Best Oud Zhen by Areej Le Doré Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

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.

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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.

An ancient ritual. The wonder of green, perfumed resin flowing from the tree. It is reminiscent of journeys along the perfume routes, of the magic of nocturnal ceremonies. Fresh, intense notes of Incense, Opoponax, Storax and Tolu.

‘All the soarings of my mind begin in my blood’

Rainer Maria Rilke

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A perfumed celebration of saints and superstitions, centred around a fierce fenugreek absolute note lavished with singed pyrazines, sacrificial myrrh and mournful molten honey poured over everything like amber rain.  Meadow blooms, sticky dark resins, pungent balms and ashen clouds of iris swirl like dramatic weather.

The word “agrani” in Sanskrit means a leader, a trailblazer, and this perfume embodies the life stages of a leader. The opening burst of cherry, almond and saffron symbolises the mesmerising oratory skills that rally the masses. The heart reveals the power of pipe tobacco and leather, expressing a leader’s fearless revolutionary spirit. Enveloping musk and Burmese oud summons the hope they bring during challenging times. The cacao and castoreum base evokes the lasting impact they have on the world, leaving an indelible impression. And finally, the warmth of amber echoes the rays of hope a leader ignites in future generations.

David Maruitte

“Nerosa is a perfume realized with David Maruitte in 2011, but at that time we believed that Laboratorio Olfattivo was not yet ready to launch a fragrance like this. Today instead, Nerosa can perfectly enter in our Black Collection, thanks to the depth, wealth and strength of its formula. A fragrance whose energy is noticeable and whose enveloping sillage is strong.”

Roberto Drago

“On a track through an unforgiving desert, starting point and destination are indistinguishable from one another. Terra-cotta hued dunes twist and writhe, their shapes ever shifting. Only the merciless sun and aloof constellations can be trusted to point the way. Weighed down by treasures; some tempting the eyes with their glittering sheen, others enticing with exotic aromas, the camel plods towards a far off marketplace. Water is but a dream now, the taste of sweet dates a distant memory. There is nothing but an endless ocean of sand.” - Zoologist.

Perfumer: Christian Carbonnel.

The lush Indonesian rainforest is home to the palm civet, a small mammal that eats coffee beans which, once excreted, are harvested for their malty flavour. Kopi Luwak is inspired by this connoisseur’s beverage, with rich coffee notes mingling with animalic civet. Incense and oud underscore the fermented darkness, with dark amber and aged vanilla adding a sweaty sweetness.

Stone Cap: 100% Picasso quartz

Inspired by a dream of a romantic encounter in a Parisian bakery. The air is filled with the mouthwatering aroma of candied fruits, vanilla-laced pastries, a hint of sweet tobacco. You’re captivated by the sight of a beautiful stranger holding a bouquet of fresh freesias. This playfully flirty mix of cream-topped fruits and florals conjures the dream all over again.

Perfumer: Bertrand Duchaufour

This enigmatic essence opens with zesty mandarin, briefly evoking the metallic smell of blood, before plunging into the dark pleasures of incense and patchouli. Oud wood deepens the effect, while bittersweet myrrh adds to the mystery.