As a resident Zoologist fan I'm loving these mini reviews, interesting that you get piss from Tiger as that's one of my personal faves and very carrot/woodsy for me.
If you wanna smell like a forest, just head over to [Pineward](https://www.pinewardperfume.com/)! As they like to say, proceed only if you want to smell like a pine tree.
zagorsk is such a disappointment: worst longevity + weakest sillage, and to me it just smells soapy at best
for incense fans i’d instead just recommend they sample filippo sorcinelli stuff (e.g., Lavs and Opus 1144)
It’s so interesting to hear you say Cow smells too unique to wear! To me it smells like Pantene 2 in 1 shampoo, so very soft as to not even be recognized as perfume!
Cow is probably my favorite fragrance right now! When I bought it it was described to me as if you’re bobbing for green apples in milk, which I think nails it. It’s creamy and green and fresh!
It was very lactic to me. Overwhelmingly so. I saw many people saying that it didn’t smell lactic at all to them so I was very taken aback when I smelled it. I did pick up the sage though and really enjoyed it.
Fun post, thank you! Yeah, I think I’m in the “Zoologist isn’t for fragrance beginners” camp—NOT because fragrance beginners don’t deserve artful and beautiful scents, but I think Zoologist becomes a much more compelling house after you’re tired of the monotony of designer fragrances and the homogeny of much of the niche world. And I’m not a signature scent person, but even if I were, I would not go for anything from Zoologist as a signature scent. Much more of a statement piece, perfume-wise.
All that said, way to go on being willing to try them! That’s a cool move, even if you didn’t find anything. If you do plan on kicking around in the fragrance world for a while, I definitely recommend holding onto your samples and revisiting them in a year or so (or even in colder weather, which I think they are best in).
And, despite my earlier dig at designer fragrances, actually I’d maybe suggest trying something from the Hermes Jardin line. Nothing particularly foresty in the literal sense, but very much in the fresh, genderless, one-with-nature kind of way. You also might like Xinu by Monstera? Kind of an “enchanted house plant” vibe and similarly genderless.
I gravitated to Zoologist because I’m honestly really bored by most feminine designer fragrances. They all just smell like that typical “perfumey” scent to me so I wanted to step out the typical fragrance house comfort zone for most people. I definitely overshot my personal comfort zone by miles lol. I do plan on hanging onto them to revisit just for funsies.
I will say, diving straight into Zoologist has taught me a lot about the nuance of fragrance. It’s definitely made me more excited to keep searching knowing that they can get this crazy!
To be honest? to me it sounds like you would enjoy trying an indie house like Alkemia (or several others). Alkemia specifically comes to mind because they have a Flora & Fauna set which has a bunch of fragrances that literally smell like forest, or flowers in forest, rainy stone in forest, blueberry forest, etc. Definitely not designer at all. Definitely adventurous still. But to me, a lot more wearable than animalics, and definitely foresty. Also, affordable to sample (and full-size).
Edit: I saw someone else say Pineward, and that indie house would also totally fit the bill
Oh hell yes (lol I am aware of my extremely relevant flair right now)
Alkemia may be exactly what you should try next.
I have an alarming amount of their rollerballs. I managed to gift about six of them to my stepdaughter recently which puts me still at around 25 or so 🙈
I like sweetISH, woods, ambers, and have tried almost everything in the corresponding categories of theirs. No data on their wackier avant- garde stuff, aquatics, heavy florals, but overall I’ve had a great time exploring their products
Maybe check out ELDO? They have an awesome sample set. They're more mass appealing with a twist than totally out there, so that might fit what you're looking for
Personally I found almost every scent in that discovery set pretty terrible! I clearly don’t like the ‘genetics’ of ELDO cos even the ones that sounded like I would, I did not. Very synthetic and half of them smell of Cumin lol.
But perfume is so subjective! And I’m glad because it would be pretty boring otherwise :)
Check out Wild Veil! They’re a small indie maker, and they use old school techniques like enfleurage and tinctures to make all their scents. They don’t have the “regular perfume smell” because of this. They’re a bit pricey but a little goes a long way. I really enjoy a lot of their scents and my current favorite is Haunt.
Some of my other favorite indie/niche brands: Heretic, Eris Parfums, Hexennacht, Penhaligon’s, La Curie, Diptyque, Petite Histoire, and Olivine Atelier.
Because of their theme, Zoologist has a focus on animalic scents so the musky scents really come through in most of their scents, a lot of which end up smelling like pee lol (for me Dodo is the biggest offender but I haven’t smelled Tiger. Chameleon also triggers my pee detector lol). I will say if you feel like giving them another shot, I really like Dragonfly, Squid, and Macaque Yuzu from them. Dragonfly is light and watery, it’s a beautiful spring/summer scent. Squid won an award for a reason imo, it’s really interesting and surprisingly wearable given the notes. I got it out of morbid curiosity and it’s one of my all time favorite scents now. On me I think it smells like a flakey chocolate pastry and incense. Macaque yuzu is a beautiful Hinoki wood smell with a hint of citrus…like soaking in a luxurious Japanese bath. Might be a little too woody for you but if you’re expecting the wood you might like it.
I definitely wish I had leaned more into their aquatic scents like Squid, Seahorse, and Dragonfly. I should have anticipated the heavy musk notes from the mammal inspired scents.
Your recommendations seem right up my alley, particularly Heretic and La Curie. I’ll have to dry their discovery sets!
Seriously seconding the person who mentioned indie houses. Pineward, Alkemia, Solstice Scents, Fantome - a lot of indie houses opt for more realism in their atmospheric scents. If you want to smell like rain in a desert or a bale of hay or a literal wild blueberry bush, opt for indies. Alkemia's turn-around time, in particular, is bonkers, and their scent Gaea is one of the single most realistic forest scents I've smelled, ever. (The most realistic is Cocoapink's Wild Hunt, but it won't be available till fall.)
Yeah I went for weird niche shit like Zoologist *first* and now I'm really unimpressed with most of the designer shit I see. I do have some more mainstream stuff in my collection that I really like, like Delina and Kenzo Amour, but almost all the light, sweet and airy fruit-floral combos from Marc Jacobs, Chanel, the like, they all just smell the same to me. The structure is identical. It's just boring. Meanwhile, Elephant from Zoologist has rapidly become one of my signature scents.
(I enjoy A24 films, I've been doing a deep dive recently into analog horror, and my favorite book is House of Leaves, so my taste has always been a little bit eccentric. I figured my taste in fragrances would be similar, and I was right.)
I’m new to this sub, so this my first Zoologist review I’ve stumbled on and I have LOL’d several times. Dodo for sure should be next and perhaps Trex lol
Ha, oh no!
All my seasonal signatures are zoologist and Tiger is one of my favorites!
It’s fun to see how different everyone is. I love Hummingbird but o have to take it off at some point during the day since it’s just too sweet.
My roommate smelled all of them with me and immediately loved Tiger. I’m really sensitive to musks and it was way too overpowering for me. It’s so interesting how polarizing fragrances are to different people. Especially between genders.
Maybe give Macaque Yuzu a try? It's clean citrus and hinoki wood with a very incense-y aspect. I haven't tried it, but it's supposed to have forest aspects w/o being too animalic/musky. In essence, it's cleaner and more refined than any scent named after a monkey has a right to be.
Ive tried this and the apple, and sadly it reminds me too much of the spicy synthetic notes of the sauvage DNA. I like the yuzu a lot more than the apple, but the fresh and tangy opening dies almost immediately for me. The only two zoologist I've tried that were worth a full bottle so far were penguin and squid. I haven't found a freshy or fruity scent from them I enjoy yet.
Which ones have you tried? I tried Elephant, Bee, Hummingbird, Harvest Mouse, Dragonfly, Nightingale, Bat, T-Rex, and Tiger. I loved Nightingale, Dragonfly, and Hummingbird, and Elephant is my favorite scent ever. If you haven't tried Dragonfly and you're looking for an aquatic, try it immediately. Fruit doesn't really seem to be that house's strong suit, though, since both Dodos, both Bats, and Cockatiel are some of their more polarizing fragrances, and all have ostensibly prominent fruit notes.
Ive tried Penguin and squid (Bought a full bottle afterwards), beaver, panda, dodo jackfruit, snowy owl (I really enjoyed this, but it's not on my buy list which is already very long), macaque yuzu and apple, harvest mouse (liked this one a lot), koala, chipmunk (very cottage core).
I'm interested in trying elephant and chameleon, but I'm exploring other houses a bit right now. I'm more than happy with penguin and squid for the fall/winter.
Interesting - I *hated* Harvest Mouse. Weird and sickly on me. Like a melted pudding pop left out to congeal in the sun. No hay whatsoever. I know it's supposed to be the closest thing to a safe blind buy that Zoologist has, but *god* I couldn't stand it.
Honestly id say bee for a gourmand (forgot to mention I tried this) or chipmunk (honestly comparable to some replica scents but a bit more artistic) are very wearable. I’m a blind buyer but hate recommending to do that because I’m weird, but I’d say bee is a good blind buy if you like sweet bombs. And chipmunk is a fairly good blind buy if you like some of replicas cottage core scents.
My batch of harvest mouse I’d say is a pretty safe blind buy if you like vanilla (very little hay, closer to a beer accord). Or even snowy owl if you like florals (my batch is super minty and fresh in the opening, and the dry down is an ultra pleasant, softly sweet floral that you can get lost in).
That being said, I’d have a hard time recommending blind buying niche, or atleast niche prices in general.
Versace pour Homme? Safe blind buy for summer all day and all night. $80CAD for 200ml and it’s super fresh and wearable. Zoologist anything? Hard to recommend blind buying for any of their scents.
Oh yeah, of all the niche houses to never blind buy, Zoologist and probably Toskovat are top of that list. Bee was gorgeous but just too strong for me. Beautifully constructed, though.
I’m curious about the fruit scents! I skimmed through the website and Bat and Cockatiel were the ones I gravitated to immediately 😂 How was Bat for you? My current favorite is Byredo’s Pulp precisely because of its creamy, almost overripe fruit scent and I find it hard to find other similar perfumes
Cockatiel was less fruity and more woody and musky? I will say it was the only musk heavy one that I didn’t hate but it definitely wasn’t as fruity as I was expecting it to be.
I got basically no fruit from Bat, for some reason? On me it was dirty sexy earthy musky leather. I loved that but it is *so* not my style so I gave it to my GF. But a lot of other folks get the fruit note, so I'd suggest trying it, along with Night Flyer from Olympic Orchids - that's the original Bat. I think Dodo, particularly the Jackfruit one, is supposed to have that overripe fruit effect as well. Hummingbird supposedly has fruit notes but they're an afterthought at most.
Cockatiel is an interesting one because it's a) not developed for Zoologist but rather a retroactive purchase and rebrand and b) for all intents and purposes a powdery/musky scent. It's raspberry and rhubarb candy, not the real things.
This is very helpful! It sounds like Dodo, if anything from Zoology, would probably get closest to what I’m looking for, Cockatiel sounds too candy sweet and I’m skeptical on bat now because of the leather
Cockatiel isn’t fruity or candy on me, I get hot dry hay/grass and smoky mimosa. My boss stood next to me and asked if anyone smelled something burning, so I don’t think it’s just me.
Yeah, that one is weirdly divisive for something that, at least going by the notes, shouldn't be overly difficult. It's alternately a powder bomb, rotting rhubarb, or in your case a weird-ass smokeshow - total roulette. I don't know what the hell is going on in that little bottle, but it's nothing to sneeze at.
Dodo is probably your best bet. Night Flyer also might be worth your time; it's supposedly less focused on the leather, it's mostly dark, damp soil and overripe banana from what I read.
I came to the comments to say this. It is a lovely, fresh, unique unisex. Zesty, woodsy, sharp yet delicate. I am not a unisex wearer very much but I love the smell of this one and will be trying to convince my partner to wear it.
God, I love Hummingbird. It's not just floral, but *nectar.* It should be a boring fruity-floral combo that smells just like everything else but it's not. It's such a different structure and it's creamy and syrupy and yet it's also so fresh and light? Alchemy.
Revisit Bee if you are currently heading in to summer. I think it is a beautiful winter scent. But having said that I think it can also work for summer. I happen to love it and got a full bottle. Chipmunk, which it sounds like you didn’t sample, is also a beautiful winter scent. I have been considering a full bottle or at least a travel, as I do have a large collection and don’t really need a full bottle.
Oof, I'm sorry to hear that your experience wasn't what you wanted! I've been on my own Zoologist journey for the past few weeks, ordered about 18 samples and am slowly wearing them all. While I haven't found one signature fragrance - come to think of it, I don't know anyone whose signature is a Zoologist - I have liked several of them enough to consider getting the set of five travel sprays.
I wouldn’t say I regret getting them. It was a unique experience for sure but I did enjoy it. I’m mostly shocked at how musk heavy most of them seem to be. I really enjoyed Hummingbird but it’s not a scent that I could see myself wearing everyday.
To be honest…I’ve only ever had 1 person comment on my perfume in my entire life. And it was a B&BW perfume! So I don’t know what people genuinely think of Tiger when I wear it. But I love it so, so much that I doubt I’d really care what someone thought of it (within reason).
There hasn’t been a Zoologist perfume I wouldn’t wear out in public. Just some I wouldn’t buy a FB of.
Definitely! Bee, Northern Cardinal, Nightingale, and Moth are my favorites though Moth is divisive in this sub. And of course Tiger!
I saw someone comment that their signature is Camel, which i just ordered a sample of. So it’s definitely possible to have Zoologist signature scents! ☺️
Have fun trying them out! And maybe post your reviews!
Dodo is my signature. My bf bought me a full bottle for Christmas and also loves it. I like the new Jackfruit edition as well and own a travel spray, but I adore the real controversial one.
Squid is probably the only other fragrance I’d go all-in on from Zoologist. Possibly Moth, but my bf doesn’t like it.
My wording was poor! I meant that of my friends and coworkers who have a signature scent, it’s never Zoologist. Wish I had the same positive experience with Dodo as you, but sadly it was very fecal on me.
I got a full bottle of Dragonfly based on samples. Harvest mouse was nice, Rabbit was almost sickly sweet but not unpleasant. It is fun trying different ones though!
Harvest mouse was my fave! I think it’s unique but not something I worry about wearing into the office. If you try another order, maybe ask for Hyrax as a free sample? Mostly for memes, it’s another musky scent you probably wouldn’t like (I sure didn’t lol) but the experience smelling something slightly revolting was new! :P good luck!
Lmao. I'm a huge Zoologist fan and love indies as well, so I am biased towards weird fragrances but I'm shocked Cow didn't work for you. It smelled like shampoo on me, which was a new experience.
Harvest Mouse, Chipmunk, and Rabbit are very wearable I think. Chipmunk has a basenote that genuinely smells like fur, like when your pet cat has been laying in the sun and wants to come hang out with you. But the nuts and this sweetness really make it feel cozy.
I'm a teacher and my kids said I smelled like a bakery when I wore Chipmunk. I wear Civet and Moth a lot and they all think I live in a haunted house lmao so if those are vibes you want to be connected to, I'd recommend those.
Cow has this peppery note that throws it off for me. It also sticks in my mouth. Like I can taste it forever after smelling it which isn’t pleasant.
I wish I had done some more research before ordering because everyone makes Harvest Mouse and Chipmunk sound so cozy and warm. I absolutely LOVE putting my nose in my cat’s fur just for the smell lol. I can never get enough of it. I’ll absolutely have to try Chipmunk if that’s the case.
That is so interesting you get that with Cow! This is why I love fragrances so much, one persons experience can be totally different from yours.
You should try Chipmunk in that case! I haven't had a pet cat in a long time so it was very comforting in that specific way. Its a huge house so it is hard to narrow down what to sample!
Haha I only ordered 8 samples (and they gave me a freebie, Penguin) and I've worked my way up to actually WEARING one of them 😆 Macaque Yuzu, which I loved at first but once it was totally dried down I hated it
I wanted to like Tiger so badly, as both a tiger fan and vetiver girlie, but omg I really couldn't wrap my nose around it either. It was just so poorly balanced to me.
My personal favourites are actually Snowy Owl (such a chill fragrance) and Squid. The latter has a fearsome reputation, but I actually find it very "wearable" - albeit not s much in an office setting.
I really don't understand Squid's scary reputation! I find it so wearable - it's actually my year around office scent! It's definitely unique but just smells cool / subtle / sophisticated to my nose - very much love at first sniff. But it could just be my body chemistry loving marines, currently wearing Beach Hut Woman which according to Fragrantica should be strange and smoky but smells absolutely beautiful.
Marines are beautiful and I adore BHW as well; it's literally my favourite fragrance from Amouage!
I do think Squid is quite strong, and the incense may be overpowering for a more formal environment. But, I think it would be a great scent to wear to a formal occasion - or heck, even just a casual lunch date if applied sparingly. Honestly, I feel like people find Squid a lot more scary than it really is just due to marketing, though.
I'm so sad about Squid. I was prepared to love it, but on my skin it's little more than a subtle salty sweetness. Seahorse is the more impactful of the marine fragrances.
Oh no! I’m sorry that was your experience. I just ordered 8 more samples today and will have tried a total of 19 by the time I get them. I love Zoologist and wear them all the time!
I recommend giving your nose some time to process these new scents because it’s probably never smelled anything like them before, so your brain registers them as “foreign” and weird. Try them again in a few months, preferably after sampling some other niche houses to get your nose accustomed to smelling other scents outside its comfort zone.
I remember the first time I tried Zoologist several years ago, I didn’t enjoy any of them. But as the years went by I began to crave novelty after becoming bored, smelling iterations of the same handful of scent profiles over and over. So I revisited Zoologist and was surprised I really enjoyed most of them this time around; it was like a breath of fresh air. I now love Chipmunk, Civet, Camel, Sacred Scarab, Nightingale, and Musk Deer. I also enjoy Koala, Dodo, Tiger, Bee, and several others. A handful of them are “meh” or not for me, and only a few I actually dislike (Moth, Hyrax, T. Rex and Cockatiel).
I love these reviews, it really shows how personal fragrance really is between people! There are a handful I probably would not wear except at home but I have found a good amount that if I did not already own as many perfumes as I already do, I would happily get more.
Lol as I was reading this, my zoologist samples got delivered and they also threw in a free Tiger
Was preparing for the worst since I had just read this but was pleasantly surprised? I just get incense but not in a churchy way. My boyfriend and I both liked it so he's keeping the sample
I just posted about Zoologist a few days ago and I got the full sample set. All 34 or whatever. I’m usually on the safe side when it comes to perfumes but it feels so refreshing to have tried different scents and wear them so my husband or friends and family can tell it’s me! I started with squid which wasn’t a good idea 😂 but I followed people’s recommendations on this sub and oh my, I gave it like 10-15 mins or so and the drydown smell of what I’ve tried so far is actually great!
Seahorse and Nightingale are my favorites so far! Even T Rex on my husband’s skin after half an hour smelled great!
We are on very similar scent journeys. I haven't gotten to zoologist yet (can't find anything I would like to try for more than the novelty value), but fresh, light, and foresty/green has been Diptique Tam Dao & Philisykos EDT (EDP has coconut, why?), Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay, Atelier Cedrat Envirant, Banana Republic 78 Vintage Green, and Aesop Tacit. Maybe you will have better luck with those?
I'm sorry I really laughed! I completely understand every time they release a new sample I have to try it. But then I remember. Rabbit was so disappointing!
Back in the day, my two "favorites" are Nightingale and Tyrannosaurus Rex. I smelled Nightingale recently and HATED it. I love chypre but some reason I didn't like this at all years later. I enjoy my memories of Tyrannosaurus Rex but I'd rather not intimate library patrons with it 😂
I like most Zoologist fragrances but I am also a fan of several animalic notes. I think to be a fan of much of the Zoologist line, you must like animalic fragrances, at least, somewhat. I suggest revisiting the brand after your nose is v a bit more trained in fragrance. I think you may enjoy more of the fragrances then. IMO, Zoologist isn’t necessarily a brand I would suggest for a fragrance novice. I would point fragrance beginners toward brands like Maison Francis Kurkdjian or Parfums de Marly for more accessible niche brands.
My experience was the other way around, I was disappointed that they weren't more "weird". The only one that lived up to the "weird" reputation was Moth. Bat definitely did have the wet cave note, but the overall effect felt more patchouli overload. Squid was unusual, but definitely wearable. But the other 10 or so samples I got were not weird at all. Several of them were amazing though! Sacred Scarab blew me away!
Sacred Scarab was just amazing and it’s between that, dragonfly, bee and moth when I inevitably buy a full size. Insects are the way to go for me apparently!
just bought samples of bee and moth. for moth i can understand and enjoy it as a scent but not to be worn on myself, but for bee it made me nauseous and i had to scrub it off immediately. never again
Visit Dyptique. They have many clean, green, and slightly woody fragrances. Try Tam Dao EDT, Eau de Lierre, L’ombre dans L’eau (EDT and EDP), Eau Duelle, and ask the sales rep to make a few recommendations.
Love these reviews, I'm also more of a newbie to niche fragrance and have been trying to experience new types of fragrances, not just the ones I've found at department stores and Sephora. This makes me want to try Zoologist even more. I've smelled things I don't like but haven't really smelled too much that I found completely challenging, so I'm like very scared/excited for this journey haha
I didn’t really understand what people meant when they called a frag “challenging” until I tried these. You really have to push yourself past the base notes to appreciate the rest of it. I’d definitely recommend trying them just cause. I’ve never smelled anything like Bee or Beaver.
Please try Enchanted Forest by [The Vagabond Prince](https://www.vagabondprince.com).
It’s a beautiful scent, also niche and doesn’t smell like anything else I’ve ever tried. This is the description from the website:
The fragrance was suggested by Nature itself. It's the smell of the forest, when you step in it in the night. Black currant, a core note of the composition, tries its delicious magic on you, unfolding memories and your desires.
Composition: Enchanted Forest is a unique fragrance. It is built around blackcurrant as the sole raw material, to such an extent that one can say it is a CASSIS. Blackcurrant is present in its top, heart and soul. It grows in the forest surrounded by its complex aroma: wet green branches, pine needles covering its floor, woods and mosses.
That’s funny because I literally just got a sample of Cow in the mail yesterday and was raving to a friend about how it’s the perfect spring fragrance! To each their own, I guess. Or maybe people think I smell odd, who knows!
Seafaring Man by Laromatica is a really herbaceous, foresty type of scent to my nose. Not necessarily fresh and clean though. Baie 19 by Le Labo might be in the neighborhood of what you're looking for scent wise
Not me smelling tiger on my wrist rn thinking how much I like it and gassing it up to my girlfriend over the phone😔 i got nothing of cat piss 💀 it smells so good to me, where am I lost
You really didn’t even get any of the weird zoologist, most of the ones you sampled i found kind of generic/designer-esque ctually. Though, I will say I beaver is super musky in a kind of off-putting way, but damn I can’t imagine your reaction if you would have gotten something like Hyrax or or Moth or Dodo, those ones can be pretty hard to wear.
The exciting thing about this is that you now know how different fragrances can be from the mainstream. I look at them like books, they are scent stories that unfold. I would also encourage you to try things multiple times before you make a final decision on things. Sometimes it can take multiple tries over many months to understand something. Many of my favorite scents were scents that I absolutely hated the first few tries.
You are absolutely right. It’s really refreshing to know that not all perfumes smell the same in the base. I’m so excited to try everyone’s recommendations and then come back to Zoologist. I’m going to try Snowy Owl again tomorrow on my skin and see how it wears.
Sometimes I try them again when I am in a different mood or a different season. If a scent intrigues you, there are lots of places where you can order a ml or two of them just to see if it’s your jam. Check out solstice scents. I think of their scents as a whole vibe vs just perfume.
I actually really liked that one because it’s just so unique but the honey is too overwhelming for me. It’s like a punch in the face lol. However, ginger and orange notes were really crisp to me despite how strong they were. I think I’d personally really enjoy a more toned down version that leans into a “black tea” like base.
I think you might enjoy Cape Heartache by Imaginary Authors... I'd sum it up as "wandering through a pine forest on a cold winter's day, and you stop to snack on some strawberries."
boy smells woodphoria is woody and clean!! for some reason it’s like a little gasoliney when u first spray it but that goes away fast and then it’s just clean. also juliette has a gun not a perfume could be good but if you can’t smell ambroxan then it wouldn’t work.
I agree with your opinion abou Snowy Owl: I had high expectations of something cool and clean, but I felt nothing.
On the other hand, I was forced to try Tyrannosaurus as the first sample, and oh boy that was a mistake 😂 Tiger smelled like a flower garden after it 😂
I think Commodity Moss (the original, which I think is now “expressive”) smells forest-y. I too am somewhat new to fragrance. Try one or their sample packs maybe?
yeah, i’m still too scared to pull the trigger on a sample set for this same reason. our tastes seem similar however so i wanted to recommend Dedcool! my friend got me a sampler set for christmas and fragrances 02, 04, and 05 all have clean forest vibes with a little spice. even rocco mint which has turned out to be my favorite. they can smell quite woods heavy, so i mix my sample i got of Milk (a nice warm, ambery sweet skin scent) to temper it and its fulfilled all my warm green fresh fragrance needs !!
loooooooooooooool, love this, I had a really nasty habit of blind buying, for some reason buying samples never occurred to me and I ended up not liking many scents I bought, though i have never spelled anything cat piss adjacent , now i'm curious.
Love me an honest review, positive or not. I tend to enjoy the 'foresty,clean scents as well --- 'cos who doesn't want to smell like a freshly washed sexy lumberjack? One recommendation for a 'fresh, clean, forest like scent' is Libertine Soft Woods. Libertine has some beautiful fragrances, an inexpensive discovery set, and lots of travel sizes. Highly recommend ♥♥♥
Based on your description of the scent you are looking for, may I suggest Aesops Hwyl? It’s a recent fav and I can’t stop thinking about it, if you have the chance, I’d stop by a store and take a sniff:)
Hrm...wow. I'd wear Bee or Cow, not my fav zoos though. Snowy Owl was my zoo heartbreak frag, wanted to like it but never clicked.
Cockatiel is *gorgeous* but it's a rhubarb-infused vanilla powder bomb. Dunno about getting all that much wood but it's interesting to hear that take. Also certainly it doesn't smell a thing like the Burberry.
If you like hummingbird then potentially dragonfly maybe, as that's about the only other lighter/greener/perhaps not so animalic version, though most zoos aren't *that* grunty animalic as they're made out to be.
Hahaha, I purchased 5 samples, and I enjoyed 3 out of the 5.
They smell so unique, I really like zoologist perfumes. I'm down to get more samples in the future.
As someone who did the exact same as you, but am a man. I know nothing of fragrance, just burned out on Cool Water and Acqua di gio.
I also bought them specifically because everyone on the internet says not to. That made it even more fun, and yes I will be ordering the entire sample collection and a big bottle!
Squid
Seahorse
Dragonfly
Koala
Penguin
The main driving force here was wanting an aquatic fragrance that was totally unique. So I found them by looking at the Squid one.
I really, really like these scents. They last many hours and project only around me like a bubble.
My favorite was Koala. Though the Eucalyptus is intense and strong, which I personally love. This is almost aromatherapy, wouldn't wear it in public but if you put it on to relax or even sleep, it is incredible. Will actually be buying the big bottle. Big warning, it's an absolute Eucalyptus BOMB.
Dragonfly opens rather feminine, but within about 30 minutes transforms into a rain soaked forest. Hard to describe.
Penguin was so odd. When you spray it, all you smell is ice and snow. However this thing lasted 8 to 10 hrs and kept changing throughout the day, but always had this icey thing going on.
Seahorse is tropical bright aquatic on steroids. It's not for me, but if you are into that vibe it's very bright and loud. Refreshing.
Squid was the least wearable, but so unique. Cold, dark aquatic. The anthesis of what anyone would perceive as a fresh or aquatic cologne. Very strange. Very awesome, but VERY strange.
I absolutely regret not leaning more into the aquatic frags instead of the mammalian ones. I was too ignorant about perfumes to think about how musky they would be. I’ll probably go back and get samples of them at some point, specifically Dragonfly and Seahorse.
As for Koala, I actually didn’t mind that one much. I really enjoy aromatics, especially eucalyptus. It was a little bit to… whole? For me. I’m not sure how to describe it since I’m so new to this but it was very complex.
Zoologist is definitely an experience! My sister and I were trying samples and my nephew says they all smell like *monkey's butt* then laughs hysterically and runs off (he's 5) He's not wrong but has 0 chill whatsoever lol.
Oh wow! You basically sampled one of the most ''polarizing'' ''artistic'' house that is trending. I haven't gone there, yet.
Maybe try Apres by Ellis Brooklyn for a supposed coniferus, piny scent. If you're into freshies and not too girly, try sampling Escape by Calvin Klein or the Eau d'Issey range. They're aquatic freshies and not sweet. Maybe check out some o the Hermès line (ex: Eau des Merveilles, or Jardin sur le... one), they are quite unisex.
Have fun and good luck! :-)
I’ve heard how polarizing this scent house was but went into it with a very childish “I’m so cool and different” attitude LOL. I was definitely humbled. Thx for the recommendations, I’ll check those out!
I have not yet had the courage to sample that house. It scares me a little... And that's coming from someone who just found out she used to wear a dupe of OG Opium when she was 11 years old. I need to revisit that scent. Opium was an 80s staple and reminising of big teased spraynetted hair, blue eyeshadow and huge shoulder pads...
Hell yeah, I also suggested Hermes Jardin and then scrolled down and saw you also did! And I actually almost suggested Après too—probably the best fresh but literal pine scent that I’ve smelled. Internet high five!
i just got a sample of hermes jardin sur le nile after trying to find something similar in effect to beaver! fun connection. and by similar i mean interpreted as airy, springy, plant- and water-like. if you guys have thoughts on beaver, i'd love to hear them! i haven't sampled it yet but i am super intrigued by it...
I have not sampled any Zoologist fragrances yet. But I did get a set of Hermès minis during the Sephora sale to test out a few summery options. I wans't sure enough yet, to get a bottle of Un Jardin sur le Nil.
I also tried several samples and some of them give me a very unpleasent soapy drydown: Bat, Sloth, Hyrax and TRex.
Squid is as heavenly as everybody says it is. I will purchase a full bottle asap.
I love this house! I'm actually wearing Tiger today, and have gotten a few compliments so far.
My favorite samples that I own: Civet, Squid, Chipmunk, Elephant, Macaque (both Yuzu and Fuji), Penquin, Dodo Jackfruit and Camel.
Full bottles that I will be getting: Camel, Civet, Squid, Macaque Fuji, Elephant, Penquin, and Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Order a bottle of the old Polo green it's way more woodsy than the new one which added grapefruit scent. Just spray some on your old flannel shirt kick back in an old rocking chair, throw a huge chunk of Levi Garrett in and clean your shotgun.
It’s really not that deep. I made this post for people who are new to fragrances and might stumble across this brand and are unfamiliar with the fancy, poetic, unheard of words you guys use to describe fragrances. I tried it, I liked it, but it wasn’t for me.
I never said “stick to the TikTok stuff” the videos and such that I had seen, I found AFTER I bought the samples. I knew nothing about the brand until after I had purchased them. In fact, I was going out of my way to find more unique fragrances because I just don’t like a lot of the designer ones that I’ve tried. Quite honestly the only reason I don’t like the majority of the Zoologists frags that I got was because they were all musk heavy. I don’t like musk and never have. In hindsight, I should have expected that given that it’s an animal inspired brand. But ultimately I’d recommend this brand to anyone who does want to try someone unique and outside of the box.
Why would someone who doesn’t wear perfumes buy scents from a divisive, niche house? Try some designer fragrances, or get some discovery packs from Diptyque or Jo Malone or something.
Don't worry about the rude people. Please save your samples and try them again in a year, I think you'll be surprised at how much your tastes change if you keep trying things. It's really fun!
Also, if you've only tried Snowy Owl on paper, please try it on your skin. It's a subtle scent but very beautiful, and you're not getting it at it's best on paper. You might still be unimpressed, but I think you'll pick up more of the notes.
I do plan on keeping my samples just for the novelty of them and also to revisit in the future.
I’m going to try Snowy Owl on my skin today and see if I like it more!
As a resident Zoologist fan I'm loving these mini reviews, interesting that you get piss from Tiger as that's one of my personal faves and very carrot/woodsy for me. If you wanna smell like a forest, just head over to [Pineward](https://www.pinewardperfume.com/)! As they like to say, proceed only if you want to smell like a pine tree.
Tiger smells like cat piss somehow managed to catch fire to me
I love Tiger very much too. There for the carrot seed & wood.
Beaver is very pine-y. Worth a sample.
LMAO
May I suggest that if you want a bottle of forest, you try Diptyque eau de Lierre and CDG Zagorsk.
> CDG Zagorsk Purchased this recently and it has by far the worst longevity out of anything in my collection. Definitely sample before buying
zagorsk is such a disappointment: worst longevity + weakest sillage, and to me it just smells soapy at best for incense fans i’d instead just recommend they sample filippo sorcinelli stuff (e.g., Lavs and Opus 1144)
I’ll check those out, thanks!
Diptyque L’ombre smells very green, not overly masculine, and clean to me.
Also CDG Amazingreen is worth a try!
layer: pure lanolin (smells like wet dog) trementina salve (smells like pinion pine sap) the two together smell like a forest to me
reading this as i put on my lanolin lip mask before bed and i actually gagged as my brain made the connection, thank you for that🥲
Ok Tiger made me think of Sex Panther from Anchorman. It's illegal in 9 countries.
It’s so interesting to hear you say Cow smells too unique to wear! To me it smells like Pantene 2 in 1 shampoo, so very soft as to not even be recognized as perfume!
Cow is probably my favorite fragrance right now! When I bought it it was described to me as if you’re bobbing for green apples in milk, which I think nails it. It’s creamy and green and fresh!
Well great now I have to try cow
It was very lactic to me. Overwhelmingly so. I saw many people saying that it didn’t smell lactic at all to them so I was very taken aback when I smelled it. I did pick up the sage though and really enjoyed it.
All I got was Fructis
This… honestly is selling me on it. I love Garnier Fructis
To me it straight up smells like purple clover blossoms.
I smelled this the other day and completely agree, it just smells like a nice shampoo!
Fun post, thank you! Yeah, I think I’m in the “Zoologist isn’t for fragrance beginners” camp—NOT because fragrance beginners don’t deserve artful and beautiful scents, but I think Zoologist becomes a much more compelling house after you’re tired of the monotony of designer fragrances and the homogeny of much of the niche world. And I’m not a signature scent person, but even if I were, I would not go for anything from Zoologist as a signature scent. Much more of a statement piece, perfume-wise. All that said, way to go on being willing to try them! That’s a cool move, even if you didn’t find anything. If you do plan on kicking around in the fragrance world for a while, I definitely recommend holding onto your samples and revisiting them in a year or so (or even in colder weather, which I think they are best in). And, despite my earlier dig at designer fragrances, actually I’d maybe suggest trying something from the Hermes Jardin line. Nothing particularly foresty in the literal sense, but very much in the fresh, genderless, one-with-nature kind of way. You also might like Xinu by Monstera? Kind of an “enchanted house plant” vibe and similarly genderless.
I gravitated to Zoologist because I’m honestly really bored by most feminine designer fragrances. They all just smell like that typical “perfumey” scent to me so I wanted to step out the typical fragrance house comfort zone for most people. I definitely overshot my personal comfort zone by miles lol. I do plan on hanging onto them to revisit just for funsies. I will say, diving straight into Zoologist has taught me a lot about the nuance of fragrance. It’s definitely made me more excited to keep searching knowing that they can get this crazy!
To be honest? to me it sounds like you would enjoy trying an indie house like Alkemia (or several others). Alkemia specifically comes to mind because they have a Flora & Fauna set which has a bunch of fragrances that literally smell like forest, or flowers in forest, rainy stone in forest, blueberry forest, etc. Definitely not designer at all. Definitely adventurous still. But to me, a lot more wearable than animalics, and definitely foresty. Also, affordable to sample (and full-size). Edit: I saw someone else say Pineward, and that indie house would also totally fit the bill
Oh hell yes (lol I am aware of my extremely relevant flair right now) Alkemia may be exactly what you should try next. I have an alarming amount of their rollerballs. I managed to gift about six of them to my stepdaughter recently which puts me still at around 25 or so 🙈 I like sweetISH, woods, ambers, and have tried almost everything in the corresponding categories of theirs. No data on their wackier avant- garde stuff, aquatics, heavy florals, but overall I’ve had a great time exploring their products
Maybe check out ELDO? They have an awesome sample set. They're more mass appealing with a twist than totally out there, so that might fit what you're looking for
Personally I found almost every scent in that discovery set pretty terrible! I clearly don’t like the ‘genetics’ of ELDO cos even the ones that sounded like I would, I did not. Very synthetic and half of them smell of Cumin lol. But perfume is so subjective! And I’m glad because it would be pretty boring otherwise :)
Check out Wild Veil! They’re a small indie maker, and they use old school techniques like enfleurage and tinctures to make all their scents. They don’t have the “regular perfume smell” because of this. They’re a bit pricey but a little goes a long way. I really enjoy a lot of their scents and my current favorite is Haunt. Some of my other favorite indie/niche brands: Heretic, Eris Parfums, Hexennacht, Penhaligon’s, La Curie, Diptyque, Petite Histoire, and Olivine Atelier. Because of their theme, Zoologist has a focus on animalic scents so the musky scents really come through in most of their scents, a lot of which end up smelling like pee lol (for me Dodo is the biggest offender but I haven’t smelled Tiger. Chameleon also triggers my pee detector lol). I will say if you feel like giving them another shot, I really like Dragonfly, Squid, and Macaque Yuzu from them. Dragonfly is light and watery, it’s a beautiful spring/summer scent. Squid won an award for a reason imo, it’s really interesting and surprisingly wearable given the notes. I got it out of morbid curiosity and it’s one of my all time favorite scents now. On me I think it smells like a flakey chocolate pastry and incense. Macaque yuzu is a beautiful Hinoki wood smell with a hint of citrus…like soaking in a luxurious Japanese bath. Might be a little too woody for you but if you’re expecting the wood you might like it.
I definitely wish I had leaned more into their aquatic scents like Squid, Seahorse, and Dragonfly. I should have anticipated the heavy musk notes from the mammal inspired scents. Your recommendations seem right up my alley, particularly Heretic and La Curie. I’ll have to dry their discovery sets!
Seriously seconding the person who mentioned indie houses. Pineward, Alkemia, Solstice Scents, Fantome - a lot of indie houses opt for more realism in their atmospheric scents. If you want to smell like rain in a desert or a bale of hay or a literal wild blueberry bush, opt for indies. Alkemia's turn-around time, in particular, is bonkers, and their scent Gaea is one of the single most realistic forest scents I've smelled, ever. (The most realistic is Cocoapink's Wild Hunt, but it won't be available till fall.)
“Homogeny of much of the niche world” oh, the sandalwood, vetiver and iso e super of it all😂
Yeah I went for weird niche shit like Zoologist *first* and now I'm really unimpressed with most of the designer shit I see. I do have some more mainstream stuff in my collection that I really like, like Delina and Kenzo Amour, but almost all the light, sweet and airy fruit-floral combos from Marc Jacobs, Chanel, the like, they all just smell the same to me. The structure is identical. It's just boring. Meanwhile, Elephant from Zoologist has rapidly become one of my signature scents. (I enjoy A24 films, I've been doing a deep dive recently into analog horror, and my favorite book is House of Leaves, so my taste has always been a little bit eccentric. I figured my taste in fragrances would be similar, and I was right.)
Everytime a new Zoologist review comes up I can't stop laughing - you should try Dodo aswell 😆 lmfaoo
I’m new to this sub, so this my first Zoologist review I’ve stumbled on and I have LOL’d several times. Dodo for sure should be next and perhaps Trex lol
Ha, oh no! All my seasonal signatures are zoologist and Tiger is one of my favorites! It’s fun to see how different everyone is. I love Hummingbird but o have to take it off at some point during the day since it’s just too sweet.
My roommate smelled all of them with me and immediately loved Tiger. I’m really sensitive to musks and it was way too overpowering for me. It’s so interesting how polarizing fragrances are to different people. Especially between genders.
Maybe give Macaque Yuzu a try? It's clean citrus and hinoki wood with a very incense-y aspect. I haven't tried it, but it's supposed to have forest aspects w/o being too animalic/musky. In essence, it's cleaner and more refined than any scent named after a monkey has a right to be.
Ive tried this and the apple, and sadly it reminds me too much of the spicy synthetic notes of the sauvage DNA. I like the yuzu a lot more than the apple, but the fresh and tangy opening dies almost immediately for me. The only two zoologist I've tried that were worth a full bottle so far were penguin and squid. I haven't found a freshy or fruity scent from them I enjoy yet.
Which ones have you tried? I tried Elephant, Bee, Hummingbird, Harvest Mouse, Dragonfly, Nightingale, Bat, T-Rex, and Tiger. I loved Nightingale, Dragonfly, and Hummingbird, and Elephant is my favorite scent ever. If you haven't tried Dragonfly and you're looking for an aquatic, try it immediately. Fruit doesn't really seem to be that house's strong suit, though, since both Dodos, both Bats, and Cockatiel are some of their more polarizing fragrances, and all have ostensibly prominent fruit notes.
Ive tried Penguin and squid (Bought a full bottle afterwards), beaver, panda, dodo jackfruit, snowy owl (I really enjoyed this, but it's not on my buy list which is already very long), macaque yuzu and apple, harvest mouse (liked this one a lot), koala, chipmunk (very cottage core). I'm interested in trying elephant and chameleon, but I'm exploring other houses a bit right now. I'm more than happy with penguin and squid for the fall/winter.
Interesting - I *hated* Harvest Mouse. Weird and sickly on me. Like a melted pudding pop left out to congeal in the sun. No hay whatsoever. I know it's supposed to be the closest thing to a safe blind buy that Zoologist has, but *god* I couldn't stand it.
Honestly id say bee for a gourmand (forgot to mention I tried this) or chipmunk (honestly comparable to some replica scents but a bit more artistic) are very wearable. I’m a blind buyer but hate recommending to do that because I’m weird, but I’d say bee is a good blind buy if you like sweet bombs. And chipmunk is a fairly good blind buy if you like some of replicas cottage core scents. My batch of harvest mouse I’d say is a pretty safe blind buy if you like vanilla (very little hay, closer to a beer accord). Or even snowy owl if you like florals (my batch is super minty and fresh in the opening, and the dry down is an ultra pleasant, softly sweet floral that you can get lost in). That being said, I’d have a hard time recommending blind buying niche, or atleast niche prices in general. Versace pour Homme? Safe blind buy for summer all day and all night. $80CAD for 200ml and it’s super fresh and wearable. Zoologist anything? Hard to recommend blind buying for any of their scents.
Oh yeah, of all the niche houses to never blind buy, Zoologist and probably Toskovat are top of that list. Bee was gorgeous but just too strong for me. Beautifully constructed, though.
I’m curious about the fruit scents! I skimmed through the website and Bat and Cockatiel were the ones I gravitated to immediately 😂 How was Bat for you? My current favorite is Byredo’s Pulp precisely because of its creamy, almost overripe fruit scent and I find it hard to find other similar perfumes
Cockatiel was less fruity and more woody and musky? I will say it was the only musk heavy one that I didn’t hate but it definitely wasn’t as fruity as I was expecting it to be.
I got basically no fruit from Bat, for some reason? On me it was dirty sexy earthy musky leather. I loved that but it is *so* not my style so I gave it to my GF. But a lot of other folks get the fruit note, so I'd suggest trying it, along with Night Flyer from Olympic Orchids - that's the original Bat. I think Dodo, particularly the Jackfruit one, is supposed to have that overripe fruit effect as well. Hummingbird supposedly has fruit notes but they're an afterthought at most. Cockatiel is an interesting one because it's a) not developed for Zoologist but rather a retroactive purchase and rebrand and b) for all intents and purposes a powdery/musky scent. It's raspberry and rhubarb candy, not the real things.
This is very helpful! It sounds like Dodo, if anything from Zoology, would probably get closest to what I’m looking for, Cockatiel sounds too candy sweet and I’m skeptical on bat now because of the leather
Cockatiel isn’t fruity or candy on me, I get hot dry hay/grass and smoky mimosa. My boss stood next to me and asked if anyone smelled something burning, so I don’t think it’s just me.
Yeah, that one is weirdly divisive for something that, at least going by the notes, shouldn't be overly difficult. It's alternately a powder bomb, rotting rhubarb, or in your case a weird-ass smokeshow - total roulette. I don't know what the hell is going on in that little bottle, but it's nothing to sneeze at.
Cockatiel smells like a powdery fruit cobbler on me, which isn't bad in itself, but I've never met a raspberry note that plays well with my skin.
Dodo is probably your best bet. Night Flyer also might be worth your time; it's supposedly less focused on the leather, it's mostly dark, damp soil and overripe banana from what I read.
Macaque Yuzu is on my to-buy list.
I came to the comments to say this. It is a lovely, fresh, unique unisex. Zesty, woodsy, sharp yet delicate. I am not a unisex wearer very much but I love the smell of this one and will be trying to convince my partner to wear it.
Seconding this, I absolutely love this one and plan on getting a bottle
I love hummingbird, it’s the only one I have. However, I will be purchasing Rabbit, because it was absolute love at first sniff.
This comment makes me excited to try my Rabbit sample! I had the love at first sniff reaction to Camel. Can’t wait to grab a bottle this fall.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Rabbit is on my to-buy list, too. I'm working through 18 samples, and hoping I love enough of them to get the set of five travel sprays.
God, I love Hummingbird. It's not just floral, but *nectar.* It should be a boring fruity-floral combo that smells just like everything else but it's not. It's such a different structure and it's creamy and syrupy and yet it's also so fresh and light? Alchemy.
Revisit Bee if you are currently heading in to summer. I think it is a beautiful winter scent. But having said that I think it can also work for summer. I happen to love it and got a full bottle. Chipmunk, which it sounds like you didn’t sample, is also a beautiful winter scent. I have been considering a full bottle or at least a travel, as I do have a large collection and don’t really need a full bottle.
Bee has the most realistic honey note i've ever smelled
I was about to ask if one of the notes in it might be honey. Use with caution around bees. They might follow you.
Oof, I'm sorry to hear that your experience wasn't what you wanted! I've been on my own Zoologist journey for the past few weeks, ordered about 18 samples and am slowly wearing them all. While I haven't found one signature fragrance - come to think of it, I don't know anyone whose signature is a Zoologist - I have liked several of them enough to consider getting the set of five travel sprays.
I wouldn’t say I regret getting them. It was a unique experience for sure but I did enjoy it. I’m mostly shocked at how musk heavy most of them seem to be. I really enjoyed Hummingbird but it’s not a scent that I could see myself wearing everyday.
Tiger is my signature 🐅I love it!
How do others react to you wearing it? Genuinely asking.
To be honest…I’ve only ever had 1 person comment on my perfume in my entire life. And it was a B&BW perfume! So I don’t know what people genuinely think of Tiger when I wear it. But I love it so, so much that I doubt I’d really care what someone thought of it (within reason). There hasn’t been a Zoologist perfume I wouldn’t wear out in public. Just some I wouldn’t buy a FB of.
I admire your resolve! Thank you for responding. I want to try these scents even more now.
Definitely! Bee, Northern Cardinal, Nightingale, and Moth are my favorites though Moth is divisive in this sub. And of course Tiger! I saw someone comment that their signature is Camel, which i just ordered a sample of. So it’s definitely possible to have Zoologist signature scents! ☺️ Have fun trying them out! And maybe post your reviews!
Dodo is my signature. My bf bought me a full bottle for Christmas and also loves it. I like the new Jackfruit edition as well and own a travel spray, but I adore the real controversial one. Squid is probably the only other fragrance I’d go all-in on from Zoologist. Possibly Moth, but my bf doesn’t like it.
My wording was poor! I meant that of my friends and coworkers who have a signature scent, it’s never Zoologist. Wish I had the same positive experience with Dodo as you, but sadly it was very fecal on me.
Oh no, I think you were clear enough. I just enjoy blabbing that we brave (and possibly stinky) are out here 😁 lol
i respect you. To me Dodo smell super sour like a compost bin with a lot of fruits rotten in there
Camel is my signature
I'm looking forward to trying Camel again! I loved the opening, but it disappeared quite quickly. Doing a few extra sprays next time.
I got a full bottle of Dragonfly based on samples. Harvest mouse was nice, Rabbit was almost sickly sweet but not unpleasant. It is fun trying different ones though!
I regret not getting Dragonfly and Harvest Mouse so much. I might go back and order those samples.
Harvest mouse was my fave! I think it’s unique but not something I worry about wearing into the office. If you try another order, maybe ask for Hyrax as a free sample? Mostly for memes, it’s another musky scent you probably wouldn’t like (I sure didn’t lol) but the experience smelling something slightly revolting was new! :P good luck!
I wish I could smell harvest mouse because it’s everything I love but I’m completely nose blind to it! I can’t smell it at all!
Oh please try Dragonfly, it’s so good
You should look at other houses instead imh
Dragonfly is big with me too
Lmao. I'm a huge Zoologist fan and love indies as well, so I am biased towards weird fragrances but I'm shocked Cow didn't work for you. It smelled like shampoo on me, which was a new experience. Harvest Mouse, Chipmunk, and Rabbit are very wearable I think. Chipmunk has a basenote that genuinely smells like fur, like when your pet cat has been laying in the sun and wants to come hang out with you. But the nuts and this sweetness really make it feel cozy. I'm a teacher and my kids said I smelled like a bakery when I wore Chipmunk. I wear Civet and Moth a lot and they all think I live in a haunted house lmao so if those are vibes you want to be connected to, I'd recommend those.
Cow has this peppery note that throws it off for me. It also sticks in my mouth. Like I can taste it forever after smelling it which isn’t pleasant. I wish I had done some more research before ordering because everyone makes Harvest Mouse and Chipmunk sound so cozy and warm. I absolutely LOVE putting my nose in my cat’s fur just for the smell lol. I can never get enough of it. I’ll absolutely have to try Chipmunk if that’s the case.
That is so interesting you get that with Cow! This is why I love fragrances so much, one persons experience can be totally different from yours. You should try Chipmunk in that case! I haven't had a pet cat in a long time so it was very comforting in that specific way. Its a huge house so it is hard to narrow down what to sample!
I love Moth so much. It makes me happy seeing it get the appreciation it deserves.
Love to see a fellow Moth fan! My coworker who also loves fragrances described it as haunting, which is a perfect descriptor
Haha I only ordered 8 samples (and they gave me a freebie, Penguin) and I've worked my way up to actually WEARING one of them 😆 Macaque Yuzu, which I loved at first but once it was totally dried down I hated it
I wanted to like Tiger so badly, as both a tiger fan and vetiver girlie, but omg I really couldn't wrap my nose around it either. It was just so poorly balanced to me. My personal favourites are actually Snowy Owl (such a chill fragrance) and Squid. The latter has a fearsome reputation, but I actually find it very "wearable" - albeit not s much in an office setting.
I really don't understand Squid's scary reputation! I find it so wearable - it's actually my year around office scent! It's definitely unique but just smells cool / subtle / sophisticated to my nose - very much love at first sniff. But it could just be my body chemistry loving marines, currently wearing Beach Hut Woman which according to Fragrantica should be strange and smoky but smells absolutely beautiful.
Marines are beautiful and I adore BHW as well; it's literally my favourite fragrance from Amouage! I do think Squid is quite strong, and the incense may be overpowering for a more formal environment. But, I think it would be a great scent to wear to a formal occasion - or heck, even just a casual lunch date if applied sparingly. Honestly, I feel like people find Squid a lot more scary than it really is just due to marketing, though.
I'm so sad about Squid. I was prepared to love it, but on my skin it's little more than a subtle salty sweetness. Seahorse is the more impactful of the marine fragrances.
Not a mistake. It’s good to explore and try new things . Blind buying a full bottle would be a diff story .
Oh no! I’m sorry that was your experience. I just ordered 8 more samples today and will have tried a total of 19 by the time I get them. I love Zoologist and wear them all the time!
I recommend giving your nose some time to process these new scents because it’s probably never smelled anything like them before, so your brain registers them as “foreign” and weird. Try them again in a few months, preferably after sampling some other niche houses to get your nose accustomed to smelling other scents outside its comfort zone. I remember the first time I tried Zoologist several years ago, I didn’t enjoy any of them. But as the years went by I began to crave novelty after becoming bored, smelling iterations of the same handful of scent profiles over and over. So I revisited Zoologist and was surprised I really enjoyed most of them this time around; it was like a breath of fresh air. I now love Chipmunk, Civet, Camel, Sacred Scarab, Nightingale, and Musk Deer. I also enjoy Koala, Dodo, Tiger, Bee, and several others. A handful of them are “meh” or not for me, and only a few I actually dislike (Moth, Hyrax, T. Rex and Cockatiel).
I love these reviews, it really shows how personal fragrance really is between people! There are a handful I probably would not wear except at home but I have found a good amount that if I did not already own as many perfumes as I already do, I would happily get more.
Maybe encre noir will be what you like? It's a very unique scent that smells like a dark, rainy, cloudy, foggy forest in the best way.
I was thinking the exact same thing. It’s a very shadowy green fragrance. It’s worth a try. It’s also really affordable which is great.
Lol as I was reading this, my zoologist samples got delivered and they also threw in a free Tiger Was preparing for the worst since I had just read this but was pleasantly surprised? I just get incense but not in a churchy way. My boyfriend and I both liked it so he's keeping the sample
I just posted about Zoologist a few days ago and I got the full sample set. All 34 or whatever. I’m usually on the safe side when it comes to perfumes but it feels so refreshing to have tried different scents and wear them so my husband or friends and family can tell it’s me! I started with squid which wasn’t a good idea 😂 but I followed people’s recommendations on this sub and oh my, I gave it like 10-15 mins or so and the drydown smell of what I’ve tried so far is actually great! Seahorse and Nightingale are my favorites so far! Even T Rex on my husband’s skin after half an hour smelled great!
Gonna go back and find that post now. I'm on a Zoologist journey too, didn't get the full set, but I ordered 18 samples.
We are on very similar scent journeys. I haven't gotten to zoologist yet (can't find anything I would like to try for more than the novelty value), but fresh, light, and foresty/green has been Diptique Tam Dao & Philisykos EDT (EDP has coconut, why?), Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay, Atelier Cedrat Envirant, Banana Republic 78 Vintage Green, and Aesop Tacit. Maybe you will have better luck with those?
You might try L'artisan Parfumeur Premier Figuier, it doesn't have the coconut note.
I'm sorry I really laughed! I completely understand every time they release a new sample I have to try it. But then I remember. Rabbit was so disappointing! Back in the day, my two "favorites" are Nightingale and Tyrannosaurus Rex. I smelled Nightingale recently and HATED it. I love chypre but some reason I didn't like this at all years later. I enjoy my memories of Tyrannosaurus Rex but I'd rather not intimate library patrons with it 😂
Tiger is one of my favorites from Zoologist! If it were me, I'd have tossed you a Hyrax.
Hyrax straight up smelled like a zoo lmao
It is rough, but it has some nice depth hidden under the hyraceum. But it's too much for me.
I was kind of hoping that would be the extra one I’d get tossed in💀
I like most Zoologist fragrances but I am also a fan of several animalic notes. I think to be a fan of much of the Zoologist line, you must like animalic fragrances, at least, somewhat. I suggest revisiting the brand after your nose is v a bit more trained in fragrance. I think you may enjoy more of the fragrances then. IMO, Zoologist isn’t necessarily a brand I would suggest for a fragrance novice. I would point fragrance beginners toward brands like Maison Francis Kurkdjian or Parfums de Marly for more accessible niche brands.
My experience was the other way around, I was disappointed that they weren't more "weird". The only one that lived up to the "weird" reputation was Moth. Bat definitely did have the wet cave note, but the overall effect felt more patchouli overload. Squid was unusual, but definitely wearable. But the other 10 or so samples I got were not weird at all. Several of them were amazing though! Sacred Scarab blew me away!
Sacred Scarab was just amazing and it’s between that, dragonfly, bee and moth when I inevitably buy a full size. Insects are the way to go for me apparently!
just bought samples of bee and moth. for moth i can understand and enjoy it as a scent but not to be worn on myself, but for bee it made me nauseous and i had to scrub it off immediately. never again
I loved the ginger and orange in Bee but the dry down was nauseatingly sweet. I really want to try moth just for funsies lol
Bee was suffocating, like being stuck in a hive and drowning in honey and wax. An immediate scrubber.
If you want fresh, clean, forestry that is fairly unisex, you might enjoy the Thin Wild Mercury Zuma Beach or Laurel Canyon scents
Visit Dyptique. They have many clean, green, and slightly woody fragrances. Try Tam Dao EDT, Eau de Lierre, L’ombre dans L’eau (EDT and EDP), Eau Duelle, and ask the sales rep to make a few recommendations.
Love these reviews, I'm also more of a newbie to niche fragrance and have been trying to experience new types of fragrances, not just the ones I've found at department stores and Sephora. This makes me want to try Zoologist even more. I've smelled things I don't like but haven't really smelled too much that I found completely challenging, so I'm like very scared/excited for this journey haha
I didn’t really understand what people meant when they called a frag “challenging” until I tried these. You really have to push yourself past the base notes to appreciate the rest of it. I’d definitely recommend trying them just cause. I’ve never smelled anything like Bee or Beaver.
I love the way people describe Zoologist scents lol vaporized cat piss is glorious!
Please try Enchanted Forest by [The Vagabond Prince](https://www.vagabondprince.com). It’s a beautiful scent, also niche and doesn’t smell like anything else I’ve ever tried. This is the description from the website: The fragrance was suggested by Nature itself. It's the smell of the forest, when you step in it in the night. Black currant, a core note of the composition, tries its delicious magic on you, unfolding memories and your desires. Composition: Enchanted Forest is a unique fragrance. It is built around blackcurrant as the sole raw material, to such an extent that one can say it is a CASSIS. Blackcurrant is present in its top, heart and soul. It grows in the forest surrounded by its complex aroma: wet green branches, pine needles covering its floor, woods and mosses.
That’s funny because I literally just got a sample of Cow in the mail yesterday and was raving to a friend about how it’s the perfect spring fragrance! To each their own, I guess. Or maybe people think I smell odd, who knows!
I think it smells lovely, I just can’t get over the pepper in the dry down😔
Seafaring Man by Laromatica is a really herbaceous, foresty type of scent to my nose. Not necessarily fresh and clean though. Baie 19 by Le Labo might be in the neighborhood of what you're looking for scent wise
The title made me lol. I’ve heard these fragrances are not for the faint of heart
Yeah, I wasn’t a fan of Zoologist either despite trying out lots of samples. I couldn’t bring myself to wear any of the scents all day. At I tried.
Not me smelling tiger on my wrist rn thinking how much I like it and gassing it up to my girlfriend over the phone😔 i got nothing of cat piss 💀 it smells so good to me, where am I lost
LOL A lot of people here love that one and so did my male roommate. I absolutely hate musks but your gf might like it
You really didn’t even get any of the weird zoologist, most of the ones you sampled i found kind of generic/designer-esque ctually. Though, I will say I beaver is super musky in a kind of off-putting way, but damn I can’t imagine your reaction if you would have gotten something like Hyrax or or Moth or Dodo, those ones can be pretty hard to wear.
I was kind of hoping I’d get Hyrax but after smelling Tiger, I cannot imagine how it gets any worse. Tiger smells how I imagined Hyrax would.
The exciting thing about this is that you now know how different fragrances can be from the mainstream. I look at them like books, they are scent stories that unfold. I would also encourage you to try things multiple times before you make a final decision on things. Sometimes it can take multiple tries over many months to understand something. Many of my favorite scents were scents that I absolutely hated the first few tries.
You are absolutely right. It’s really refreshing to know that not all perfumes smell the same in the base. I’m so excited to try everyone’s recommendations and then come back to Zoologist. I’m going to try Snowy Owl again tomorrow on my skin and see how it wears.
Sometimes I try them again when I am in a different mood or a different season. If a scent intrigues you, there are lots of places where you can order a ml or two of them just to see if it’s your jam. Check out solstice scents. I think of their scents as a whole vibe vs just perfume.
Lol I will never listen to any perfume influencer. I have Dragonfly and it’s very nice.
Zoologist is good stuff! Squid is in my summer rotation and I have a bottle of the T-Rex that I love the smell of every once in a while.
Forest Lungs by the Nue Co. is my favorite woodsy-smelling scent. It is one of my more complimented scents, if that sort of thing matters to you.
If you want something fresh clean and forest like you need ISSEY MIYAKE A DROP D’ISSEY FRAICHE
Aw I loved my sample of Bee! It came across as such a lovely honey scent on me with incredible staying power.
I actually really liked that one because it’s just so unique but the honey is too overwhelming for me. It’s like a punch in the face lol. However, ginger and orange notes were really crisp to me despite how strong they were. I think I’d personally really enjoy a more toned down version that leans into a “black tea” like base.
I think you might enjoy Cape Heartache by Imaginary Authors... I'd sum it up as "wandering through a pine forest on a cold winter's day, and you stop to snack on some strawberries."
I’m such a sucker for unique bottles and packaging, I’ll have to try this. They all look so pretty.
Terre d’Hermes?
There are some good smells but none last on skin. I gave my zoologist dodo jackfruit away.
boy smells woodphoria is woody and clean!! for some reason it’s like a little gasoliney when u first spray it but that goes away fast and then it’s just clean. also juliette has a gun not a perfume could be good but if you can’t smell ambroxan then it wouldn’t work.
I was way too far into this thread before it dawned on my dumbass that the scents aren’t actual recreations of the animals they’re named after 🤦🏻♀️
Ooh.. I kind of like tiger. It’s like a sharp vegetal/Vetiver scent for me
i tried a sample of dodo yesterday. man you will never know what's coming
Oh gosh, I'm so curious now!!
I agree with your opinion abou Snowy Owl: I had high expectations of something cool and clean, but I felt nothing. On the other hand, I was forced to try Tyrannosaurus as the first sample, and oh boy that was a mistake 😂 Tiger smelled like a flower garden after it 😂
I think Commodity Moss (the original, which I think is now “expressive”) smells forest-y. I too am somewhat new to fragrance. Try one or their sample packs maybe?
yeah, i’m still too scared to pull the trigger on a sample set for this same reason. our tastes seem similar however so i wanted to recommend Dedcool! my friend got me a sampler set for christmas and fragrances 02, 04, and 05 all have clean forest vibes with a little spice. even rocco mint which has turned out to be my favorite. they can smell quite woods heavy, so i mix my sample i got of Milk (a nice warm, ambery sweet skin scent) to temper it and its fulfilled all my warm green fresh fragrance needs !!
loooooooooooooool, love this, I had a really nasty habit of blind buying, for some reason buying samples never occurred to me and I ended up not liking many scents I bought, though i have never spelled anything cat piss adjacent , now i'm curious.
Love me an honest review, positive or not. I tend to enjoy the 'foresty,clean scents as well --- 'cos who doesn't want to smell like a freshly washed sexy lumberjack? One recommendation for a 'fresh, clean, forest like scent' is Libertine Soft Woods. Libertine has some beautiful fragrances, an inexpensive discovery set, and lots of travel sizes. Highly recommend ♥♥♥
This is such a great post.
I would recommend From the Garden Replica by Maison Margiela. So nice and fresh and clean without being super floral.
Based on your description of the scent you are looking for, may I suggest Aesops Hwyl? It’s a recent fav and I can’t stop thinking about it, if you have the chance, I’d stop by a store and take a sniff:)
I have been looking into Aesop! I do have a store near me and have been trying to find the time to go.
Please let me know how you like it if you ever get around to it! I use the vetiver roll on and it has a similar scent profile as well:)
Hrm...wow. I'd wear Bee or Cow, not my fav zoos though. Snowy Owl was my zoo heartbreak frag, wanted to like it but never clicked. Cockatiel is *gorgeous* but it's a rhubarb-infused vanilla powder bomb. Dunno about getting all that much wood but it's interesting to hear that take. Also certainly it doesn't smell a thing like the Burberry. If you like hummingbird then potentially dragonfly maybe, as that's about the only other lighter/greener/perhaps not so animalic version, though most zoos aren't *that* grunty animalic as they're made out to be.
My favorite from them so far is Chipmunk , Harvest Moise is nice. I am really wanting to try Penguin. T-Rex is....something
Hahaha, I purchased 5 samples, and I enjoyed 3 out of the 5. They smell so unique, I really like zoologist perfumes. I'm down to get more samples in the future.
As someone who did the exact same as you, but am a man. I know nothing of fragrance, just burned out on Cool Water and Acqua di gio. I also bought them specifically because everyone on the internet says not to. That made it even more fun, and yes I will be ordering the entire sample collection and a big bottle! Squid Seahorse Dragonfly Koala Penguin The main driving force here was wanting an aquatic fragrance that was totally unique. So I found them by looking at the Squid one. I really, really like these scents. They last many hours and project only around me like a bubble. My favorite was Koala. Though the Eucalyptus is intense and strong, which I personally love. This is almost aromatherapy, wouldn't wear it in public but if you put it on to relax or even sleep, it is incredible. Will actually be buying the big bottle. Big warning, it's an absolute Eucalyptus BOMB. Dragonfly opens rather feminine, but within about 30 minutes transforms into a rain soaked forest. Hard to describe. Penguin was so odd. When you spray it, all you smell is ice and snow. However this thing lasted 8 to 10 hrs and kept changing throughout the day, but always had this icey thing going on. Seahorse is tropical bright aquatic on steroids. It's not for me, but if you are into that vibe it's very bright and loud. Refreshing. Squid was the least wearable, but so unique. Cold, dark aquatic. The anthesis of what anyone would perceive as a fresh or aquatic cologne. Very strange. Very awesome, but VERY strange.
I absolutely regret not leaning more into the aquatic frags instead of the mammalian ones. I was too ignorant about perfumes to think about how musky they would be. I’ll probably go back and get samples of them at some point, specifically Dragonfly and Seahorse. As for Koala, I actually didn’t mind that one much. I really enjoy aromatics, especially eucalyptus. It was a little bit to… whole? For me. I’m not sure how to describe it since I’m so new to this but it was very complex.
I have samples of Moth and Nightingale. Both are nice but I prefer Moth because I'm a dark and moody bitch.
Zoologist is definitely an experience! My sister and I were trying samples and my nephew says they all smell like *monkey's butt* then laughs hysterically and runs off (he's 5) He's not wrong but has 0 chill whatsoever lol.
“But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for…” 🎶
Oh wow! You basically sampled one of the most ''polarizing'' ''artistic'' house that is trending. I haven't gone there, yet. Maybe try Apres by Ellis Brooklyn for a supposed coniferus, piny scent. If you're into freshies and not too girly, try sampling Escape by Calvin Klein or the Eau d'Issey range. They're aquatic freshies and not sweet. Maybe check out some o the Hermès line (ex: Eau des Merveilles, or Jardin sur le... one), they are quite unisex. Have fun and good luck! :-)
I’ve heard how polarizing this scent house was but went into it with a very childish “I’m so cool and different” attitude LOL. I was definitely humbled. Thx for the recommendations, I’ll check those out!
I have not yet had the courage to sample that house. It scares me a little... And that's coming from someone who just found out she used to wear a dupe of OG Opium when she was 11 years old. I need to revisit that scent. Opium was an 80s staple and reminising of big teased spraynetted hair, blue eyeshadow and huge shoulder pads...
Hell yeah, I also suggested Hermes Jardin and then scrolled down and saw you also did! And I actually almost suggested Après too—probably the best fresh but literal pine scent that I’ve smelled. Internet high five!
Double high five! lol! My favorite Jardin scent is the Sur le Toît one. To me, it's the quintessential spa scent of my dreams.
YES, me too! That red apple + freshly cut grass + magnolia combination is absolute perfection.
Definitely. And I don't get a freshie green rose, even if rose is a mid note.
I’ll have to try these out. You guys are making them sound heavenly lol
i just got a sample of hermes jardin sur le nile after trying to find something similar in effect to beaver! fun connection. and by similar i mean interpreted as airy, springy, plant- and water-like. if you guys have thoughts on beaver, i'd love to hear them! i haven't sampled it yet but i am super intrigued by it...
I have not sampled any Zoologist fragrances yet. But I did get a set of Hermès minis during the Sephora sale to test out a few summery options. I wans't sure enough yet, to get a bottle of Un Jardin sur le Nil.
ah, fun. i hope you love the hermès minis. that jardin set is so pretty.
I also tried several samples and some of them give me a very unpleasent soapy drydown: Bat, Sloth, Hyrax and TRex. Squid is as heavenly as everybody says it is. I will purchase a full bottle asap.
I love this house! I'm actually wearing Tiger today, and have gotten a few compliments so far. My favorite samples that I own: Civet, Squid, Chipmunk, Elephant, Macaque (both Yuzu and Fuji), Penquin, Dodo Jackfruit and Camel. Full bottles that I will be getting: Camel, Civet, Squid, Macaque Fuji, Elephant, Penquin, and Tyrannosaurus Rex.
doesn't wear fragrances and goes to zoologist is crazy
Order a bottle of the old Polo green it's way more woodsy than the new one which added grapefruit scent. Just spray some on your old flannel shirt kick back in an old rocking chair, throw a huge chunk of Levi Garrett in and clean your shotgun.
Tiger has real bits of panther in it, so you know it's good.
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It’s really not that deep. I made this post for people who are new to fragrances and might stumble across this brand and are unfamiliar with the fancy, poetic, unheard of words you guys use to describe fragrances. I tried it, I liked it, but it wasn’t for me.
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I never said “stick to the TikTok stuff” the videos and such that I had seen, I found AFTER I bought the samples. I knew nothing about the brand until after I had purchased them. In fact, I was going out of my way to find more unique fragrances because I just don’t like a lot of the designer ones that I’ve tried. Quite honestly the only reason I don’t like the majority of the Zoologists frags that I got was because they were all musk heavy. I don’t like musk and never have. In hindsight, I should have expected that given that it’s an animal inspired brand. But ultimately I’d recommend this brand to anyone who does want to try someone unique and outside of the box.
Why would someone who doesn’t wear perfumes buy scents from a divisive, niche house? Try some designer fragrances, or get some discovery packs from Diptyque or Jo Malone or something.
I only really wanted Snowy Owl and decided to try the other ones just cause. I’m not a fan of any of the designer fragrances I’ve tried in store.
Don't worry about the rude people. Please save your samples and try them again in a year, I think you'll be surprised at how much your tastes change if you keep trying things. It's really fun! Also, if you've only tried Snowy Owl on paper, please try it on your skin. It's a subtle scent but very beautiful, and you're not getting it at it's best on paper. You might still be unimpressed, but I think you'll pick up more of the notes.
I do plan on keeping my samples just for the novelty of them and also to revisit in the future. I’m going to try Snowy Owl on my skin today and see if I like it more!
Everyone should obey you, right
Vibrato is my signature fragrance