To write an appropriate comment about Aaron Terrance Hughes' "Animalix," I took plenty of time. Time that I believe is necessary to get to know this fragrance in all its glory - on one hand, to perceive it as an independent perfume, and on the other hand, to apply it as it is intended: for layering.
On YouTube, Aaron Terrance Hughes explains the concept of Animalix in a clear and precise two-and-a-half-minute video. This creation was designed as something that the wearer should not apply as a standalone daytime or evening fragrance, but rather as a base to enhance their own weaker or more boring scents, giving them body and, above all, making them last longer. For this, he exclusively used typical base notes of an animalistic nature (as the name suggests) in the development of Animalix. That’s the initial premise.
In fact, I found it quite challenging to consider how to structure this comment. First of all, I should mention that my bottle of Animalix is from the first batch and the old transparent bottle, not the current matte black design. Perhaps I’ll start with my very first thoughts and impressions of Animalix, which I had after applying the fragrance on my skin independently, without layering. After the very first spray and sniff, my inner self screamed "STOP! TOO BRUTAL! STOP, STOP, STOP - let's start over," as my nose was nearly overwhelmed by heavy, animalistic notes that seemed to annihilate everything around me. Such brutal force from a perfume (one of my first thoughts was also whether this could even be called a perfume) was simply too much at once. So I had to gradually acclimate to what was initially swirling around my wrist in large waves of scent. I closed my eyes and thought of the first association that came to mind: It was night, cold and wet, fog hung over the gentle slopes and between the trees of the dark forest I was wandering through. Without suspecting what dangers I might encounter in this forest, I decided to keep going and explore the surroundings not only with my eyes but also with my nose. Then suddenly I smelled it; it must be very close. The scent that hit me so strongly that a shiver ran down my spine represented everything I then saw with my eyes - a large, hairy beast. So if I imagine what a mythical creature in the form of a large, hairy, and aggressive beast looks like, then Animalix is simply that embodiment in the form of a perfume. Animalistic, with long-haired, dirty, damp fur - yep, that came to mind.
The question, of course, is whether one wants to smell like this. I’ll say this: if you’re very, very brave, you can certainly try it, but you should be prepared to quickly scare away those in your immediate vicinity, just as a large beast would likely do.
Instead, I took the last few weeks to layer all my autumn and winter perfumes with Animalix. Why only autumn and winter? Because the light spring and summer scents don’t stand a chance against Animalix; I gave up after just a few attempts. Fresh scents last a few minutes, then they’re gone, and Animalix completely overpowers them. For my experiments with my autumn and winter fragrances, I want to handle it by simply listing which perfumes I combined with Animalix and briefly noting what resulted on my skin. I won’t go into details about the individual scents, as that would exceed the scope here. The layering was done in a ratio of 1:2 - one spray of Animalix and two sprays of the other perfume. Rather, it should serve as a kind of guideline to describe from my subjective perspective which scents paired well with Animalix and which did not. I will not follow any particular order but will simply list them one after the other:
- Mugler Pure Havane: Works well, takes some sweetness out and makes the scent more masculine
- Davidoff Amber Blend: Works great, creates an interesting note of incense
- Roberto Cavalli Uomo: No chance for Cavalli, overwhelmed by Animalix
- Aaron Terrance Hughes Chocolate, Rose & Oud: Too brutal, the scents almost cancel each other out
- Rasasi La Yuqawam: Beastmode times 2, harmonizes well, possibly an indication that leather scents fit well
- Tom Ford Noir Extreme: Surprise - Noir Extreme beats Animalix after a while
- Tom Ford Noir EDP: Alpha male combination, but Noir steadily disappears after 2 hours
- Montale Chocolate Greedy: no, no, and no again - doesn’t match at all
- Margiela By the Fireplace: Scent becomes smokier, woodier, with a slight incense touch
- Margiela Jazz Club: Less sweet, slightly animalistic, very masculine, pleasant
- Mugler Pure Tonka: Very dark, slightly animalistic, Beastmode times 2
- Valentino Uomo Noir Absolu: hardly noticed any changes, can be left alone
- Dunhill London: stands no chance against Animalix
- Swiss Arabian Shaghaf Oud: Well, too much of a good thing, strains oneself and the surroundings
- Fragrance One Date for Men: Date even overshadows Animalix for a long time, making it hardly detectable. Afterwards, it harmonizes well and tones down the sweetness. Strong stuff, Jeremy ;-)
- Mugler A*Men: A*Men is Beastmode and even overshadows Animalix
- Montale Ristretto Intense Cafe: Good combination, harmonizes
- Salvatore Ferragamo Uomo: Although Ferragamo is Beastmode in itself, it gets overwhelmed by Animalix
- Calvin Klein CK Shock: Unharmonious, especially in the opening
- Gucci Intense Oud: Doesn’t fit well and takes away Gucci's "elegance"
- Polo Green: Polo Green more dominant than Animalix, but with an unpleasant touch
- Bond No.9 Success is a Job in New York: Good harmony, woody, dark
- JPG Ultra Male: leave it, nothing will come of it
- Penhaligon's Sartorial: no, not harmonious
- Armaf Craze: Mix of bitter animalistic and creamy-dark, quite good together and Beastmode
- Valentino Uomo EDT: nope, no chance
- Jacques Zolty Severo: no chance against Animalix
- Gisada Ambassador for Men EDP: not harmonious
Well then, that’s my list; perhaps it serves as a small aid. I want to emphasize again that this is a purely subjective assessment in combination with ATH Animalix. One thing is clear, longevity and sillage are amazing. However, I notice one thing now that I have had Animalix for a few months: The beast seems to be somewhat tamed, meaning that the brutality from the beginning is not as pronounced anymore; instead, it now seems sweeter and more balanced to me. Still, I wouldn’t wear it alone.
So, do you have to have Animalix? Not necessarily, but if you want to take the plunge, you can certainly treat yourself to a sample. However, I gladly forgo a second purchase, though I definitely acknowledge the thought and idea behind Aaron Terrance Hughes' creation :-)
Civet
Ambergris
Castoreum
Deer musk
Woody notes
Amber
Dirt
Reinforced Toothpaste
Amazon1975
NiTrOz
BoBoChamp
Chizza
Rogaux
CharlAmbre
CanTheManOri
Supersegi
DarkStar92
Thilo96
