What Did Carolyn Bessette's Perfume Smell Like?
by Brian Galindo, Shelby Heinrich, Lara Parker
If you're anything like me, then Carolyn Bessette Kennedy has been all over your social media feeds because of FX's limited series Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette.
photo: ©FX / Courtesy of FX via Everett Collection
While Carolyn has never really gone away from the public consciousness in the decades since her death, the show has introduced her to a new generation, especially Gen Z, who are just now discovering her for the first time. This has also brought renewed attention to her classic '90s minimalist wardrobe, which now fits almost perfectly with today's The Row or Loro Piana quiet luxury aesthetic.
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Along with her clothes, her makeup, accessories, and even her reported signature scent, Abdul Kareem Egyptian Musk Oil, have been widely covered by people online, especially TikTok. In fact, the scent itself was brought up within the very first 10 minutes of the first episode of the show.
Diet Prada/FX / Via instagram.com
Carolyn's love of the fragrance – which has been described as soft, clean, simple, and like the "white T-shirt" of scents — has been well documented over the years, including in Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy by author Elizabeth Beller, and in her cousin-in-law and friend Carole Radziwill's memoir, What Remains. Now, as much as I can find through researching Abdul Kareem, it was an inexpensive, small, Brooklyn-based perfume oil brand from the '80s that was also popular in the '90s and sold mainly through street vendors (which is where Carolyn would buy hers).
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Reportedly, after the owner of the company died, Egyptian Musk (and other Abdul Kareem fragrances) slowly disappeared, with only backstock bottles popping up here and there over the years on eBay, usually going for way more than the $8–$12 price tag it sold for on the streets. Now, according to the Cut, the fragrance then reappeared through an eBay seller (that wants to remain anonymous), who has inherited the business and the original formulation, and has occasionally been dropping the oil over the years.
BuzzFeed, Lawrence Schwartzwald / Sygma via Getty Images
Well, I lucked out and was able to get a bottle of Abdul Kareem Egyptian Musk from their most recent drop before it sold out. I was honestly curious about what all the fuss was about, which is why I decided to get it. But I also wanted to do a review of it, so I asked my two wonderful coworkers and two people whose opinions I really trust, Shelby and Lara, to review it with me, so you guys can know what we really think.
BuzzFeed
Obviously, we don't have the original to compare it to, but I found this blog post about the fragrance from over a year ago, where a commenter wrote that it smells exactly like the ones they remember buying in the '90s.
Brian's review
BuzzFeed
So, I wouldn't say I'm a "fragrance freak," but I do love having a small rotation of scents to choose from. While I'll reach for something bold every now and then, in my day-to-day life, I tend to stick with softer, cleaner skin scents, like Byredo's Gypsy Water and my current obsession and go-to, Henry Rose's London 1983. I had read a while back about Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's love for Abdul Kareem Egyptian Musk Oil, and at the time, I didn't think much of it. But after watching the first few episodes of Love Story, I ended up going down a full internet rabbit hole because I realized this was probably something I would really, really love.
When I first smelled it, it hit me in a nostalgic way, not like a CK One kind of nostalgia, but in that familiar "I've definitely smelled this on someone before" way from growing up. Even smelling it straight from the bottle, it was subtle, with a soft, powdery, almost soapy note and just a hint of musk. Since it's a pure oil, a little goes a long way, and I probably applied more than I meant to, but even then, it never felt overpowering. It wears differently from alcohol-based fragrances, too, taking a bit longer to really settle into your skin.
After about an hour, it shifted, and I couldn't stop smelling my wrist because it became kind of intoxicating, slightly stronger but still close to the skin. I completely get why people call it a "white T-shirt" scent. It's simple and clean, like a freshly laundered cotton shirt that's been left out to dry in the sun. If I had to compare it to what I already wear, it leans closer to London 1983, but less sweet and even more understated. It also lasts forever. I could still faintly smell it on my skin even after showering. Am I going to wear it again? Absolutely. It feels elegant, more unique (at least to me), and just nails that clean, subtle skin-like scent I'm always looking for.
Shelby's review
BuzzFeed
Let me start by saying that I don't usually wear perfume because I am EXTREMELY picky. The scent can’t be too strong, too sweet, too floral, too "