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Castoreum Absolute

Q: Is Castoreum Absolute natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Natural: dried and tinctured castor sacs. Absolute by alcohol extraction. Modern perfumery uses synthetic bases almost exclusively..

NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC, POPULAR AND WEIRD / animalic · leathery · warm

Castoreum Absolute

Category	NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC, POPULAR AND WEIRD
Subcategory	animalic · leathery · warm
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	Castor canadensis / Castor fiber
Appearance	dark brown to reddish-brown viscous liquid to semi-solid
Producing Countries	Canada, Russia, Scandinavia
Pyramid	Heart

Warm, animalic, leathery-vanillic. Castoreum is a beaver secreti on: dark, complex, with leather, birch tar, and vanill a qualities. One of perfumery's gre at animalic materials.

Scent
Terroir & Origins
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Warm, dark, complex. Leather-vanillic-animalic. Like a very old leather-bound book stored near a birch forest. Smoky from phenols, sweet from vanillin, animalic from musk compounds. Nothing else smells quite like it.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Warm animalic-leather, complex

After a few hours

Dark vanillic-birch warmth

After a few days

Persistent warm-leather-vanilla base

The Molecule — Manufacturers & Variants

Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.

The Full Story

Castoreum is a secretion from beaver castor sacs (Castor canadensis and C. fiber). A complex mixture of phenols, alcohols, and ketones, including castoramine and vanillin-like compounds.

Warm, dark, complex: leather, birch tar (from bark the beaver eats), vanilla, and distinctly animalic musky quality. Bridges leather, amber, musk, and vanilla simultaneously.

Now almost entirely replaced by synthetic castoreum bases. Natural absolute is extremely rare.

This note in Première Peau. Doppel Dänçers · Albâtre Sépia. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Related: Aldambre · Ambrarome · Ambrein · Ambreine · Ambrettolide · Ambronova · Ammonia · Animal Notes

Did You Know?

Did you know?

Castoreum's vanilla-like quality comes from the beaver's diet. Beavers eat birch and poplar bark containing salicin, which is converted to vanillin-like aromatics. The scent is literally a product of the animal's diet.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Natural: dried and tinctured castor sacs. Absolute by alcohol extraction. Modern perfumery uses synthetic bases almost exclusively.

↑ See Terroir & Origins for origin-specific methods.

Molecular Formula	N/A — complex natural extract (contains castoramine, phenols, salicin derivatives)
CAS Number	8023-83-4
Botanical Name	Castor canadensis / Castor fiber
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	CASTOREUM · BEAVER CASTOREUM · CASTOR OIL
Physical Properties
Appearance	dark brown to reddish-brown viscous liquid to semi-solid
Flash Point	> 200.00 °F. TCC ( > 93.33 °C. )

In Perfumery

Base note providing complex animalic depth. Contains castoramine, phenols, vanillin-like compounds. Bridges leather, amber, musk, and vanilla. Now almost entirely synthetic in commercial perfumery.