Hyrax
Zoologist (2018)

Grrr. Purr. Growl. Hyrax will make animal noises come out of you. For some the noises might be more in disgust, but I’ve got a grin on my face and I feel slinky like a jungle cat.

There is a great opening to this perfume. Plenty of rainbow peppercorns give a piquant and earthy fruity facet to a green and resinous elemi, and soft, hay like florals of saffron and powdery pink rose. Quite quickly though, the star of the perfume begins rising up with a gentle but firm muscularity: castoreum. Hyrax is properly, funky animalic musky. The castoreum has plenty of supporting characters that give it a compelling omnipotence. Hyraceum, styrax, peaty Scotch whisky, and benzoin slide very neatly and precisely into the gaps of the castoreum. Leather, civet, and musks are heated up and given breadth by charred wood barrel-aged booze notes and spicy, sweet, earthy vanillics. As Hyrax dries down the leathery castoreum and warm benzoin become the most prominent, but in bold yet elegant balance. There is something very pleasing in this rather old school presentation, and that’s likely because the materials used smell and feel quite modern but they’re used to send a retro message - like a 100-year-old musical track rerecorded with modern instruments and technology.

“You smell amazing” a coworker said to me. Yes, I do. Again, I can’t say it’s anything new, far from it, but excellent attention to details and excellent handling of good materials is sometimes all it takes. I feel like an animal… in a mostly well-behaved way. Get your mind out of the gutter.

Hyrax by Zoologist is a truly original fragrance that boldly embraces its animalic roots, offering a unique olfactory experience that is both daring and captivating. This scent stands out in the crowded perfume landscape, primarily due to its use of hyraceum, a fossilized excretion from the hyrax, which infuses the fragrance with an earthy, primal essence that is rarely found in modern perfumery.
From the very first spritz, Hyrax envelops you in a warm, desert-like atmosphere, reminiscent of sun-baked stones and the rich scents of nature. The initial blast is unapologetically animalic, featuring notes of castoreum and civet that evoke a raw and unrefined beauty. However, this intensity is beautifully balanced by softer elements like saffron and rose, which add depth and complexity to the composition16. The interplay between these contrasting notes creates an experience that is not just about shock value; it’s a journey into the wild that feels both elegant and sophisticated.
What sets Hyrax apart is its textural richness. The fragrance evolves over time, transitioning from its bold opening to a smoother heart and base characterized by amber and sandalwood. This evolution captures the essence of the hyrax's natural habitat—rugged yet inviting56. Many reviewers have noted that wearing Hyrax feels like stepping into an exotic landscape, making it an ideal choice for those who appreciate scents that tell a story.
In conclusion, Hyrax by Zoologist is not merely a fragrance; it's an experience. It challenges conventional notions of beauty in perfumery while celebrating the animalic facets that many shy away from. For adventurous souls seeking originality in their scent choices, Hyrax is a must-try—an unforgettable olfactory adventure that will leave you enchanted and yearning for more.

Hyrax. We sit on the balcony, and spray it onto paper to not flood our one-bedroom apartment with perfume. I knew Hyrax was a highly animalistic scent, which I had never really experienced before. But my expectation was for it to smell pretty rank. The majority of negative reviews said it smells like poop. The positive ones described it as a powerful, musky, masculine animal. My expectations were low. I was expecting almost a wet dog smell. So when I smelled it... I was blown away. It smelled SO. GOOD. It's hard to actually explain what Hyrax smells like - many of the notes are completely new to me, and I would not be able to differentiate them from each other. I also think it is just an extremely well blended perfume. There is truly nothing I can compare it to in terms of scent, particularly for the opening. Towards the dry down, it smells somewhat meaty, vaguely metallic, almost-blood like. Which SHOULDN'T smell good, especially to me who is vegetarian, but there is just something about it that scratches my brain and I just want to keep smelling it. I don't know why, I don't know what it is about it, but it just smells so good to me. My partner also really enjoyed this one. I was expecting something really out there, but it reminds me a bit of some high quality, vintage colognes. It's very masculine, but it does not smell like cheap colognes at all - there's no axe body spray in this. To me, there is nothing astringent or offensive - it makes me feel warm, and comfortable.

Some things to note: this perfume is absolutely beast mode. Way more than any other perfume I have ever bought, way more than any in the Zoologist collection that I've tried. That piece of paper with a single spray made our entire apartment smell like Hyrax for over a week. It made me very nervous to wear it, because the longevity and projection is absolutely bonkers, and if other people do in fact smell this perfume as poop - I don't want to make people feel unwell. I do wonder if part of the reason I DON'T smell it as poop is because I actually used handle people's various fluids and excrements daily at work. (Okay, not usually poop, but every other kind of body thing you could imagine which comes with their own funky smells.) But to me, there isn't a hint of it at all. Not even a hint of cat or dog poop either. As of writing this, I am yet to wear it on my skin and out in public for fear of offending people. But I do truly love this perfume. I am undecided if I will buy a travel size yet or not, because I'm just not sure if I'm brave enough to wear it. At the very least though, I will treasure the sample I have, because it makes me feel very warm and fuzzy. Final verdict: 8/10.

(Final note about Hyrax - my cat LOVES IT. As soon as the perfumes arrived, she was vigorously sniffing the air with maximum flehmen response. I also caught her rolling around on the paper.)

Let's get this out of the way: Hyraceum is fossilized animal excreta. If you're squeamish about that, then Hyrax is not for you.

That aside, Hyrax is patently animalic, even granting that the civet and castoreum notes are, unlike the hyraceum, synthetic. Early on, there's a discernible funk that's not so much fecal, urinous, or even sweaty (à la cumin) as "unwashed." That doesn't last, however, instead transitioning to the saffron, whisky, and musk, creating something like a cross between leather and petrichor. It is, in its own peculiar and un-pretty way, quite seductive.

Hyrax is virtually the definition of divisive, as the widely divergent reviews attest. While I fall in the "love it" camp, I readily admit that it would never be a dumb reach—though, for some occasions, a profoundly stupid one. Do I need a bottle? Absolutely not.

But I do want one.

Hyrax is a more natural, more refined, luxurious interpretation of Tom Ford's London with an overdose of castoreum. I like it for about an hour, which is strange as I can't stand the TF. But after about an hour or so, it becomes nauseating to me as the animalic castoruem takes over with its funky, oily, pungent, fecal texture and starts to smell like poop. A reformulation might actually do this one justice, but in its current state its unpalatable.

It’s made of WHAT??? Well, it is what it is. I really hate that expression. It means nothing to me. Which is I guess the point, but I still hate it.

But in this case, it kinda works. Hyrax is what it’s made of. Not that it smells of it. More in a quality sense. Although it does sorta smell of it.

Yeah, I really don’t like this one. I wanted to (yes, because of the exotic-gross ingredient), and I may yet, but I simply don’t as of today.

Although…

As I write this review, I’m starting to have a change of heart. I think this one’s a go for me, after all.

Really strange, that. But it’s all good.

Whatever THAT means…

I’m now completely fascinated with this fragrance. It really does have something to say. It’s just too bad the same can’t be said for me.