Description
Hyraceum AKA African Stone is a traditional medicine and perfume ingredient.
Explaining exactly what Hyraceum is is always fun.
To be succinct, Hyraceum is the mineralized urine and faeces of the Rock Hyrax which is the only other animal related to the elephant. (Even though it looks more like a Groundhog and doesn’t have a long nose.)
Rock Hyrax communities deposit their excrement in the same place for thousands of years. These smelly aggregates are called middens and also serve the function of territorial markers. These middens can be as old as 50.000 years.
Rock Hyrax are most often found basking on warm rocks in sunshiny places from South Africa all the way to Israel and Lebanon.
In traditional African medicine, the stone has been used as a remedy for epilepsy.
Hyraceum is better known for its use in perfumery where it can deliver notes of leather, Deer Musk, Civet, Castoreum and Cade.
While most of the material I am familiar with is very dark and has an intense sharp urine/animalic aroma, this particular type of Hyraceum is much lighter in colour and has a different scent profile.
Since I am thankfully, always learning, I can now say that this light coloured stone is found on the rock walls above the black Hyraceum. As the centuries go by and this liquid makes it’s way to the ground, it builds up layers of mineralized material often forming stalagtites. It is more of an intermediary product and has a colour and scent that is different from the final black deposits.
I have taken some photos of it in it’s natural state and will post them when I return from Kenya.
At a ratio of 1:10 in alcohol it is a light yellow without the dark tarry notes and colour. (See comparison photo above.
The tincture leads with tenacious notes of Musk and sweet, aged Civet with a soft backdrop of Castoreum, Tobacco and Oud.
I find it a calming and comforting scent.
There is nothing raw about it. It smells like an aroma that has taken hundreds, if not thousands of years to develop, refine and mature.
The rock was collected in Kenya, and with a bit of luck, I will be able to gather more on my coming trip.
Dan
Araceli Hansen –
Excellent product. I bought the Blonde and the Dark
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Brooklyn Hansen –
Absolutely beautiful aroma, wonderfully packaged, and speedy shipping!!! Highly recommended!!!
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Verda Ankunding –
Excellent to communicate with. Very obliging with my shipping request. Extremely fast shipping. Goods packed safe and professionally. I appreciate being able to buy these products. Thank You !
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Heidi Walker –
Product shipped promptly and is exactly as described, thanks!
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Bernice Nolan –
WONDERFUL!!! i appreciate the fact that this tincture has a milder profile than another that i have. i have been a customer of this shop for years (and will remain a customer as long as it’s open for business) and will tell anyone that they can place an order with confidence! this place is a treasure trove for those interested in high-quality resins, oils, etc.
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Randall Rodriguez –
High-quality products, very prompt shipping, great response time for questions etc. They also allowed me to tack two items onto my order after I placed it–really appreciated their flexibility on that point. Would recommend them to anyone who is serious about sourcing unique olfactory ingredients. This africa stone is slightly milder in character than others in my organ–should add a nice amount of depth to white floral compositions without overpowering them.
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Emilio Yundt –
Love this! Thanks for quick delivery!
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Idella Konopelski –
Amazing and super and I mean super fast shipping. Ordering a larger bottle soon
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Bryana Hermann –
What an utterly unusual musky smell! Hard to describe. If you want a unique musky element to your fragrance, I think this just might be it… 🤔
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Kimberly Rogahn –
I had a great experience with Dan and the shop. The item was shipped quickly, but the U.S. Postal Service lost the package. I told the seller and they immediately offered to re-ship even though it was not their fault and I had not asked. The day that they were preparing the shipment, USPS finally go its stuff together and delivered the package, so I told them the re-ship was no longer needed.
The material itself is very unique and totally different from anything I've experienced, which is why I ordered it. It has a musky, urine vibe (no ammonia), with a pleasant sweetness and touch of floral. I hope that as the material ages, the sweet/floral notes continue to develop. I layered a bit with a nice natural amber base from a well known perfumer on here, and the hyraceum had the exalting effect it is known for. Great!
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Talia Harber –
Smells like a male goat in an absolutely delightful way which, if you've ever smelled said oderferous beast, will leave you completely mystified as to how in the name of everything heavenly, infernal, and between I could possibly make such a claim. Truth to tell I had the same reaction on opening the vial – and be forewarned, this is a strong substance – however, if you can muscle past the initial shock to get the tincture on skin, utter magic occurs. Its hard to describe, but somewhere in the alchemy of skin and hyraceum a truly remarkable transformation occurs to produce a musky, rich animalic funk that I find utterly captivating, and it only improves with dry down, mellowing into a sweet, almost vanilla-esque aura with an undertone of some flower I can't quite place. Fascinating – thanks very much Dan, yet again…
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Wendell Schaefer –
Wow! This is incredible stuff!
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Alexa Hill –
Raro e sorprendente
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Scottie Reynolds –
What a beautiful and fascinating item this tincture is! Dan is a patient, kind, and knowledgeable seller. I cannot wait to purchase from his shop again.
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Krystina Strosin –
I love it….
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Barrett Cummings –
Fabulous stuff, as always. You are my go-to for these hard-to-find ingredients.
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Marcelle Murphy –
excellent vendor of amazing aromatic earth treasures…
AAA+++
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Lilian Fay –
Thank You very much !
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Tad Baumbach –
If you've never smelled fossilized rock hyrax excretion – well, you're probably in the majority of people. But for we happy few, this ancient animalic is a gift from nature. Use it with love and respect for the dirty side of life.
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Lewis Ebert –
As usual, quality ingredients, processed by a deft hand.
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Lucy Murphy –
A rare and magical perfume note. Gratitude!
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Autumn Corwin –
Smells kind of 'ancient'. Interesting ingredient!
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Gertrude Jenkins –
Pleasant, can't wait to use it! Thank you 🙂 I really recommend this shop!
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Samanta Larson –
Super awesome shop! Dan is amazing and the products he offers are top notch! Super quick to respond to any questions or concerns as well!
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Alvena Heidenreich –
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lilomangola (verified owner) –
This is a rare and unusual perfume material. Very unique smell… I added it to a light musk/floral perfume creation that lacked radiance. The effect was magical … within a few days, my perfume evolved from a mild sweet musk to a well rounded flowery musk with great tenacity. A little goes a long way.
I am pleased with everything I received from Dan. The quality of the materials he offers is outstanding !
I’ve been drinking frank tea and burning the various resins, discovering new ones also.
I can definitely say that his products are very fresh and well packaged.
I also love that he travels the world, on a quest to find these rare materials.
His concern for ethical sourcing is very important to me. With all the endangered medicine on the planet, it is our duty to be responsible and conscious, so the future generations can also enjoy these timeless ingredients.
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Keshaun Cruickshank –
This is lovely. Thank you 😊
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Esther Langworth –
good product and shipped and arrived
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Araceli Hansen –
Perfect animalic note to add to perfume blends. This is exactly what I needed. Thank-you
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Lavonne Quitzon –
I can always buy from Dan with confidence. His products are genuine and great quality, and his customer service is above and beyond.
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Abbie Jacobs –
Super dilute and not smelling at all on my skin …
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Melvin Spinka –
Wonderful animalic for perfume. A little intense straight from the bottle but blends beautifully.
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Alvena Heidenreich –
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Treva Dickens –
Fast shipping, great products, thanks so much!
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Shanel Kuvalis –
reminds my wife and myself of kittens. smells unusual but very pleasant. love it.
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Kenya Grant –
Fabulous quality and quick turnaround
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Andres Johnston –
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Wendell Schaefer –
sweet, aquatic, urine-like (in the best way possible!) absolutely beautiful!
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Cordie Kertzmann –
Thank you, and I am so happy these beautiful fragrances made it to me!! Gorgeous scent!!
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Kenneth Walker –
This is a review for the Dark Hyraceum since it wasn't listed when I ordered the Blonde.
This is an interesting perfume ingredient. I would see this being useful in created a "dirty oud" accord. This has the barnyard smell that is missing in a few Agarwood CO2 extracts. If you need a barnyard/hay note this is it!
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Berry Becker –
Dusty and mildly animalic, but quite approachable. It is not as potent as I expected for 1:10, but something that I'll use in a special perfumery blend. Nicely protected in shipping.
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Fernando Blick –
Shipped on time fast service AAA
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Audra Rowe –
Another interesting smell! Not as animalic as I imagined it would be. Somehow reminds me of the smell of the wet, blue plastic and metal framing of an above-the-ground swimming pool! Haha! Again…amazing seller, customer service, and if you’re in the US it’s definitely worth paying for the tracking!
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Mafalda Fay –
Excellent tincture! Arrived quickly from Canada. Great seller!
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Katlyn Batz –
Everything I've ordered has been amazing … its been a wonder-filled sensual journey since I discovered the 'Garden'
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