Original Musk

This one is a big compliment getter for me! I read a review that describes its old-school quality, and I'll echo that sentiment. It sort of reminds me of those "old lady" perfumes I'd smell as a kid. Didn't like those at the time, but as I've gotten older, I've learned to appreciate that scent. Definitely not a blind-buy safe option, in my opinion (even though that's what I did, oops), but if you do end up doing that, the price point makes it safer for your wallet.

Muscs kublai Khan’s little brother that leans into a white floral direction. I love it

I'm confused by this. I was expecting a sexy, musky scent. This is actually a slightly urinal Chanel no.5 that dries down to a slightly 'dirty' baby powder scent. It's not offensive but less 'your skin but better' than, say, Molecules 01

Clean soap from 80's and soft dirty musk. Sex in a bottle!! Super easy to wear.

I HATED this one. Smells like a floral but poopy diaper...literally like a poopy diaper, combined with whatever generic floral the diaper was pre-sprayed with to add a sense of freshness. Otherwise just too floral/boring/blah.

I am genuinely disgusted by the discussions of premarital relations in the review section. I cannot believe this is considered acceptable discourse in a respectable community. It is offensive to the entire membership, offensive to basic decency, and most importantly offensive to the honor and soul of the woman being discussed, who somehow became the subject of what can only be described as a graduate-level symposium on perfume and poor life choices. The comparison of the scent of a woman to a bottle of musk was disturbing enough. But then, as though civilization itself had not already suffered enough, the review felt obligated to reassure readers that she did not smell "like a skank, or dirtball." What a relief. Thank heavens the committee on olfactory morality was able to issue such an important clarification. I don't know how history would have survived without it. Meanwhile, I have personally witnessed perfectly respectable members of this community removed, silenced, or exiled into the digital wilderness for offenses as serious as politely disagreeing with a moderator or expressing an opinion that drifted several millimeters outside the approved doctrine. Yet somehow this masterpiece of philosophical perfume criticism remains standing like a monument to selective enforcement. Where is the consistency? Where is the justice? Where is the emergency council meeting that surely must convene to investigate this catastrophe? And then, somehow, it becomes worse. There are references that wander suspiciously close to the romanticization of juveniles by an adult—an individual who, with breathtaking confidence, refers to himself as "PAPA." If there has ever been a combination of words that should trigger an immediate review by every committee ever invented, surely that is one of them. I don't know what happened to common sense, but apparently it packed a suitcase and quietly left through the back door. The review section is not supposed to read like the unpublished diary of someone who failed both ethics and creative writing. It is supposed to contain reviews. Radical concept, I know. I find it astonishing that this material survives while other comments vanish with the speed and efficiency of a government agency responding to a tax refund request. If moderation is going to resemble divine judgment, then at least let it be consistent. Lightning should not strike only those guilty of using the wrong adjective while entire dissertations on imagined intimacy receive an editorial award for community engagement. At this point I can only conclude that the standards are being enforced by a giant ceremonial wheel somewhere in the basement. Every morning someone gives it a heroic spin. *"Different opinion?"* Delete. *"Misspelled a word?"* Delete. *"Asked for evidence?"* Delete. *"Several paragraphs about the fragrance profile of a stranger's private life?"* Excellent contribution. Featured content. I say this because I care deeply about the integrity of this community. I believe we should aspire to higher standards. If we cannot even preserve the sacred dignity of the review section from descending into an accidental combination of Victorian moral panic and middle-school locker room commentary, then what exactly are we preserving? I await the inevitable consequences for writing this. Perhaps I, too, shall be cast into the outer darkness for the unforgivable crime of noticing what was written. If so, I accept my fate with dignity. History has always been unkind to those who point out that the emperor isn't merely naked—he's apparently reviewing perfume while doing it. May justice prevail. Preferably before the next musk review.

The musk in this smells female to me, like my first girlfriend in high school. Smells like that “first time”. Young love, clothes off, new passions, new smells. The sheets smelled like this long after she left. Slight amount of that body smell. I wouldn’t call it dirty or skanky, just human.

This is a quintessential classic/old school fragrance. To me, it smells like a dirt(ier) Chanel No. 5… kind of smells like Halston as well, think the original perfume plus a bit of z-14. It doesn’t smell altogether “bad” per se but I can’t stomach this on myself. Reminds me of the old men at the churches I went to as a kid. I can see the potential and understand why it’s endearing but it’s not for me. UPDATE: This is the most peculiar thing, as is the case with musk fragrances. My review above was after just receiving a bottle and spraying it on my skin. It’s the next day and I just casually whiffed it before boxing it up for return and I got an amazing gust of a soft, clean, pleasant smell. Now I know musk fragrances can be really fickle to this nose so now I’m intrigued. The pleasant change continues on my skin as well, so I know I’m not being fooled. I may have to sit with this one and see where it goes.

Very clean and very dirty at the same time. I have such mixed feelings about this scent. Straight from the bottle or on clothes it smells kind of bad? But when it warms up on the skin somewhere away from my face it gets extremely cozy and sensual. On some days I like it more than on the others, I'm starting to suspect it might be one of the scents that are strongly affected by hormones. I see why it can be polarizing, my partner actively hates it, but when I'm home alone I choose it often. More precise rating for this would be checking both love and dislike, so let's compromise on like.

i don’t know what kind of animalic notes people in the comments are talking about, probably there’s something wrong with my nose, but I don’t smell anything like that here at all. to me, this is a powdery, old-fashioned floral fragrance. I also get a bit of a "Chanel No 5" vibe. the scent is complex and slightly masculine.

Replaced my finished bottle. Hang on why can I hardly smell it? Oh kiehls is run by l’oreal now I understand.

Wow this blows me away. Upscale soapy and floral but also contains an undertone of filth and sex. Perfectly unisex and one of the most versatile perfumes I own. Could be worn anywhere at anytime. And one of the best values out there. Only complaint is that performance is pretty weak.

I felt like it was similar to the old fashioned Brut every household had in the 90s but not the abrasive alcohol smell. Then I felt it smelled like the most expensive 100% handcrafted, authentic leather pair of boots. The dirty deer musk, animal side smells like every man that goes hunting. They always smell like that after cutting up deer. You secretly wanted to date/sleep with and never have to see again. I want this smell on my fabrics, bedding more than on me. So i can nest and bed rot and pull the covers closer to my nose. Dry down is this insanely delicious white floral. Intimate but intoxicating.

ORIGINAL MUSK by KIEHLS is a simple but "full bodied" type of musk perfume. All the "notes" are PERFECTLY balanced for ME... so I prefer it to JOVAN MUSK which has "too much" of the neroli for me to reach for it when I'm in a real "MUSK MOOD!"

Upon first sniff I was reminded of that old Geoffrey Beene Grey Flannel my father had in the late 70’s. From memory, it’s similar and shares some notes of floral, citrus and tonka. It has the same profile of being soapy, earthy and slightly pissy, although Grey Flannel is far denser, more abrasive and more masculine. It does remind me of 70’s/80’s sunscreens like Coppertone. I can’t really nail it down as feminine or masculine. My brain first says “feminine” but then quickly switches to “masculine”, and goes back and forth never settling on either. To me it really smells like the 1970’s since this scent profile was popular then. Kouros was another one my dad wore and it also resembles that a bit. The first 30 minutes is too floral for my taste but it soon dries down into a smoother sweet honey, banana-ish scent with an underlying animalic aspect. The animalic part is obviously the musk but it smells more like flower funk than animal funk to me. Like when you stick your nose directly into a very fragrant flower and it stings your sinuses a bit. When I first sprayed it on I instantly thought it wasn’t for me but after it mellowed out I started to enjoy it a lot. My wife went crazy over it and said I “smelled like a real man”. My son also threw me a big compliment and said I smelled amazing. It’s strange how polarizing this stuff is and I can see why. It’s certainly got a very vintage, old-school vibe and it’s not the first thing I’d think to reach for but overall I was pleasantly surprised. My wife also said it smells “barbershop-ish” because it’s aromatic and powdery. Overall, I’m glad I grabbed it for $35. As for longevity, I would say it lasts about 1-2 hours max. If you find it to be too strong or too offensive, wait it out and it will become an soft, clean and soapy skin scent that leaves you smelling freshly showered.

This is a very lovely fairly simple somewhat thick musk with a powdery incense and slightly floral soapy tone that feels very warm and cozy to me. I heard it described as a warm hug once and I agree. And at such an affordable price point it is worth every penny as far as im concerned. Maybe not for everyone but thats ok. If your considering it, I would suggest giving it a try at your local Kiehl's first.

Kiehl's Musk reminds me of a preppy guy I knew in college in the 80's who belonged to the same fraternity as my boyfriend. He was handsome but kind of a jerk, like the stereotypical rich preppy bastard in John Hughes films usually portrayed by James Spader. He was not as good looking as James Spader but he had one of those traditionally masculine faces with a strong jawline and big white American teeth. Yet there was something uncannily, slightly, just barely caveman about his face. I bet he had some Denisovian or Neanderthal genes deep in his familial history. In any case, I kept my eye on him, waiting for caveman behavior but he never quite delivered on that expectation of mine. He never accidentally uttered early man sounds like ooga booga, mid sentence, like I thought he eventually would. He remained polite and controlled but you just knew that he had that in him. When I picture him now, wherever he is, he is still wearing Kiehl's Musk and a Lacoste but I think that the primitive features of his face have most likely deepened with time and that the veneer of civilized presentation has worn off. Like Patrick Bateman but hopefully not to that extreme level. I do love this fragrance, it's a great classic musk scent like the Jovans and the Body Shop and all of the other staple oils we used to wear. It was the type of scent people wore as a signature and despite its apparent hippie origins it was actually a very preppy scent back when. Worth a test if you like caveman musks and John Hughes films.

I think someone else said this before me, but if I would smell this on a man I'd go FERAL. It is soapy fresh but with an underlying animalic musk that, together with the flowers, is extremely sexy. It gives the vibes of a strong, intelligent and confident being. I (as a woman) love wearing it at home or in bed as a comfort scent. My boyfriend really likes it (on me), but I wouldn't dare to wear it in public. It's a bit raunchy with the old school animalics, I think it requires a more intimate setting like a date or after an evening shower. To me, this is one of the best fragrances I've ever smelled, it has freshness and depth and it gives me all kinds of good feels. Would not recommend for anyone under 30 though, you have to have lived a little to really appreciate this (VERY priceworthy) gem.

Well that was.. fecal? Very happy I didn’t blind buy this when I was looking for a fresh musk to layer other fragrances with.

This was on sale and I had to get one due to how GOOD the deal was. To me this perfume feels like a scent of baby powder applied on freshly showered skin. It’s powdery, slightly soapy, and obviously very musky. I love how it reads as a very realistic skin scent on my skin, my only issue with it is the lack of performance… only lasts for 30 mins, even on clothes? that’s diabolical.

Feral, sharp, animalic, tawdry.. all complimentary. The perfumed lotion is incredible.

Starts off smelling like canned cider, with an isopropyl alcohol backbone; harsh and unpleasant opening. As it dries down you start to get a Jovan Musk/ Muscs Koublaï Khän mixture but a lessened civet of the MKK without the steam accord, and the baby powder spice reminiscent of the Jovan is more apparent. Late dry down is a warm and sensual musk - cosy, human, a little bit animalic. The late dry down is my favorite part of Kiehl’s original musk. However the opening is very harsh and not blended well in my opinion. The mid is okay but still can be a little bit sharp as the musk is still very high octane at this point on my skin. I prefer Muscs Koublai Khan. It’s also worth mentioning that kiehl’s original musk smells better when sprayed on the chest and getting an occasional waft of the fragrance rather than smelling up close, this has been true for any musk-forward fragrance I have tried. 6/10

The MOST powdery scent ever that I have tried. Smells like straight Johnson's baby powder. Take that word for word please.

I love this musk so much, tried many others but this is the best anyone can ever have.

I don't think there is a perfume out there with a better value for money than this. Complete stunner.

Little animalic, little incense stick, whole lotta lily soap. Supposed 'Love Oil' from the 1920s (and rediscovered in the 1950s), this dries down as powdery, white flowery musk with a little twist on my skin. I don't personally get sour/urine notes at all - wait, is this another Sadonaso? lol It's a clean and grounding scent, moderate to strong sillage. I remember reading about Julianne Moore liking this one. A little surprising classic, I'm on my second bottle. Currently the only perfume available from Kiehl's.

Smells a like a particularly dirty public bathroom!

Scored a 50ml bottle of Kiehl’s Original Musk in a bundle deal, never even sampled it before, just blind faith. Put it on today and… DAMN. Instant love. 100% a keeper. I get why it’s called “Love Oil.” 😂 or if it isn’t, it should be 😂 I don’t know what the oldest vintage versions smell like yet, but trust me, I hunting for one . As for the mixed reviews , I can see it. This isn’t for everyone. If you’re still in your Eros era, this probably isn’t gonna be your jam. But once your nose graduates from “clubbing mode” to “grown-up mode,” this stuff hits different. And I’m here for it

Old lady scent.

abrasive.. not for everyone.. yes. warm.. soapy.. filthy.. yes. dirty sheets, hotel bar soap, a night in with your shitty boyfriend who you’re with just for the sake of pissing your parents off, rebellion, ough.