soapy light musk scent.
It’s nice at first with a rose like scent with spice and a quite soapy musk, later the cinnamon comes through more and it lightens up into a general musk and spice. Nothing terribly special, but it’s a musk if you like that. It’s not harsh or strong, so fine to just splash on whenever. It does smell nice early on, and later it gets more into the light spicy incensy scent.
Jovan musk by comparison is stronger, and I really like the dry floral scent in that one, and the perfumey scent. but if you just want basic musk with some spice and rose, or maybe it’s tobacco in the later stage, I don’t know. Anyways, that’s what this is. I do like the spicy scent with no floral and perfumy scent in this one though.
The next musk I want to try is Kiehl’s Original Musk, I hear that one is supposed to be good.
Also probably the musk by Molinard.
RoMagellaN – :
I used this in the 80’s. Nice lavender and musk. I didn’t realise it was still available.
vladevp – :
Wow! This is very pretty. This is the male version of Babe or Lady Stetson. Still, since it is a low budget men’s cologne, I’ll reserve this one for home use and before bed. P.S. This is the new version.
EL_kin_1 – :
This review is based on the Dana version, which is the latest incarnation of this classic. I received this as a blind trade. Being a fan of musks and in particular, 70s musks, it seemed that it would be an easy love.
The initial opening is odd, because it’s soapy and ashy. The ashen effects strongly reminds me of Perris Monte Carlo Oud Imperial but luckily, that dies away within the first ten minutes. From there, it retracts and becomes a soapy clean or shampoo soapy, fresh and of course, musky. It gets better over the life of the fragrance.
While the sillage isn’t impressive, the longevity is, especially for this type of fragrance. As I write this, it’s been over 8 hours and I’m still easily able to pick it up as a skin scent.
It’s in the category of “like”, so I can’t say I’m disappointed but I can’t see it getting a lot of wear out of my collection either.
bratstvostali – :
I purchased this cologne as part of a Dana gift set, as a Christmas present for my fiancé. It is a surprisingly strong “just this side of dirty” musk with a slightly oily/sweet spicy accord and rich tobacco notes. I also detect a hint of dry leather and just a touch of baby powder towards the drydown.
Longevity is excellent, while the sillage is moderate.
This is NOT an “office fragrance” unless used in very small amounts. It is a great cologne for night, as a matter of fact my love wore it on Valentine’s Day!
starant – :
Can’t speak about the vintage version but the current formulation from Dana is a soapy, white musk. Somewhat similar to Kouros, actually. Not quite as bright.
zvezda058 – :
The current version of Monsieur Musk is a dated, soapy musk formulation. There’s a spicy component to this, but the spices are a nondescript melange, and the primary note is a rather artificial and cheap musk note that leaves us with a sense of soap. The best way to describe it is to say that it reminds me of a 1970’s musk-scented soap-on-a-rope. Monsieur Musk is not a disaster, but there are better bargain-priced musk fragrances available at your local drug store.
3з3 – :
We decided to do a flight sampling of Monsieur Musk while bottles of various concentrations by all three makers were at hand. It’s a warm, rainy day here in Lake Tahoe so the notes will be more pronounced than in our usual aridity.
The King of Monsieur Musk is for certain the vintage version by Houbigant. The AfterShave and AfterShave/Cologne smell identical. Notes we find are: Bergamot, Lemon, Lavender, Leather, Tobacco Leaf, Rosa Damascene, Coumarin, Musk, Galbanum, and Moss. A Musky Fougere (also fits the Chypre format), with incredible density, nice development, and big sillage. It sits on the skin with a spicy, green, velvet quality that is unparalleled. Highly recommended.
The next MM we sampled was the vintage “Cologne” by Parfums Parquet* in the clear bottle. The straw color was much lighter than the Houbigant juice, and so was the formula. I would put concentration of oils at about half that of the Houbigant vintage. A lilting Lemon opening gives way to a Waxy, Rosy heart with Green Notes. The Spice, which gave the original formula sparkle, is very subdued. Any costly Resins have been eliminated. The Musk is likely synthetic, and takes a good half an hour to really develop. It is mild and pleasant, but juxtaposed to its predecessor, it’s a mere phantom of the original.
This brings us to the readily available and reasonably priced cologne currently issued by the third manufacturer of this scent, Dana. Compared to the Cologne by Parfums Parquet, Dana has amped up the opening with more Bergamot. They revived the Lavender from the Houbigant original, and replenished some of the Spice- albeit a jagged, shallow, and generic one. My guess is that it’s some sort of “spice blend” put out by fragrance base manufacturers. Missing here, that’s present in both previous versions, is a supple base (Leather and Moss in the Houbigant and Wax in the Parfums Parquet). Without adding the cost of a good fixative to the formula, it could benefit from a little Vanillin to warm things up. It’s a sharp and empty, but on the skin of a man, it could come alive.
b.n. Fragrance notes are not official, but only our impressions.
*To the best of my knowledge, Parfums Parquet is a subsidiary or descendent of the House of Houbigant. I believe it owned and manufactured the MM formula before it came to Dana.
DIMASON 68 – :
Review for Vintage Houbigant juice…
A warm, inviting and oriental scent that is smooth and well-blended. A cozy, throw-back but something that feels more like a nice comforting ‘blanket’ of scent rather than a cologne or after-shave. Old-school in character, but never off-putting. This is most definitely beyond a typical drugstore ‘musk’ offering. After searching for a complete list of notes and numerous wearings, I found this to be more accurate:
Top notes: grapefruit, lemon, spices, lavender, green notes (herbs)
Heart notes: cedar wood, patchouli
Base notes: amber, tonka bean, moss, tobacco & musk
I agree with those who find the slightly smoky qualities here along with the herbaceous green & woody notes to warm very naturally on the skin to an alluring and long-lasting After Shave/Cologne. It is very classic, but doesn’t feel dated. The musk here is not as dominant as one would think. The herbs, patchouli, tobacco, along with the warm oriental vibe really linger with a soft, slightly-powdery musk that is in balance. Excellent on skin (oily and full of vigor) and lasts for days on clothing. Comfort and class in a bottle.
A very inviting scent, that while classified as a ‘musk’, reveals a lot more depth and structure. Impressive. Recommended.
Vintage only.
Valerik84 – :
A friend of mine found a vintage bottle of this and was kind enough to make me a 1 ml sample.
I’m not a fan of the top notes… it was somewhat alarming going on me. (That, “Oh, no, what am I doing?” feeling.) It struck me at first as being overwhelmingly… floral? Can that be? It then settled down into the musk note.
Sadly… I do not care for it. It just smells too dated. I’m okay with Kiehl’s Musk Oil and the white musk in Mugler Cologne, but this one comes across as being just too cloying.
I don’t get the tobacco note that’s supposed to be in this.
I’m not especially a musk person, I am finding out.
yurmash – :
I have been wearing Monsieur Houbigant Musk since the mid-1970s and find that it goes well with leather. I never detected the tobacco essence in the past. I have tried one of the CUBA essences by Parfums Des Champs which has a definite tobacco component. I am currently seeking a cologne or after shave with a fairly strong tobacco component in it – Any suggestions?
hoteterseDutt – :
I do have Houbigant version, both AS and Cologne and both of them are pretty longlasting and musky-clean in a pleasant “vintage” way…nevertheless perfectly wearable nowadays as well. Suitable for a mature man I´d say… 7.5/10
FlueltplerWit – :
I have loved this stuff since I was a teen and into my 20’s. It was discontinued in my 20’s and I’ve always wished I could find another bottle. Imagine my surprise when I do a lil research online and find out that’s it’s back in production! I’ve heard the formulation has changed and if it has it hasn’t changed very much. If I had a bottle of the original and did a comparison with Dana’s reproduction I might find some differences but it smells the way I remember and I’m so happy to have Monsieur Musk in my arsenal, even if Houbigant isn’t making it anymore.
It smells very clean and classy. Masculine. I’m not great with identifying individual notes but I never noticed tobacco in the mix, which is included in the notes up top in the description. Definitely worth a blind buy if you like clean, masculine musk scents. I used to get compliments on this when I wore it but I wore it mainly for myself.
Ярик-22 – :
This is the nicest of the old-style musks that I’ve tried so far. It’s a clean soapy musk rather than a sweaty libidinous musk, which I think makes it smell less stuck in its era than others do. It makes me feel clean and professional, yet virile, all the while employing a surprising amount of florals. I don’t have remotely enough experience with florals to tell you just what’s in there, but I sure notice them when I exhale on the spot and then inhale slowly! It’s really interesting how just adding that musk in there transforms what might have been a girly floral into musky man juice. An excellent traditional cheapy…I’ll have to see if I can find a small bottle of the EDC, even though the aftershave is strong enough.
Rocky00Rocky – :
I bought the Houbigant version off e bay.Strong and it is perfect for the English winter.Not overpowering if you do not apply too much.
A great comforting scent with no flowers and plenty of leather.
You could wear this on any occasion but I love wearing it outdoors on walks, or in the garden whist working and I am so happy .I found a bottle as it was over 20 years ago since I had my first one.
I dont think that under 30’s would appreciate this fragrance and I will be sure to keep one in my collection.The bottle I own is a splash as I am not sure if it was ever produced in a spray.
My rating a good 8.5 out of 10..
StepD – :
I bought this for my ex as he really likes musk (more into the Egyptian musk / body oils) and he liked it – and I LOVED it. IT’s sweet, long lasting but not strong. Amazing sillage. You don’t need to use much and it is not overpowering. It’s smooth from the first dash until the end – which …well.. it never ends. Fills the room without being overpowering. I absolutely love it.
For women, I like Jovan Musk, which my ex also likes, so it might be an ok unisex juice 🙂
romashkadru – :
Monsieur Musk isn’t really what comes to mind when I think of musk fragrances, but it’s still great. To me, Monsieur Musk smells more leathery and mossy than musky.
The musk in this smells dry and musty, rather than powdery and animalic. It creates a smell that reminds me of old worn leather. The musk doesn’t become obvious to me until well into the drydown.
Old school, warm and rich, this is one macho musk.
MY RATING: 8/10
Opal34 – :
I had worn this fragrance since the early 70’s and it had always been a delight to wear, not only to myself, but to others who happened to catch it’s scent when crossing my path. I never diclosed what it was I was wearing and it always was a topic of discussion. However, in recent years and although the scent remains the same, the long lasting ability of the fragrance has declined. One might as well use one of the better and leading dish detergents on the market these days to compensate. A classic has been ruined! It has been watered down and is not the product it once was. At best, the scent will last roughly about one hour and then it’s only a memory. It should be criminal that this product today is peddled as the original without the character that was once standard to this fragrance. Unless the original is reinstated I will never use this product again nor will I ever purchase another Dana Product knowingly because I believe that if this product has been reduced to nothing more than sweetened water, then chances are that many more products are unable to deliver what the manufacturer claims. Buyer beware!!!!
Liafjernekike – :
My aunt used to wear nothing but the Houbigant musk for women and it was beautiful. Kiehl’s Musk is very similar except that it starts out extremely raunchy before becoming extremely clean–like the Houbigant as I remember it.
shaman dv – :
This was my dad’s signature cologne. When he died I grabbed his half used bottle from the bathroom. For the last 10 years I couldn’t bring myself to smell it – it was just to painful. But yesterday I found it in a drawer and decided to close my eyes and take a whiff. It was as if my dad was right there beside me and I wasn’t sad at all. A sense of peace came over me. The scent was just so perfectly masculine and comforting. It fit my dad’s character perfectly…classy, masculine and strong.
opughTYGHgyhb – :
A really nice inexpensive men’s fragrance. Quite potent, would like more of this. Jovan Musk is equally as good in my opinion.
kiler48 – :
The only musk I will wear. I have not tried it since Dana Fragrance has taken over the rights to this – I do hope they did not play with the blend.
Usually musk is just too powdery and effeminate smell but Monsieur Musk has this blend of greens and tobacco along with the musk that make this scent unique and wearable on my skin.
A cheapy but goodie!
San4aS88 – :
This is all my husband wares!!!!!! I love this scent on him, I have never smelled this on any other man other than my own!
dudik – :
I don’t like this scent … smells like an old man’s cologne, a scent truly outdated .I’ve purchased a little bottle because of good reviews and I guess I’ll give it away as a gift now…
karmaKiller – :
Simply superb!
I grabbed it more due to my curiosity, and actually didn’t expect that it smells so nice. I thought a scent from that era(70s) might be too “dated” for nowadays tastes but I know now I was wrong!
Monsieur Musk is a fresh green musk scent with considerably tobacco undertone, quite classic structure. But it suprised me that it’s so well-balanced, the not-too-dry green herbal accompanied slightly spiced notes, subtle clean musk (compare with nowadays super clean, pale, and in face musk) and smoky-but-no-dirty tobacco take turns “sing” their parts, either a solo or a choir, and the whole scent is in a heavenly harmony.
There’s not anything tricky or edge in this scent and it smells just great and classy.
I don’t know the dana’s version, it maybe lost some of its quality but still remainds as one of the nicest masculine scents.