Zoologist
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The first quarter-hour is a clash of green vegetation and Earl Grey steam, vegetal and aromatic, before that lush coconut milk crashes through like cream into hot tea. The magnolia hovers ethereally above, its lemony-green petals bruised and dewy, whilst something darkly smoky – the frankincense already making itself known – curls around the edges.
The white florals gain confidence as the composition settles, jasmine's animalic warmth embracing the persistent coconut cream in a way that's tropical yet sophisticated. Cocoa dust and woody notes create an earthy foundation, almost mushroomy in their damp forest quality, whilst that frankincense smoke continues to drift through like incense in a humid chapel.
Sandalwood and patchouli take the reins, delivering a creamy-earthy base that's surprisingly clean despite the depth. The amber adds honeyed warmth without sweetness, whilst musk provides an intimate skin-scent quality that keeps whispers of that original green-floral-coconut memory alive, now distant and soft as a half-remembered dream.
Elephant opens with the shock of green – not the manicured lawn variety, but something altogether more primal and humid. Those leaves in the topnotes read as crushed stems and sap, vegetal and slightly bitter, whilst the Darjeeling tea brings its distinctive muscatel character, bergamot-tinged and tannic. There's a generous pour of coconut milk that arrives almost immediately, softening the verdant assault with a creamy, tropical sweetness that feels opulent rather than suntan-lotion synthetic. The magnolia and jasmine provide white floral ballast without ever dominating, their indolic qualities tempered by woody notes that smell of damp bark and forest floor. Frankincense weaves smoke through the composition, lending an almost devotional quality to what could have been merely a gourmand exercise.
This is fragrance as olfactory storytelling: a walk through botanical gardens after monsoon rains, or perhaps a temple garden in Kerala where frangipani petals float in coconut offerings. The cocoa never announces itself as chocolate but rather as bitter cacao nibs, earthy and astringent. As the sandalwood and patchouli emerge, they ground the composition in classic perfumery territory, though the overall effect remains decidedly modern – unisex in the truest sense, neither masculine nor feminine, but elementally animalic in spirit if not execution. It's the sort of scent worn by someone who appreciates complexity, who finds beauty in contrast: the person equally comfortable in a natural history museum as in a niche perfumery. Best reserved for cooler weather when its layers can truly unfold without turning cloying.
Add fragrances to your collection and unlock your personalised scent DNA, note map, and shareable identity card.
3.5/5 (87)