With the premiere of FX’s Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, cultural fascination with Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy has returned in full force. While the slip dresses and sleek blowouts are once again mood-board staples, it’s an even quieter detail that’s driving a measurable spike in consumer behavior: her signature scent.
Bessette-Kennedy reportedly wore Egyptian Musk oil, often cited as Abdul Kareem’s Egyptian Musk, purchased from a New York City street vendor. The original oil—best described as “a subtle, clean and slightly sweet fragrance”—is no longer in production, but contemporary brands are seeing renewed enthusiasm for their interpretations.
One of them is Kuumba Made, a woman-owned, plant-based fragrance company that has carried Egyptian Musk ($32) for decades. The brand sells the scent starting at $10 via Amazon, Whole Foods, Sprouts and TikTok Shop.
“We’ve seen sales double of our Egyptian Musk since the FX series aired and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s signature fragrance was mentioned," says founder Denise Piazza. "It has been part of our collection for decades—it’s one of those timeless, close-to-the-skin scents that never chases trends but quietly endures. It’s been beautiful to watch a new generation discover it through Carolyn’s story. She was such a style and cultural icon. For us, it’s been especially meaningful because Egyptian Musk has been one of our top sellers for the last 45 years. To see it receive love and attention after so much time reminds us that classic scents never really go out of style.”
To Piazza's point, Egyptian Musk isn’t new. In fact, its roots predate Bessette-Kennedy's rise as a style icon, explains New York perfumer Darryl Do of Delbia Do Fragrances.
“Egyptian Musk oil was popular in the '70s, right alongside patchouli oils that many stores carried,” he says. "The musk in the blend is the old style—it gave a soft, warm scent. The musks of today have been replaced by modern nitro-musks that are much stronger. The old musk has lost much of its appeal, but there are some vintage shops that continue to carry these. One is Hush, which has launched an Egyptian Musk–type oil with no alcohol and an EDP version with alcohol.”
“The new musks have all the attention—new and improved,” Do says, stressing that one thing is certain regarding the timeless appeal of skin scents: "They have a soft feel, so they invite intimacy."
