Photo: Kristin Bae Mysen
My friend and I are nine years old lying in an open spaced stairs spying at all the guests at an older sister’s party. A young woman passes by and I can smell her perfume, an incident that introduced me to the warm and sensual fragrance of Musk Oil by Alyssa Ashley. I remember inhaling the nice blend deep inside, and thinking it was the best smell ever. The perfume with the unisex icon has been a companion up to this day, and at the moment it leans on my chest of drawers next to other favorites.
Musk Oil by Alyssa Ashley was launched in 1969 and has been rated as one of the best smelling perfumes in the world. The Alyssa Ashley brand name was born in the USA during the fabulous sixties. Young people, the hippies and the flower children did no longer want the sophisticated fragrances worn by their parents, but embraced the simple essential oils which were rooted in the oriental culture. As a result Musk Oil by Alyssa Ashley was created out of the fantasy of a contemporary artist, who besides expressing his talent in painting (he held a master of contemporary art) devoted much time and energy to his passion for perfumes. The bottles and packaging he designed can in themselves be considered as an expression of modern art. ALYSSA however was the name of his youngest daughter and Ashley her nickname because of her blond hair.
Musk itself originally a glandular secretion from musk deer, was from ancient time used as a popular perfume fixative until economic and ethical motives led to the adoption of synthetic musk in the late 19th century.
The perfume can be purchased from here.
