Animalic
This rather odd construction of a word has come to denote one of two things in perfume lingo. Either that a fragrance is based on the essences traditionally derived by animals (nowadays ethically replicated to smell like the real thing, without harming animals), or that a fragrance pulls on animal magnetism, that mysterious quality that speaks of sex and intimacy.
Using materials recalling smells of our own bodies, as well as essences of ambergris (an essence from sperm whales which is found floating on the ocean), civet (an African critter’s genital odour), musk (evoking the prized scent of the Nepalese musk deer) and castoreum (from the reproductive glands of beavers), this a heavy duty genre for serious perfume players. Proceed with caution!