Initio Parfums Privés Musk Therapy Extrait de Parfum

What It Smells Like

Initio Musk Therapy is a bright, creamy musk fragrance with citrus, blackcurrant and sandalwood. It is the best-known scent in the Hedonist collection and one of the house's most popular, offered as an extrait de parfum.

Fragrantica and Parfumo list the notes without a top, heart and base structure: white musk, musk, blackcurrant, bergamot, mandarin, magnolia, white sandalwood and hedione. In practice the citrus and blackcurrant appear first, juicy and slightly tart.

Magnolia follows, a lemony, creamy flower, lifted by hedione, a jasmine-like molecule that makes a fragrance feel airy and radiant. Underneath is the musk itself, clean and velvety, blended with white sandalwood for a smooth, milky finish. The overall impression is of freshly washed skin with a faint fruity brightness.

Fragrantica's community ranks citrus as the leading accord, followed by musky, floral, powdery and fruity. It is rated 4.21 out of 5 from nearly 8,000 votes.

Who Made It

Initio does not name the perfumers behind most of its fragrances, and neither Fragrantica nor Parfumo lists one for Musk Therapy. We would rather leave the credit open than guess. The house presents its fragrances as the work of a collective, with the materials and their effect on mood placed ahead of any individual signature.

Who It's For

Musk Therapy is for people who want a clean, uplifting fragrance that still feels luxurious. Fragrantica lists it for women and men, and it suits both equally.

If you like fresh musks, soft florals and citrus, this is one of the best in the category. If you want depth, smoke or sweetness, look to the Black Gold Project or The Carnal Blends. Rehab is its woodier, drier sibling. This is also one of the easiest Initio fragrances to give as a gift, because very few people dislike it.

When to Wear It

Fragrantica voters place it in spring and summer, almost level, with day far ahead of night. Citrus and clean musk are at their best in warm weather.

Wear it to the office, on weekends and holidays, or any time you want to feel fresh. As an extrait it lasts well for a scent this light, and it stays polite at close range.

About the House

Initio Parfums Privés launched in Paris in 2015 with an unusual premise: that scent acts on mood and attraction before we consciously register it. The fragrances are built around materials chosen for that effect, such as musks, woods, resins and the jasmine-like molecule hedione, and they are grouped into collections with a stated purpose: The Absolutes, The Carnal Blends, The Black Gold Project, the Hedonist collection and Supercharged.

The bottles are heavy, square-shouldered flacons with a metal medallion on the front, and the compositions tend to be concentrated and long-lasting. Initio is a boutique-only house at Redolia. It is sold at our perfumery at 92 West Main Street in Somerville, New Jersey, and not through the website. Read how our boutique-only houses work, then come in and try it on skin before you decide.