Zoologist – Sloth – My word these Zoologist perfumes pack a punch when you first spray them. Sloth is the latest from the house, and it’s an herbal, aromatic scent with a good dose of tartness from acai berry which hits with a bang from the opening spray. The herbal, aromatic notes of Chamomile and lavender accompany the berry tartness, and these notes remain prominent throughout the life of the scent. There’s a mushroom note in the pyramid, and it along with a hefty dose of oakmoss gives Sloth a musty dampness. During mid-development Sloth takes on an almost smoky feel (olibanum) before eventually drying down to a sweeter base of myrrh and a hint of vanilla. As with most Zoologist scent’s there’s an underlying animalic feel, with cumin injecting a pungency into the scent, however this one is a lot easier to wear than many others in the range. It’s still not something I’d be rushing out to buy though. The pungent dampness leans a little too far on the challenging side for everyday wear. Sloth has great lasting power and decent projection. I was catching hints of the scent 10-12 hours after application.
Zoologist – Bat (2020) – It’s fair to say the original Bat from Zoologist was one of the brand’s cult favourites. So, it was met with a collective groan when the brand decided to discontinue the beloved scent. The 2020 version of the scent retains the earthy soil accord of the original but ditches the banana for a melange of tropical fruits including guava, fig and passionfruit. These fruity notes are high in the mix for the life of Bat, and really tame the earthiness of the soil accord, so much so that I think fans of the original Bat will be left disappointed. This is more wearable but much less artistic than the original. Tamer and much less interesting. The animalic musk’s are quite restrained, there’s a hint of jasmine in mid development that adds a slight touch of interest, but overall it doesn’t take one on the interesting journey the original did. Bat lasts about 8-10 hours on skin. Somewhat of a disappointment.
So, I still haven’t found a Zoologist I’d be willing to add to the collection but their upcoming release of Koala does sound promising. Have you tried any of these new releases? Do you have a favourite from the house?
Note: Bottle images courtesy of Fragrantica