"Can Martecci brand products be found anywhere else?"

Check here for the latest updates. I am working to add everything or most everything to my own online store, likely starting first on eBay. Currently all Martecci products are available for purchase through this venue or by contacting me directly at  martecci@cox.net.  I am now working to add my ever expanding product line to the wonderful people who shop online.

"Are your musk, ambergris, and civet the synthetic ones or animalic?"

As a quick response, due to laws, regulations, green-friendly concerns and/or other factors, our fragrance notes, chords, etc are produced without harm to any animals and therefore, of necessity, we use premium grade synthetic equivalent notes.    Rest assured, all our scents are animal cruelty free and green friendly and have proven safe for human usage when used properly for their intended purpose.

As a more detailed response...

As to musk, musk is the name originally given to a substance with a penetrating odor obtained from a gland of the male musk deer, which is situated between its stomach and genitals. The substance has been used as a popular perfume fixative since ancient times and is one of the most expensive animal products in the world. The name, originated from Sanskrit muṣká meaning "testicle" (as in a 'single' testicle), has come to encompass a wide variety of substances with somewhat similar odors although many of them are quite different in their chemical structures. They include glandular secretions from animals other than the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial substances with similar odors.

Until the late 19th century the fragrance was only obtained from natural sources. Now synthesized compounds are used almost exclusively. The organic compound primarily responsible for the characteristic odor of musk is muscone.

As to ambergris, ambergris is basically the lumps of oxidized fatty compounds, whose precursors were secreted and expelled by the Sperm Whale. Ambergris is commonly referred to as "amber" in perfumery, and there are many varieties. If your curious to know, it is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull gray or blackish color produced in the digestive system of sperm whales. Ambergris has a peculiar sweet, earthy odor (similar to isopropyl alcohol); though it has now been largely displaced by synthetics, and, you are correct, the principal historical use of ambergris was as a fixative in perfumery.

Ambergris has historically been an important perfume odorant and is highly sought. However, it is difficult to get a consistent and reliable supply of high quality ambergris. Due to demand for ambergris and its high price, replacement compounds have been sought out by the fragrance industry and chemically synthesized. The most important of these is ambrox, which has largely taken its place and is the most widely used ambergris-replacement odorant in perfume manufacture. The oldest and most commercially significant synthesis of ambrox is from sclareol (primarily extracted from clary sage), although syntheses have been devised from a variety of other natural products, including cis-abienol and thujone. Procedures for the microbial production of ambrox have also been devised.

In the United States, importing, buying, or selling ambergris — including ambergris that has washed ashore — was considered a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. However, in 2001 this ruling was overturned, and ambergris was deemed not to be a byproduct of the whaling industry, since the whale expels this substance naturally. There is currently no prohibition in the buying and selling of ambergris in the United States. And while perfumes can still be found with Ambergris around the world, American perfumers usually avoid it due to legal ambiguities.

As to civet, the civet produces a musk (also called civet, or musk or civet musk) highly valued as a fragrance and stabilizing agent for perfume. Both male and female civets produce the strong-smelling secretion, which is produced by the civet's perineal glands. It is harvested by either killing the animal and removing the glands, or by scraping the secretions from the glands of a live animal. The latter is the preferred method today. However, animal rights groups, such as the World Society for the Protection of Animals, express concern that harvesting musk is cruel to animals. Between these ethical concerns and the availability of synthetic substitutes, the practice of raising civets for musk is dying out. Also since civets have endangered species status, natural civet has been replaced with a synthetic substitute since 1998 in fragrances like Chanel #5 by Chanel.

We will ship

up to

 4 ounces

following

areas only:

Canada,

United Kingdom,

Australia, Austria, Belgium,

Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia,

Croatia, Cyprus,

Czech Republic,

Denmark, Ecuador,

Estonia, Finland,  Greece,

Hungary, Ireland, Israel,

Japan, Latvia, Lithuania,

Malaysia, Maldives, Malta,

Netherlands,

New Zealand,

Norway, Poland, Portugal,

Puerto Rico, Romania,

Russian Federation,

Singapore, Slovakia,

Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,

IF YOUR AREA IS OR

IS NOT MENTIONED ABOVE AND YOU USE THE SHOPPING CART AND NO CHARGE IS ASSESSED FOR S&h IN THE SHOPPING CART, THEN WE WILL SEND YOU A SEPARATE INVOICE VIA EMAIL FOR THE SHIPPING AND HANDLING WHICH MUST BE PAID BEFORE THE ORDER IS SHIPPED. NO REFUNDS IF S&H NOT PAID. iF WE DO NOT SEND YOU AN INVOICE TO COVER THOSE CHARGES, THEN WE DO NOT SHIP TO THAT AREA AND WILL REFUND YOUR MONEY.

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IF YOU DON'T SEE A SCENT YOUR LOOKING FOR, email ME AT MARTECCI@COX.NET.  i MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP.