Raw, civet is intense — urinous, and close to what you might call a vomit-like note, and it’s not really possible to soften that description. At full strength it’s genuinely offensive, the kind of smell that makes you understand immediately why most people who’ve never worked with it assume...
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What Is Hyraceum?
Hyraceum is fossilised hyrax excrement. Hyraxes are small mammals native to Africa, and because they return to the same spot for generations, the build-up compacts over thousands of years into something closer to stone than droppings. What Does Hyraceum Smell Like? Raw, hyraceum carries a faecal note and a...
What Does Ambergris Smell Like? Real Ambergris in Perfumery
Most people have never smelled real ambergris. Most perfumers haven’t either. What they’ve smelled is ambroxan — a synthetic compound designed to replicate the key aromatic molecule in ambergris, without being anything close to the real thing. And most fragrances marketed as amber have nothing to do with ambergris...
Natural vs. Synthetic Perfumes: Why Small-Batch Attars Are Worth the Investment
Natural vs. Synthetic Perfumes: Why Small-Batch Attars Are Worth the Investment There is a question I get asked fairly often: why pay more for a natural attar when there are perfectly good synthetic perfumes available at a fraction of the price? It’s a fair question, and it deserves an...
