Musk is one of those fragrance notes that can be difficult to pin down. It can be clean and soapy, soft and skin-like, powdery, floral, warm, woody or even a little sensual.
And while some of the more expensive niche musk fragrances can cost well over £100, you don’t have to spend that much to find a good one.
I’ve rounded up some of the best musk perfumes you can buy for £70 or less, with one rule: I’ve only included fragrances that are available in a bottle of at least 30ml. That means you’re getting a proper bottle to wear and live with rather than an 8ml travel spray that might only give you a fleeting taste of the fragrance.
Prices can change, so I’ve based the list on current UK prices at the time of writing.
The Body Shop White Musk
Best affordable classic musk – buy here
If you want to try a traditional clean musk without spending much money, The Body Shop’s White Musk is an obvious place to start.
It’s been around since 1981 and it’s completely iconic. The fragrance combines clean aldehydes, jasmine, lily of the valley and musk, giving it a fresh, floral quality rather than making the musk feel particularly dark or heavy. The 30ml Eau de Parfum is currently £26 so it’s really affordable if you’re looking to dip your toes into experiencing musk fragrances.
This is a good option if what you have in mind when you say musk perfume is something clean, soft and easy to wear.
There are also several versions of White Musk in The Body Shop range, including an Eau de Toilette, so it’s worth checking which one you’re buying if you’re looking for a particular concentration.
Glossier You
Best modern skin musk – buy here
Glossier You is probably one of the first fragrances I’d think of if someone asked me for a modern musk perfume. It has a bit of a cult following and despite the reformulation, I think it’s totally still worth trying.
It’s built around pink pepper, iris and Ambrox, with the overall effect being soft, musky and very close to the skin. Glossier currently sells the 50ml bottle for £70, so it fits the brief exactly.
What I like about fragrances like this is that they don’t necessarily smell like a traditional perfume. You get that slightly warm, clean, skin-like quality that makes it feel as though the fragrance is becoming part of you rather than sitting obviously on top of your skin.
If you like understated perfumes or want something you can wear almost anywhere, Glossier You is an easy one to consider.
Narciso Rodriguez For Her Eau de Toilette
Best floral and woody musk – buy here
If there’s one fragrance house I’d associate particularly strongly with musk, it’s Narciso Rodriguez.
The brand’s for her collection has built much of its identity around musk, and what’s interesting is just how many different interpretations of the note it has created. You can have clean musk, powdery musk, floral musk, darker musk and warmer musk, all within the wider Narciso Rodriguez universe. The brand describes its signature musk as a central part of the fragrance house’s identity.
The original For Her Eau de Toilette is a particularly good place to start. It’s a floral, amber and woody interpretation of musk, rather than a simple clean skin scent. The 30ml bottle is currently £64 at Sephora UK.
This is the one I’d look at if you want your musk perfume to still feel like a proper perfume rather than something very minimalist. For Her EdT has personality.
There’s more going on here: the musk has floral and woody notes around it, giving it a little more presence and character.
Narciso Rodriguez For Her Pure Musc
Best for clean, minimalist musk – buy here
Pure Musc takes the Narciso Rodriguez musk idea and strips things back.
It’s much more straightforward if what you want is a clean, soft musk that you can wear on its own or use as a base for layering. Narciso Rodriguez describes it as paying homage to the signature musk of the original for her fragrance.
I’ve tried Pure Musc myself and I think it’s a really good example of how different musk can feel depending on what you put around it. It’s cleaner and more pared-back than For Her EDT, without becoming completely flat.
The 30ml bottle is currently available for under £70 from UK retailers, although the exact price varies – I’ve seen it around the mid-£40s at Notino and around £69 at Sephora.
If you like the idea of a fragrance that sits close to your skin and doesn’t announce itself too loudly, this is one I’d try.
Narciso Rodriguez For Her Musc Noir
Best for a darker, more textured musk – buy here
Musc Noir is built around plum, heliotrope, the signature heart of musk and a suede leather accord. The plum gives it a fruity opening, while the heliotrope brings a soft, powdery quality and the suede adds a darker, slightly leathery texture underneath.
I’ve tried Musc Noir myself and really like it. I had a 30ml a few years ago and just upgraded to a 50ml a few months ago. Compared with Pure Musc, which is cleaner and more minimalist, Musc Noir feels warmer and more textured. The musk is still very much there, but it’s surrounded by the powdery heliotrope and suede rather than being allowed to stand alone.
It’s a good option if you already know you like musk but want something with a little more character than a straightforward clean skin scent.
The 30ml bottle is currently available for under £70 in the UK. You can read my full review of Musc Noir by Narciso Rodriguez here.
L’Occitane Arlésienne
Best floral musk – buy here
Arlésienne shows that musk can be much more floral and powdery than the modern skin-scent category might suggest.
L’Occitane describes it as a floral fragrance with May rose, violet, saffron, bergamot and a smooth white musk base. The 50ml Eau de Toilette is currently £65.
The rose and violet give this a softer, more powdery feel, while the musk sits underneath to give the fragrance a smooth finish.
If you like floral perfumes but want something with a musky base, this is a particularly pretty interpretation. It’s also quite different from fragrances like Glossier You, despite both fitting into the broad musk category.
Juliette Has a Gun Musc Invisible
Best soft white musk – buy here
Musc Invisible is another good option if you like the idea of a clean, understated musk.
The composition combines jasmine, cotton flower and white musk, so it has a soft floral quality rather than being purely musky. The 50ml bottle is currently available for around £63 at Notino, putting it comfortably within the £70 limit.
I think this would appeal to someone who likes the idea of a skin scent but wants a little more of a traditional floral perfume around it.
It’s also a nice choice if you’re looking for something that feels a little more niche without moving into the £100-plus price bracket.
CLEAN Reserve Skin
Best warm, cosy musk– buy here
CLEAN Reserve Skin is the one I’d look at if you want something soft and comforting rather than particularly fresh.
It’s part of CLEAN’s minimalist fragrance collection and has that easy, uncomplicated quality that makes it work well as an everyday perfume. The 50ml bottle is currently around £39 at Notino.
This is the sort of fragrance I’d choose when I want to smell clean and cosy rather than obviously perfumed.
It’s also worth considering if you like layering, as softer musk fragrances like this can work particularly well underneath or alongside other scents.
Why Are There So Many Narciso Rodriguez Musk Perfumes?
If you’ve ever looked for musk perfumes, you’ll probably have noticed that Narciso Rodriguez comes up again and again. That’s not surprising: musk is a defining part of the house’s fragrance style, particularly within the for her collection.
That’s also what makes the brand interesting for anyone exploring musk. Pure Musc is clean and minimalist, For Her EDT has more floral and woody depth, while Musc Noir takes musk in a darker, more textured direction.
So if you’ve tried one Narciso Rodriguez musk and decided musk isn’t for you, it may simply be that you prefer a different interpretation of the note.
Which Musk Perfume Should You Try?
If you’re completely new to musk, I’d start with The Body Shop White Musk or Glossier You, depending on your budget and the sort of fragrance you like.
For something clean and minimalist, Narciso Rodriguez Pure Musc is worth trying.
If you want something more floral and perfume-like, I’d look at Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDT or L’Occitane Arlésienne.
For something darker and more sensual, Narciso Rodriguez Musc Noir is the one I’d consider.
And if you want something soft and slightly more niche-feeling, Juliette Has a Gun Musc Invisible is an interesting option.
The nice thing about musk is that you don’t have to like one particular version of it. There’s a huge difference between a clean white musk, a powdery floral musk and a darker, warmer musk – which means it’s worth trying a few different styles before deciding whether it’s a note you like.
I think that there’s a musk perfume for everyone as it comes in so many forms. It’s just about testing them and finding the right one for you.
One Just Over Budget: DedCool Xtra Milk
There is one fragrance I couldn’t quite leave out, even though it misses my £70 limit by £1.
DedCool Xtra Milk is currently £71 for 50ml, so technically it doesn’t qualify for the main list. You can pick it up from Space NK here and if it is your first purchase, you do get a discount which then puts it below the £70 limit. if you’d like to do more research on the fragrance first, you can read my full review of DedCool Xtra Milk here.
If you can stretch to that extra £1, though, it’s a really nice option if you like soft, clean and comforting musk fragrances. It’s one of my personal favourites and is particularly easy to wear on its own or layer with other perfumes.
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