This CBK-Adjacent Perfume Is Trending, But it's Been My Signature for Years

I don't need to tell you that Carolyn Bessette Kennedy mania has reached an all-time high. As a New York City blonde myself, I can't say that I mind it. I'm not even bothered by the fact that I can't set foot in my favorite store in the city, CO Bigalow, where CBK used to buy her headbands—I'm happy that the West Village Girls are keeping the iconic pharmacy alive.

What do mind, however, is my longtime perfume is starting to go viral thanks in part to the late style icon. Not satisfied with just dressing like Bessette or even coloring their hair "Bessette Blonde," the girlies are starting to smell like her, too. Reportedly, Besette wore Abdul Kareem’s Egyptian Musk Oil (a fact referenced in Love Story's first episode), which is hard to find and currently going on Ebay for up to $2,500. However, her love of the note has sparked a new interest in musk perfumes, with many publications—including this one!—offering up Kiehl’s Original Musk as an alternative.

Previously a classic yet under-the-radar gem, the general public has caught on to my signature scent. I've come across a few unboxing videos on TikTok, and the brand has reported an 86% increase in traffic to the fragrance since the show's release. In fact, Kiehl’s has even dropped an "Iconic Duo" Kit, which includes the fragrance as well as the Crème with Silk Groom hair cream, rumored to be a favorite of both CBK and JFK Jr.

While the fragrance is now associated with the style icon, I will always link it to someone a little more special: my Grammy. For as long as I can remember, hugging her smelled like the comfortingly clean fragrance, tinged with just a hint of cigarette smoke (if it was summer, there was likely some Ban De Soleil in the mix as well). After she died in 2014, my mom started wearing the fragrance in her honor. Shortly after, I started wearing it to, and it's been my go-to for almost a decade.

The Fragrance

The perfume's history actually goes way deeper than CBK. Brand lore has it that the fragrance was created in the 1920s by the original Kiehl’s apothecary in NYC's East Village—some sources claim it was created by a “Prince Karl of Russia." However, it was never sold to the public, and was rediscovered in the 10950s in a vat labeled "Love Oil." The brand officially released its Original Musk in 1963.

Kiehl’s describes the fragrance as "a soft, aromatic scent for both men and women." Of course, musk notes anchor the fragrance, but there's a little more going on than the name would suggest. It opens with notes of bergamot nectar and orange blossom, has heart notes of rose, lily, ylang-ylang, and neroli, and finishes with tonka nut, white patchouli, and the namesake musk.

As for my family's lore, my mom says my Grammy started wearing the perfume circa the early 2000s when she discovered it at the Cosmetics Company store after moving to Vermont. She also wore a powdery floral Guerlain fragrance and Kenzo Flower, so the soft scent fit her favorite profile—her lifelong best friend wears Bonne Bell musk to this day, so perhaps that was a factor as well. My mom inherited her taste, and always wore Narciso Rodriguez for Her Pure Musc when I was growing up, before switching over to Kiehl's.

My Review

I would love this fragrance even without the family connection—though I'm not sure I ever would have gravitated to the plain brown bottle all by myself. I prefer simple, soft, and powdery fragrances, and this fits the bill. It's marketed as gender neutral and I've heard it described as "smelling like a barbershop," but to me (perhaps because of scent association) it's perfectly feminine without being frilly.

It smells like clean laundry, a little bit of powder, and a hug from my mom. It's very distinct but not at all overpowering, and you have to get close to take it in—whenever my friend Rose hugs me she says I smell like a clean baby. That being said, it's not juvenile, just fresh, and I understand why it's being lumped in with CBK's crisp white shirts and lived-in leather bags. Of course, the fact that I'm instantly transported to my Grammy's kitchen doesn't hurt either. I particularly like to get a whiff of it on my sweater or in my hair, because it feels like I'm smelling it on someone else.

May I suggest that Kheil's creates an "Iconic Trio" set? Three bottles of the fragrance inspired by me, my mom, and my Grammy.