Tonquin and Siberian Musk: The Tragic Scent of Cruelty
What Are Tonquin and Siberian Musk?
Tonquin musk and Siberian musk refer to the natural animal musk obtained from musk deer in different regions of Asia. “Tonquin” (or Tonkin) musk traditionally comes from musk deer of the Tonkin region (northern Vietnam and nearby areas) and has long been considered the highest quality musk in perfumery. In fact, perfumers once prized Tonquin musk above all, deeming it richer and more potent than other types. Siberian musk, by contrast, comes from the Siberian musk deer native to the forests of Siberia and northeast Asia. Historically, Siberian or “Carbadine” musk was viewed as slightly less refined than Tonquin musk, but it too became a major source once deer in places like Vietnam and China grew scarce.
Musk deer are small, shy deer with long canine fangs (giving them a “vampire deer” nickname) and, in mature males, a special gland in the abdomen that produces musk – a brownish, waxy secretion. This musk has a uniquely intense, long-lasting scent and was used for centuries as a perfume fixative and medicine. A tiny grain of true musk can perfume an astonishing volume of air, which made it a coveted ingredient for luxury perfumes and traditional remedies. Musk’s desirability dates back at least to the 6th century; it was traded along Silk Road routes and lauded as an aphrodisiac and panacea in ancient texts. By the 20th century, natural musk from deer had become one of the most expensive animal products on earth – virtually worth its weight in gold
A Perfume Ingredient Worth More Than Gold
The extraordinary value of musk has driven a deadly commercial trade. Ounce for ounce, musk can cost more than gold on the black market. In legal markets of the past, top-grade Tonquin musk was fetching tens of thousands of dollars per kilogram. By the mid-2010s, a kilogram of raw musk grains was valued around $45,000–50,000 USD. For context, that is about 4 times the price of gold by weight in India’s markets. In Hong Kong – a key hub for the musk trade – the finest musk can reach $50,000 per kg. Such astronomical prices turned musk into a lucrative commodity for poachers and traffickers across Asia.
Yet those numbers hide an awful truth: obtaining even one kilogram of musk requires enormous cruelty and wholesale slaughter of endangered deer. A single male musk deer’s gland holds only about 25 grams of dry musk on average. This means 40 or more deer must die to produce one kilogram of musk. And because not every deer killed yields musk (only adult males have a useful gland), poachers often kill 3–5 deer for every one male they actually obtain with a musk pod. In other words, for each small musk pod that reaches a trader’s hand, several other deer – females, juveniles, or males too young to have musk – may have been indiscriminately trapped and killed in vain.
The “highest quality” Tonquin musk exacted an especially terrible price. Hunters in the mountains of Vietnam and Tibet relentlessly pursued the musk deer populations there to satisfy perfumers’ demands. Today those musk deer are nearly wiped out – Tonquin musk became so rare that any genuine supply now likely comes from decades-old stock or illegal poaching of the last remaining deer. The musk from Assam (northeast India) and Nepal was also prized, leading to similar overhunting in the Himalayas. As stocks of Tonquin musk vanished, attention shifted to Siberian musk deer in Russia and Mongolia, which were somewhat more numerous. But the onslaught simply followed the deer into new regions, putting all musk deer in peril.
Populations on the Brink
The relentless hunting for musk has devastated musk deer populations across Asia. These animals reproduce slowly (a female typically bears only one fawn at a time) and cannot withstand heavy offtake. Today most musk deer species are endangered. Out of seven primary species in genus Moschus, six are threatened with extinction. The Alpine musk deer, Himalayan musk deer (Moschus leucogaster), and Kashmir musk deer (Moschus cupreus) have become critically endangered in their mountain habitats. They were hunted nearly to extirpation – for example, the Kashmir musk deer, once found in parts of India and Pakistan, is so rare now that it was thought extinct until a few sightings in recent years. The Himalayan musk deer similarly vanished from many areas where they were common. In India’s Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, musk deer numbers plunged from around 1000 in the 1980s to just a few hundred in recent surveys.
The Vietnamese (Tonkin) musk deer has fared no better. Vietnam was famed for Tonquin musk, but that fame doomed the native deer. Today the Tonkin musk deer is almost entirely gone from Vietnam’s wild – a few small pockets may persist in remote mountains, but even those are at grave risk. One Vietnamese source laments that the Tonkin musk deer is “nearly extinct” in its homeland and hunting it is strictly illegal. In neighboring China, two musk deer species (the dwarf and forest musk deer) are endangered from decades of poaching. Mongolia and Nepal have both seen their musk deer populations crash as well; these countries banned hunting, but enforcement in vast alpine terrains is difficult, and poaching continues in the shadows.
Ironically, the Siberian musk deer (Moschus moschiferus) – source of “Siberian musk” – is one of the less endangered species, yet it now faces intense pressure because others have disappeared. The Siberian musk deer is classified as Vulnerable (still at risk, but not yet critically endangered) and is listed on CITES Appendix II, meaning regulated trade is permitted. Russia, which holds the largest Siberian deer population, historically allowed licensed hunting of musk deer in certain regions (with quotas of a few deer per hunter per season). However, even legal hunting can be unsustainable if not tightly controlled, and evidence suggests illegal take far exceeds legal quotas. In Russia’s Far East, new logging roads have opened up remote taiga forests, making it easy for poachers to drive in and set snares by the hundreds. Conservationists report that musk deer numbers are dropping in those areas, likely due to poaching enabled by increased human access. In one study region (Sikhote-Alin reserve), researchers found a clear link: more logging roads = more musk deer poached. The lure of musk’s price tag is so great that even where hunting is “controlled,” musk deer are being quietly wiped out.
The sheer scale of demand for musk bodes ill for the species. In China – the world’s largest consumer of natural musk – the appetite for musk (mostly for traditional medicine) is estimated at up to 1000 kg of musk per year. One thousand kilograms of musk would require killing on the order of 100,000 male deer annually, an absolutely unsustainable number. For context, experts estimate that only about 700,000 musk deer total remain in the wild worldwide. In theory, if poaching were left unchecked, humanity could obliterate the remaining musk deer in just a handful of years. We are literally hunting these animals to the brink for perfume and folk remedies. It is a wildlife tragedy happening in slow motion – and time is running out for these fanged little deer.
Illegal Trade in Musk: Poachers, Smugglers, and Black Markets
International law has recognized the musk deer crisis for decades. In 1979, musk deer were first listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), and by the 1980s all musk deer species were on CITES Appendix I or II. Appendix I species (the most endangered, like the Himalayan and Kashmir musk deer) cannot be traded commercially at all, and Appendix II species (like the Siberian and Chinese musk deer) can only be traded with strict permits ensuring the specimens were legally obtained. CITES parties also passed a specific resolution urging countries to develop alternatives to natural musk and to refine methods of obtaining musk humanely from live deer so that wild deer could be spared. Following these measures, many range countries banned musk deer hunting outright – India, Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia, South Korea and others made it completely illegal to kill musk deer or trade in musk pods. China prohibited musk deer poaching in the wild (given its huge internal demand, China invested in the farmed musk programs described earlier).
Despite these legal protections, the illegal trade in musk continues at an alarming scale. The musk trade has simply gone underground, driven by high profits and persistent demand. One conservationist noted that banning a coveted product often just “meets overwhelming demand with…business as usual, but under the dark cover of illegality, smuggling, and general tomfoolery.” In other words, the musk black market is thriving. In fact, after the CITES restrictions, the availability of musk in some markets increased – a classic case of prohibition fueling a more clandestine trade. Today, musk pods are smuggled across borders hidden in trucks, on person, or through mail, often alongside other illicit wildlife products like tiger bones or bear bile.
Enforcement agencies periodically seize caches of musk, but these busts likely represent a small fraction of what gets through. For example, Russian customs in the Far East confiscated 713 musk glands from smugglers in 1995–2003, including 119 glands in a single year, indicating thousands of deer killed for those shipments. In India, authorities report intercepting musk pods being peddled on the black market despite the species’ protected status. Between 2010 and 2016, at least six seizures of musk pods were documented in just one Indian state (Uttarakhand). In November 2021, police in Maharashtra, India caught traffickers with musk deer parts (pods, glands) along with other contraband like monitor lizard genitalia and mongoose skins – a glimpse into the sordid mix of the wildlife black market. And in January 2024, shockingly, a retired senior police officer in India was arrested in possession of two smuggled musk pods he intended to sell. If even those entrusted to uphold the law are tempted by musk’s money, it underscores how corrosive the trade is.
How do smugglers hide musk? Often the musk pods (which look like dried, hairy glands about the size of a golf ball) are misdeclared or concealed among other goods. Traffickers may grind musk grain and mix it into bags of legal herbs to fool inspectors, or sew musk pods into the linings of clothes and luggage. In traditional medicine stores, illegal musk may be labeled under code names or euphemisms. For instance, genuine musk tincture might be sold as “aromatic powder” or old stocks of “kasturi” (the Hindi word for musk) behind the counter to known buyers. In some cases, vendors claim the musk is “artificial” or from a legal farm, when in truth it came from a poached deer. Consumers seeking musk often have no good way to tell legal from illegal – and in almost all cases, natural musk on the open market is illegal.
There are even scams involving fake musk pods. The demand is so high that con men have taken to manufacturing imitation musk glands to cheat buyers. In India, authorities noticed an influx of “musk pods” being sold in recent years and grew suspicious – the volume was far too high given how rare real musk deer are. On investigation, they found many were counterfeits made from resin or animal parts. In one racket, tribespeople in South India were fashioning fake pods using dried cattle or fox flesh and sticking fur on the outside to resemble a musk gland! Gullible customers were being told these were genuine musk pods that could fetch fortunes in perfume and pharmaceutical markets. While fraudulent, this phenomenon strangely underscores how scarce real musk has become: most “musk pods” offered openly are either phony or illegal. If you see a product advertised as “real deer musk” today, be extremely wary. It is likely illicit or not musk at all. Reputable perfumers and companies will not sell genuine deer musk now, both for legal and ethical reasons.
Ethical Alternatives: Can Musk Be Cruelty-Free?
The grim backstory of Tonquin and Siberian musk begs the question – is there any way to enjoy the scent of musk without harming animals? Thankfully, yes. Over the past few decades, the fragrance industry and traditional medicine have largely shifted to cruelty-free alternatives. Chief among these are synthetic musks: lab-created aroma compounds that mimic the odor of natural musk. In fact, the development of synthetics was accelerated by the musk deer’s plight – once trade was restricted in the late 20th century, perfume houses and chemists poured effort into creating musk-like fragrances in the lab. Today there is a whole family of synthetic musks (nitro musks, polycyclic musks, macrocyclic musks, etc.) that provide that deep, fixative “musk” note in everything from high-end perfumes to laundry detergent, with zero deer needed. Modern perfumes labeled “musk” invariably use these synthetic or plant-derived musky notes. In fact, 99% of traditional medicinal products in China that used to contain genuine musk have switched to an artificial substitute – an enormous relief for musk deer. Chinese pharmaceutical data indicates that by replacing musk with lab-made alternatives in 431 out of 433 patented medicines, they averted the killing of an estimated 9 million deer over two decades. This is a powerful example of science helping to save wildlife: a slight change in a recipe can spare thousands of animals from suffering.
Beyond synthetics, there are natural botanical musks as well. Certain plants produce musky-aromatic compounds. For example, ambrette seed oil (from the hibiscus Abelmoschus moschatus) has a sweet, musky scent and has been used as a vegetarian musk alternative for ages. Angelica root, galbanum resin, labdanum (rockrose) resin, and spikenard are other plant sources that can lend fixative, musky or animalic nuances to perfumes without any animal involvement. Additionally, some perfumers have turned to an unusual ethical animalic: hyraceum, which is the fossilized urine of the Cape hyrax. It sounds odd, but hyraceum (also called “Africa stone”) is collected from rocks where wild hyrax colonies deposit their urine over centuries. It hardens into a resin that can be tinctured and yields a complex, musk-like scent – no animals harmed, as it’s essentially a petrified waste product. Indie perfumers and natural perfumery enthusiasts praise hyraceum as a humane way to get animalic depth in fragrance. As one perfumer noted, “there are alternatives to using real animal ingredients … phyto-derived or synthetic. There is a cruelty-free animalic called hyraceum… The use of some [animal] products should go the way of the dodo.”
The bottom line is that we do not need to torture or kill deer (or civets or beavers) to enjoy sensual, long-lasting fragrances. The vast majority of commercial perfumes have long eliminated real musk. If any artisan brand today boasted of using “authentic Tonquin musk” in a blend, that would be a giant ethical red flag – and likely an illegal act if true. Major fragrance houses will not touch real musk now, both due to cost and public revulsion at the cruelty. Even in traditional medicine, which has been slower to change, many practitioners acknowledge that plant-based or synthetic substitutes for musk can work effectively without endangering wildlife. Continuing to insist on genuine deer musk in the 21st century is unnecessary and irresponsible.
A Call to Conscience
It is time for us to confront the harsh reality behind the musk mystique. The romantic “musk” of legend – that lusty scent in a vintage perfume or the sacred Kasturi prized by emperors – came at a horrific cost in blood and pain. Tonquin musk, the most exalted perfume ingredient of old, all but exterminated the very creature that produced it. Siberian musk, once an abundant natural treasure of the taiga, now trickles out through traps and bullets amid a failing battle to keep the species safe. For what? A few drops of aroma, a fleeting base note in a luxury fragrance, or a supposed cure in a traditional remedy.
We humans have deemed the lives of these gentle deer to be worth less than the scent of their sexual secretions. It’s a jarring thought. The ethical implications are hard to ignore: is a perfume or potion so important that it justifies such cruelty? An observer once likened using real musk to buying a beautiful piece of jewelery made from conflict diamonds – “would we feel comfortable knowing the sparkle came with a price tag of human suffering?” By the same token, any allure of natural musk is forever tainted by the image of a musk deer’s suffering. Human vanity needs to hold a mirror to itself. If the idea of an animal being trapped, mutilated, or killed for a luxury offends us, we must ensure our choices do not perpetuate that cycle.
The story of Tonquin and Siberian musk should indeed make us cry – for it is a tragedy of humanity’s making. But there is hope in awareness and action. We can support conservation laws and demand enforcement so that poachers are stopped and smugglers prosecuted. We can educate others that buying real musk is not a symbol of luxury but a badge of shame. We can support and purchase cruelty-free fragrances and insist on transparent labeling in the perfume and medicine industries. The musk deer is a timid, beautiful creature that belongs in the wild, playing its ecological role in the forest, not as another casualty of human greed.
In the end, the cruelty behind musk is something no civilised society should tolerate. By rejecting products that exploit these animals and by embracing compassionate alternatives, we each take part in ending this senseless suffering. The next time you catch a whiff of something musky, remember the musk deer. Let that gentle animal’s plight stir empathy in your heart. No scent, however enchanting, is worth the silence of a species and the spilling of innocent blood.
Citations
Wikipedia
Summary of musk’s chemistry, history, and its role in perfumery and traditional medicine.
Sourced historical records from the Abbasid Caliphate and Charles Lillie era.
Take One Thing Off
Covers China’s government-backed farms, legal and illegal markets, pricing (~$50,000/kg), black market movement through Hong Kong, cruelty of farming methods, and ethical alternatives.
Beauty Without Cruelty – India
On Indian musk deer poaching, deceptive farming, cannula harvesting methods, trauma to animals, and regional enforcement failures.
Kathmandu Post
“Poaching and Smuggling of Musk Deer on Rise in Mustang Forests”
171 snares found, multiple deer killed, scent glands removed. Cites ACAP officers on the rise in black market activity in Nepal.
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
Highlights poaching routes created by deforestation in Sikhote-Alin Mountains, Russia.
TRAFFIC.org
PDF: “The Population and Harvest of Musk Deer and Trade in Glands”
Confiscation reports from 1995–2003 in the Russian Far East; 713 glands seized.
Times of India
“‘Rare’ Musk Pods Now Reach State in Plenty, Forest Officials Smell Fraud”
Discusses fake musk pods created from cattle/fox tissue in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Ouddict
Forum discussions on Vietnamese Tonkin deer, now nearly extinct, with hunting banned but musk still traded underground.
Basenotes Forum
Debates on real deer musk use vs ethical phyto or synthetic alternatives.
Ethical concerns about animal cruelty and extinction risk.
The Green Side of Pink
Investigates the split between luxury branding and cruelty involved in natural musk use.