# Civet

**Zibetto**

**Known today as.** The glandular secretion of the civet cat.

Kind: Animal

## What did Canale use it for?

Six grains in the oil (ch. 9).

## What does modern science say?

Chiefly a perfume material, prized because its scent lasts. Its collection from caged animals raises serious welfare concerns, and perfumers have turned increasingly to synthetic fixatives, though Taye holds that the synthetics cannot replace the natural musk.

## Pharmacognosy and toxicology

- **civetone**: a macrocyclic ketone
- **skatole**: 

**Mechanism.** Civetone, the dominant odorant, is a musky fixative; the paste, pungent and faecal when raw, smells sweet when diluted and blended.

**Dose.** None.

**Standing.** Civet farming in Ethiopia continues for the perfume trade; Chanel switched to synthetic civetone in 1998, following other perfume houses.

## What lore surrounds it?

Ethiopia is the world’s main supplier of civet musk to the perfume trade, with about 90 per cent of exports; the animals have been kept in cages there for hundreds of years, and the musk is collected by squeezing a pair of glands under the tail. Concern over their mistreatment has driven the export underground, and the trade is declining.

## Sources

- The Conversation, on Ethiopian civet musk.
- Taye, T. (2009). The African civet cat (*Viverra civetta*) and its life supporting role in the livelihood of smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. Tropentag 2009, University of Hamburg.
- PubChem, “Civetone” (CID 5315941), record description. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
- Wikipedia, “Civetone” (read 2 October 2026), en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civetone.

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*Civet.* In *Materia Medica*, edited by B. C. P. Statema. Version 1, revised 2026-10-03. The Thinking Press. https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/civet

Historical description, not medical advice.