Leather
Vintage/old school
Woody
Top Noteselemipink peppersaffronturkish rose
Hearthyacinthhyraceumstyraxwhisky
Base Notesamberbenzoincastoreumcivetpatchoulisandalwoodtonka beans
Tags
#animalic
Style
for her
for him
unisex
Perfumer: Sven Pritzkoleit
It's a dramatic animalic dry leather. Smell the artistic take on the hyraceum aroma (a larger than life fantasy) in this perfume and also if you visit us at Covent Garden, you can discover how natural hyraceum smells. We have a piece of this ancient fascinating material for educational purposes.
Sven used natural hyraceum as obtaining this material does not involve any animal cruelty (please see below). However, the perfumer purposeley enhanced most of the nuances of natural hyraceum to dramatic proportions: animalic, urinous, leathery, ambery and barnyard.
***
What is hyraceum?
Hyraceum is the fossilized urine of hyraxes Bloom's specimen (available to smell at our Covent Garden store) came from a mountainous area in South Africa and was harvested by local tribesmen from a hyrax’s urinal area in an ancient cave (as communal animals they have a designated communal loo - latrine). Hyraceum is exclusively fossilized urine deposits (no feces). As many desert plants and animals have water saving habits – hyraxes’ urine is not a liquid. They excrete jelly-like urine that dries in the sun to a stone.
The specimen was procured with the expert assistance of The Rising Phoenix Perfumery and could be thousands of years old.
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
Hyrax suits an unhurried evening in worn leather, with room for its dusty, animalic character to unfold. Whisky and muted florals lend a human warmth to the roughness, but the presence remains deliberately untamed: more tactile and confrontational than polished or socially discreet.
How to wear
Start with one spray on skin and let the animalic opening settle before adding more. Mild to cool weather is a sensible starting point for its dense leather, resin and wood profile; heat may bring the rawer facets forward. Apply beneath clothing if you want a more contained presence.
Who it’s for
For admirers of uncompromising animalics, dry leather and old-school perfumery’s less sanitised textures. It will especially interest those who enjoy oud-like complexity, barnyard nuances and florals that remain partially hidden rather than becoming the centrepiece.
Release year
2018
The nose
Sven Pritzkoleit is a German independent perfumer whose work explores bold textures, unconventional contrasts and uncompromising animalic accords. His Civette Intense and affinity for woody compositions drew Zoologist founder Victor Wong to him for Hyrax. Here, he amplified natural hyraceum with an animalic accord, setting its distinctive nuances against florals, resins and woods.
Collaborators
Zoologist founder Victor Wong shaped the animal-and-habitat brief and selected Pritzkoleit for his approach to animalic and woody fragrances. During development, Wong considered less costly substitutions but accepted Pritzkoleit’s argument that they would compromise the composition, retaining the original formula.
Zoologist’s story
Founded in Toronto by Victor Wong, Zoologist translates animals and their habitats into perfumes rather than simply decorating familiar formulas with wildlife imagery. Its compositions welcome strangeness, humour and challenging textures alongside beauty. Synthetic alternatives replace animal-derived musks; Hyrax’s naturally collected African stone is a distinct exception.
Hyrax’s concept
Hyrax evokes sun-warmed African rocks, dusty fur and sparse vegetation through the unusual character of hyraceum. Pritzkoleit built an animalic accord to reinforce the material, then added authentic hyraceum for its particular nuances. Its resemblance to Laotian oud helped steer the composition toward an oud-like structure, with concealed florals beneath a forceful mineral-pepper opening.
Extra info
Hyrax contains real hyraceum, also known as African stone, and is therefore classified by Zoologist as non-vegan. Its civet and castoreum notes are synthetic, while the naturally collected hyraceum is harvested without harming the animals.
Top Noteselemipink peppersaffronturkish rose
Hearthyacinthhyraceumstyraxwhisky
Base Notesamberbenzoincastoreumcivetpatchoulisandalwoodtonka beans
Tags
#animalic
Style
for her
for him
unisex
Perfumer: Sven Pritzkoleit
It's a dramatic animalic dry leather. Smell the artistic take on the hyraceum aroma (a larger than life fantasy) in this perfume and also if you visit us at Covent Garden, you can discover how natural hyraceum smells. We have a piece of this ancient fascinating material for educational purposes.
Sven used natural hyraceum as obtaining this material does not involve any animal cruelty (please see below). However, the perfumer purposeley enhanced most of the nuances of natural hyraceum to dramatic proportions: animalic, urinous, leathery, ambery and barnyard.
***
What is hyraceum?
Hyraceum is the fossilized urine of hyraxes Bloom's specimen (available to smell at our Covent Garden store) came from a mountainous area in South Africa and was harvested by local tribesmen from a hyrax’s urinal area in an ancient cave (as communal animals they have a designated communal loo - latrine). Hyraceum is exclusively fossilized urine deposits (no feces). As many desert plants and animals have water saving habits – hyraxes’ urine is not a liquid. They excrete jelly-like urine that dries in the sun to a stone.
The specimen was procured with the expert assistance of The Rising Phoenix Perfumery and could be thousands of years old.
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
Hyrax suits an unhurried evening in worn leather, with room for its dusty, animalic character to unfold. Whisky and muted florals lend a human warmth to the roughness, but the presence remains deliberately untamed: more tactile and confrontational than polished or socially discreet.
How to wear
Start with one spray on skin and let the animalic opening settle before adding more. Mild to cool weather is a sensible starting point for its dense leather, resin and wood profile; heat may bring the rawer facets forward. Apply beneath clothing if you want a more contained presence.
Who it’s for
For admirers of uncompromising animalics, dry leather and old-school perfumery’s less sanitised textures. It will especially interest those who enjoy oud-like complexity, barnyard nuances and florals that remain partially hidden rather than becoming the centrepiece.
Release year
2018
The nose
Sven Pritzkoleit is a German independent perfumer whose work explores bold textures, unconventional contrasts and uncompromising animalic accords. His Civette Intense and affinity for woody compositions drew Zoologist founder Victor Wong to him for Hyrax. Here, he amplified natural hyraceum with an animalic accord, setting its distinctive nuances against florals, resins and woods.
Collaborators
Zoologist founder Victor Wong shaped the animal-and-habitat brief and selected Pritzkoleit for his approach to animalic and woody fragrances. During development, Wong considered less costly substitutions but accepted Pritzkoleit’s argument that they would compromise the composition, retaining the original formula.
Zoologist’s story
Founded in Toronto by Victor Wong, Zoologist translates animals and their habitats into perfumes rather than simply decorating familiar formulas with wildlife imagery. Its compositions welcome strangeness, humour and challenging textures alongside beauty. Synthetic alternatives replace animal-derived musks; Hyrax’s naturally collected African stone is a distinct exception.
Hyrax’s concept
Hyrax evokes sun-warmed African rocks, dusty fur and sparse vegetation through the unusual character of hyraceum. Pritzkoleit built an animalic accord to reinforce the material, then added authentic hyraceum for its particular nuances. Its resemblance to Laotian oud helped steer the composition toward an oud-like structure, with concealed florals beneath a forceful mineral-pepper opening.
Extra info
Hyrax contains real hyraceum, also known as African stone, and is therefore classified by Zoologist as non-vegan. Its civet and castoreum notes are synthetic, while the naturally collected hyraceum is harvested without harming the animals.