Jovan Musk for Men
Cologne, Jōvan (1973)

I recently had the opportunity to try this (again) and I was immediately taken back in time, to my teens, when someone gave me a bottle of this. My mother must have thought that she was going to hate it because--unsniffed--she asked me not to wear it around her. Now, she wore Shalimar and my dad wore Aramis which make Musk for Men seem absolutely tame, but for that reason, I never wore it much, preferring the scent I bought for myself (Guerlain's Vetiver).

The marketing must have overstated its muskiness (read raunchiness) because I always found this to be a very soft, soapy scent with a floral heart and a softy woody base. It does not objectively seem particularly masculine to me although, back in the day this is definitely what you smelled whenever a bunch of guys got together. Think of Friday night football games (under the bleachers). I think that Jovan was very good at coming out with quality scents for the masses and this is a prime example. Was I tempted to shell out twelve bucks for a bottle just for old times sake? Not really. But I would wear it if I had it in my collection--it is that good.

Jovan Musk is the reason why Kiehl's Original Musk smelled so familiar to me when I first encountered it. Jovan's iconic elixir has a huge dose of Tonquitone base, just as Kiehl's does. Tonquitone was formulated to resemble deer musk through combining macrocyclic musks and P-cresol and some other goodies. Consider Kiehl's Original Musk to be the far more refined and dynamic version, but Jovan has its own magnetism.

"Somewhere back in the long ago" (sung in Michael McDonald voice), Jovan Musk was the trusty cologne of many a young man and there are many tales that can be shared from those who came of age wearing this slugger. It frankly makes me want to binge watch those NBC Mystery Movie series from the 70s like Colombo, McCloud, or McMillan and Wife while cracking open a Miller Lite or two.

I feel sick just thinking about the memory of the smell of this explosively bad cheap fragrance from Junior High School

For sixteen bucks you can smell like Billy Dee Williams. I don't really know enough about fragrance to give a more illustrative review than that, but if you need more than that, you probably don't want to wear Jovan Musk, anyhow. You want to wear this if you want to smell like Billy Dee, which you obviously do.

I have had a bottle of Jovan Musk for Men most of my late teens to adult life. I have even finished a bottle of this, meaning I have actually worn this too much. Apparently even when I didn't think I was a fragrance wearer I splashed this on occasionally without really giving it much thought. I haven't worn this for several years as I had made a feeble ignorant attempt to 'wear cologne' at work to attract a certain female co-worker. She didn't like fragrance at all and denigrated the thought/need for it. Several older, married, frumpy ladies at work did compliment me, which overall meant Jovan was a total failure. Ironically I still 'got the girl' which looking back wasn't the win I was hoping for. Luckily long gone from my world so I'm able to enjoy my fragrances.

Jovan Musk is as it implies, a simple scent that doesn't match the note pyramid. It seems to be linear cheap amber musk to me. It's not repulsive, but I'd just as soon wear Stetson instead if I was going this cheap and cheesy. Regarding it's era, it feels like buying a 1970s Buick convertible off a sleazy used lot that still has a K-Tel cassette in the deck so you listen to it on the way home simply because it's there only to play your own music that is latitudes better once you can. I'm neutral on this due to my having worn it so much in my life but it's not required sniffing by any means.

Jovan Musk (Vintage / pre-Coty version) -

Jovan Musk is the Cheapie Hall of Fame Cooler King!
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Von Luger : Are all American officers so ill-mannered?

Hilts : Yeah, about 99 percent.

Von Luger : Then perhaps while you are with us you will have a chance to learn some. Ten days isolation, Hilts.

Hilts : CAPTAIN Hilts.

Von Luger : Twenty days.

Hilts : Right. Oh, uh, you'll still be here when I get out?

Von Luger : [visibly annoyed]  Cooler!

("The Great Escape" 1963) 
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4 stars.