Civet

The African civet – also known as civet cat – is a predator that is mostly active at night. To mark its territory, the animal secretes a substance with a strong, musky odor from its anal glands. It is from this secretion that civet oil is extracted, which is described as animalistic, warm, with hints of sweetness, smokiness, and musk. For ethical reasons, natural civet has now been replaced in perfumery by the synthetically produced note, civetone.