Zuma, 1975

I love this scent. I find most "marine" perfumes try too hard to smell like summer vacation and sunscreen, but Zuma doesn't do that. It smells like spending all day laying on the beach with salt crystals forming in your hair and the sun is starting to set. It starts with the jasmine and bergamot pretty right up front, and settles into a warm, floral musk. Some people here have said it smells like bathroom, and I kind of get where they're coming from, but to me it gives me more of a "I just swam in the ocean and now I'm kind of sticky and should probably shower" feeling. It smells human, and I love that - I'd say it's the ambrette. It's a dirty beach smell that isn't going to give pretty, feminine florals or citrus. It literally smells like hot salty beach skin and someone wearing jasmine perfume happened to walk by. Personally, it's almost too strong and I do get a little bit of a sunscreen-y thing from this. 2 sprays for me lasts all day as a skin scent, which I think is perfect. I'm considering a full bottle. I often use a light layer over Whiskey for warm summer nights.

Zuma 1975 (and the entire LA collection) makes me feel that I have transported to another time. I feel like I know what what an LA beach day smelled like in 1975. How cool is that? When I first put it on, I wasn't immediately ready to buy a full bottle, but I was instantly intrigued. I could not stop smelling my wrist and would swoon when I could smell it organically around me. I have been wearing it every day, and the more I wear, the more I love it. I would recommend sampling this and giving it a little time. If you want something beachy without smelling like sunscreen.. like you want to smell like the actual beach, salt water, sand etc etc, this is a great one to sample! Also, this is a very dry scent, and I have had some fun layering it with some other fresh scents I have. It's perfect on its own though, too! Immediately, I knew it was a cool girl scent, but am I cool enough to wear this? Ugh, I better be because I cannot wait to get the travel size!

When I first spray the perfume, the strong scent of citrus and herbs fills my nose, a little like the most freshest dill you can find after it juuuust rained. The smell is perfect for a hot summers day, especially for swimming. It is so refreshing and not nauseating, which surprised me. After it settles on the skin, it turns into the most orgasmic woody, floral, ocean and musky scent. This perfume is exactly like a gal laying on her beach towel taking in the sun gracefully, then in the afternoon with her friends she sits by the fire tending to the wood. It is so fucking good I can not get enough of it after it settles. This scent is heaven on a hot July day. I must say, this scent is much more masculine than other ones, and heavily changes on the chemistry of the skin. On my skin, it turns into the a gentle sweetness with soft spiciness and wood with the jasmine. Overall, I love it, but expect to be surprised upon smelling it for the first time!

Ok, so this perfume is weird, and that isn’t a bad thing. Definitely not a safe blind buy, but I’ve never smelled anything like it.I originally bought the sampler set for the whiskey perfume, but I was pleasantly surprised with the other scents. At first I thought I hated it, it had this immediate cold feeling on the nose which made me think of cleaning products. But after about an hour I realized I couldn’t stop smelling it. It’s one of those scents that is perfect for a warm summer day. It kind of reminds me of jumping into a pool after they just changed the water (could also be the seawater but I don’t live near an ocean so bear with me).Also this stuff LASTS. I wore this to a concert and had to camp out for sixteen hours during a heat wave, and even after a flash flood that left us all soaked you could still smell it on me and people were asking what I was wearing. If it lasts through a natural disaster it will last through anything. 10/10

True to life, slightly masculine throwing beach scent. Since moving to a city that is humid and hot 97% of the year, I have been on the hunt for a summer appropriate signature scent that doesn’t turn cloying. I think this may be my holy grail. This for me is a hyper realistic Australian summer. Hot dirt that turns quickly into sand, cool salt water surrounded by trees. I can smell no florals, instead this is sandalwood heavy on my skin. Whereas chateau was jerry hall smoking a cigarette on a hotel chaise, Zuma is a tanned clique sitting in a tight circle around a bonfire. They need to invite you to sit with them. Imagine the cool kids from puberty blues: hiked up mini skirts on the girls, surfboards and messy blonde hair on the guys. This is a skin scent that lasts, wafting only as close as your arm but hypnotising everyone who comes close enough to smell it. Buying a full size bottle immediately.

I finally pulled the trigger on the sample set from Thin Wild Mercury, and this perfume was hands down my favorite from the start. As other reviewers have said, your skin chemistry will make or break this and others, so definitely try before you buy! To me, this smells like you’re walking along a forested coast line, maybe doing a hike in the PNW where it’s humid and salty but a little woody. The musky floral helps this sit really nice on the skin, almost has that makeup/chalky scent (but barely). I tend to like beach salty fragrances, and this is definitely more spicy than what you’d find in fragrances with forward oceanic/salt notes (think Salt Air by Skylar). This is definitely a daytime, spring/summer scent for me. Of all my perfumes, this is the biggest compliment getter. This is absolutely full bottle worthy for me

Another hit from this house. The visions behind Thin Wild Mercury's fragrances are just spot on-- by far the most evocative scents I have smelled. I absolutely love all four of their debut scents and the fact that it is such a small company makes it all the better. I would ramble on about what this smells like, but you might as well read the fragrance inspiration on their website as it is spot on. This smells like a vintage Malibu Beach -- salty aquatic sea breeze, burned brush (or smoke from a joint), a floral undertone from the coastal greenery not far away, sweet sunscreen and a bit of sweat, and nuzzling up to a surfer who looks (and smells) like a young Robert Plant. A summer fragrance of a different caliber, best for people who don't usually like summer fragrances.

I don't view myself as a "beach scent" kind of girl, definitely much more of an artsy vintage chateau-laurel canyon type, so I wasn't expecting this one to be a contender for my favorite fragrance from TWM much less, of my entire collection. But this isn't a tropical fruity summer, sunscreen or a linear generic aquatic, it is salty and sweaty and sticky and mouth watering. It feels like driving back from Venice beach, getting stuck in traffic for an hour, and being trapped with the smell of everyone's warm sweaty skin, rough salty hair, the smell of jasmine in the air gently coming in through the cracked window as we get off the 5 freeway and into East LA. It's hazy and sun drunk in a totally cool girl, braless, giant orange sunglasses way.

Zuma 1975 was not as expected. The ocean notes had be assuming an aquatic extra fresh perfume. What I got was so much more. On paper the perfume smells fresh light and bright with aquatic features. As soon as Zuma came into contact with my skin the musky fog of ambrette and jasmine took over. Cloudy thick and somewhat sweet in the first few minutes it is almost overwhelming. Then the dry down hits and the ambrette mellows down. You’re left with an intoxicating mix of bergamot top notes with a warm cozy warm jasmine and spicy coriander. The dry down is my favorite part and I wish it lasted longer because I really love it. Need the travel spray to keep it going throughout the day as it sadly dissipates rather quickly.

This has very quickly become one of my favorite scents of all time. It’s an aromatic, citrusy jasmine, but still super fresh. It just makes me smile. Reminds me of the years I spent growing up on the beach, walking home after a late night beach bonfire, or walking along the boardwalk with my mom who always wore a jasmine perfume, or just laying in the sand watching the sunrise over the water. I was not around in 1975, but this fragrance gives me nostalgia anyway. It’s delicate yet still has lasting power. I like to throw a spray in my hair too, so I can feel enveloped in it, and that always seems to get a compliment. I do agree that body chemistry influences this one a lot, but if it works it really works.

Almost don't want to review TWM because I wanna keep it a little secret forever XD especially this fragrance. The opening is chemical to me in a most pleasing way, I think it may be the blend of coriander with ocean waves and an aromatic quality. They mix to make a kind of chemical, shower gel kind of scent. It settles into a soft, warm, beachy skin scent. It's like taking a shower when you wake up, laying out on the beach for an hour, then putting on soft cotton or linens and relaxing in a cool room. It is a pleasant, natural human musk. Smells absolutely effortless. Gorgeous summer day scent. A bit expensive and is fairly intimate, my only qualms.

I literally made an account just to review this perfume. It smells exactly the way I expect the scene of every Slim Aarons photo did behind the lens. It's dirty and unrefined in the best way possible. It smells lived in and warm and salty and deep, like *** on the beach. It smells like waking up hungover in a room with the windows open and the sea breeze wafting in. I can't speak to how it may read on other body chemistries, but for me it smells the way I wish I did without fragrance on. I guess I'll just have to keep buying it forever ;)

the perfect summer scent. not too heavy, just the perfect kind of come-closer seductive. the smell of a shirt discarded on a beach towel, the 70s california cool girl, the sun going down on the ocean, everything golden. not too woody or floral, more of a sun-warmed leather. works so well when you're a little bit sweaty, maybe a little bit of sunscreen, the perfect scent for dinner after a day at the beach or the lake or just sitting on your porch in the sun. lingers intimately on clothes and hair.

Zuma, 1975 will forever be part of my summer rotation. It's salted, it's airy, a little bit spicy, and a whole lot of beauty. Like everything from Thin Wild Mercury, it's powerful, long lasting, and takes me some place beyond scent. In this case, Zuma reminds me of a dream summer on the beach about a memory I don't actually have, from a photograph that doesn't exist of my romanticized vision of beach life in the 70s.

I’m so in love with this perfume, it’s my favorite of all the TWM perfumes (and I originally was obsessed with Laurel Canyon). I love aromatic scents and this smells exactly like a drive through Sausalito, next to the Golden Gate National Park: salty, fresh, spicy, wet in the best way possible. It actually reminds me a lot of eucalyptus trees after heavy rain, so if you’re into that this is going to be perfect :-)

I don't usually enjoy jasmine perfumes so this one really surprised me. I didn't love it straight away, but it was putting on clothes the next day that still smelled of it that really won me over. The musk and citrus balance out the jasmine very well. I also like to spray it in my hair, I find it has better sillage that way. I voted it as a summer perfume, but honestly, I wear it year round.

This perfume is going to be a hit or miss for a lot people. I fall into the ‘hit’ category, because I love this smell on my skin. It has a uniquely summer vibe to it but not over powering. The jasmine is there but not overpowering and the saltiness is there without taking away from the jasmine. It’s not for everyone, but those want to try something different I recommend.

this artist seems to have one scent in each collection that surprises me, in the LA collection it was Zuma. when I ran out of the Whisky sample, this one became my next reach. excellent summer scent. it’s fresh without being preppy or boring. i wore Hollister perfumes in high school, and this feels like the grown up, hippy version of that.

This is the scent that I keep going back to. It’s a bottle that I have repurchased thrice now for summer. It lingers all day- truly transports you to a beach in the 1970s. To me it smells like the boardwalk / beatniks who bathe in the ocean and drink tequila sodas with lime. An awesome perspective of the era

Incredible. I was so surprised when I smelled this one — it’s unisex and fresh. When I bought it, I was scared it was going to smell like Beach Walk. Reminds me of a greener Bergamot 22 by Le Labo mixed with Coriander from DS & Durga.

this fragrance feels like the sunset on the beach after a long day of swimming. its very herbal and i didn’t think i would like the coriander note but it somehow works. my mom hates the perfume but im obsessed with it

Candy in Spring Breakers is wearing this. Girls in bikinis and balaclavas. Licking salty skin after a swim in the ocean. I'm obsessed after one spray.

Green grassy bergamot and salty pert finish, more desert than beach.

Im moving to a beach front home in California for this fragrance.

One of my favourite places anywhere is The Strand in Manhattan Beach, California. It’s this 2 mile long stretch along the Pacific Ocean, lined with a mix of beautiful modern and historic beach homes and gorgeous light sand beaches. Its iconic blue lifeguard towers stand against the horizon that scream for photo ops especially during golden hour. This stretch of walkway is lined with star jasmine which perfumes the ocean air with sweet white floral that blends so perfectly with the salty marine scent of the Pacific. Near the end of the walk is the Manhattan Beach Pier which cuts into the horizon with the roundhouse aquarium at the end. Any time of year you can see this pier bustling with families on their Sunday morning rituals, or lovers hand in hand after a romantic dinner. I fell in love along this strand. My husband brought me here right after I landed in Los Angeles for the first time and where he asked me to be his girlfriend almost 12 years ago. Whenever I need to clear my mind, set intentions, or reset my system, I make my way to this spot to realign myself back to who I am. Zuma, 1975 by Thin Wild Mercury is inspired by the Malibu coast along this same ocean and reminds me so much of my special little piece of home. Zuma is a bright, sparkly, citrus aquatic scent with beautiful white floral and fresh spicy green notes. The addition of the vetiver and coriander makes this something so much more elevated than other citrus aquatics reminiscent of Light Blue. Its Jasmine and marine notes are iconic and easily loved. Sandalwood and ambrette really soften this scent so as it dries down it becomes a beautiful personal fragrance. As I’ve explored more fragrances I’m continually surprised by how much I end up enjoying citrus aquatics scents. Zuma is gorgeous and definitely something I can see myself purchasing as a summer scent that I could wear to my lovely walks at The Strand. If you love Light Blue and are looking for something more elevated or different, I would encourage you to give Zuma a try.

This used to be my signature perfume, along with Laurel Canyon 1966. After having worn Zuma 1975 for almost five years, I feel compelled to mention how wildly inconsistent some of these batches are. You can get one that smells exactly how it’s supposed to, and then you can strike out the next couple of times by getting one of the vetiver-heavy vegetal ones (as described in some of the reviews below), with no bergamot, no jasmine, no marine notes. When I first reached out to the perfumer regarding this, she admitted having accidentally mixed two different fragrances together (Chateau + Zuma). Took her four months to send me a replacement. The second time this happened I got no response. This unfortunately reflects poorly on Thin Wild Mercury’s quality control. I can’t justify buying another bottle from this perfumer because of the inconsistencies at this price point.

A simple summery scent, but nothing outstanding or particularly nuanced here for me in terms of a seaside perfume. The jasmine is prominent, but the notes make it more powdery than overtly indulgent or heavy. With most jasmine scents, I get a deep, buttercup-yellow sort of smell, and this perfume was more a dusty blue. With all of the TWM scents, I'm really picking up on the base notes, and here, the ambrette does stand out. (I think it's why some reviewers are getting Glossier "You" vibes, which I have heard compared to another ambrette scent I like — Naked by The Maker.)

Synthetic green blast on the open and hastily evolves into that marine essence, which is what I love so much about this. The jasmine plays with it so wonderfully. Salty woods. Dry down is simple. Sprayed this on my wrist 7 hours ago and it's still hangin' on. I enjoy it, but it's such a specific fragrance and I feel like it doesn't suit me. This is the signature scent of an extreme cool girl. Like, way way way cooler than I am. I would love to smell this in public. If anyone has a recommendation for a marine + jasmine scent, I would looove to know.

What I imagine road-tripping around California with surfboards in the back of a van smelled like in the 70s. Definitely a beachy, laid back scent but without being predictable or too easily identifiable. I get the bergamot and coriander at first, and then on the dry down primarily ocean waves and sandalwood. Wears close to the skin for its entirety, got about 6 hrs of wear from this.

I LOVE this one - it was really hard choosing between this and Chateau for a full-size. This one just smells like summer to me- the bergamot and sea saltiness works well together - it's unlike anything I've ever smelled. The ambergris dry down just makes me want to spend all day at a beach, and I HATE the beach, haha.

SO jealous of the people whose skin is able to hold onto this fragrance! I love it so much but it disappeared within about 3 hours which I'm so sad about because it smells SO MUCH like an antique store in the best way possible! Very powdery, dusty, and floral. I do not get the beach smell people are talking about.

seaside breeze with an airiness and a juiciness that offers it a special quenched feeling. forward, yet comforting. it is certainly a water scent, but with such specifically scenic ambient accords that it smells like a vaguely familiar memory. beautiful.

The taste of the salt on the rim of your margarita. The lingering smokiness of mezcal. Grains of sand on your tongue. Wet driftwood. Beach in a bottle, in a very photorealistic way.

the cool girl beach scent. i picture riding down PCH in a convertible with the top down, wearing the biggest black sunglasses, cigarette in hand, and blasting some tom petty.

Brady from Teen Beach Movie probably smells like this

Interesting summery scent. Not for everyone. The coriander is overpowering in the beginning. Then the bergamot and ocean water arrive a minute later. It’s not unpleasant, per say, but it’s a little weird? I think the “ocean waves” smell is throwing me off a bit. I don't get much jasmine really, which is very disappointing. There’s also a hint of vinegar? I think it's the salt and citrus. It does sort of smell like warm skin after a day at the beach. It’s definitely an interesting, unconventional but pleasant beach scent. If you like whatever a "beachy atmospheric skin scent" sounds like then this might work for you.

I've been meaning to review TWM's LA collection for a while now. I bought the set specifically for Zuma. Unfortunately it is not my favorite in the line up and I don't reach for it very often. It's a fairly straight forward and consistent with spicy green citrus. It mellows out and warms after a while on the skin. I don't find it to be a particularly fresh citrus. In fact it feels a bit boozy to me. Like a strong and cheap cocktail. There is something floral in Zuma but it's not fully bloomed or particularly sweet. If you're looking for a radiant green citrus and have a decent perfume budget it's worth a shot.

Zuma, 1975 smells dusty. Like a dusty armoire in a run-down hotel on the hills of Malibu that is slowly fading away into the nature that surrounds it, and you can smell the fires in the distance. This is an extremely strong, masculine-leaning spicy/fresh fragrance. Although this evokes a wonderfully realistic scene, it is not wearable for me, as these masculine and heavy notes aren't balanced by anything- I would love this with some vanilla or musk. However, the experience of smelling this is interesting, so I would recommend a sample of this to try.

Zuma 1975 opens bright and sparkly with citrus, white florals, and fresh notes. While it lacks prominent ozonic or mineral qualities, and the coriander is less assertive than I expected, I enjoy the uplifting, soothing, and slightly powdery opening more than the dry down. As it settles, it transforms into a warm skin-musk that is pleasant but not very memorable. Overall, it's a safe, easy, clean, and polite fragrance, perfect for warm weather, and on my skin disappeared after 2 hours

I was looking forward to sampling this perfume so much. From the description of the notes, I thought it would smell divine. Sadly, to me it smells like a bathroom at the beach. Is this what an “indolic” scent is? I would also describe it as beach BO, kind of like you’ve gone for a nice swim and have been sitting out in the sun without deodorant. There is definitely a dirty, “feral” quality. If you’re into challenging scents that smell raw and dirty, this is for you.

This is my least favorite from the line. However, it is a beautiful scent for those that like an aromatic breezy and salty fragrance. This is like being at the beach, having sun-kissed skin with messy beach hair, salty beach water and sand all over you. I can absolutely appreciate it for what is.

I got this perfume as a set of four samples all by thin wild mercury. It was the one I was looking forward to the most but the one I ended up liking the least. It gives me very much a bathroom scent. I can see it maybe being better layered with another scent, but it just wasn't my favorite

Beautiful opening; however I am not the biggest fan of the dry-down. I do not hate it, though; it's fresh and unique, and I reach for it a lot during warmer weather. Makes me really nostalgic too.

I just got the sample set from this brand. I was wondering how one fragrance could remind people of Cowboy Grass (basically a herbal landscape purfume, heavy on wild sage and thyme), Fat Electrician (a gourmand-esque nutty vetiver), and Selperniku (a strange but enjoyable, overly lactonic, salty spiced milk scent) I get some of the sage vibe from cowboy grass (it’s much more focused and transportative in cowboy grass), but outside of that, this mostly just turns kind of sour and off-putting on my skin. It must be a skin chemistry issue, as others have reported. I can’t even really figure out any notes, I wish my review could be more helpful. I expected to like this one a bit based on scent profile, I wish I could smell was some others undoubtedly are.

I do not like this. I’m sorry. The other 3 fragrances in this line are miles above this one for me. This could have been the perfect, beautiful salty summer scent. Instead it smells really strong like lemon Lysol wipes and grass. :/ It kind of reminds me of Santal 33, and I hate Santal 33. I heard somewhere that Santal 33 uses Australian sandalwood instead of Indian sandalwood, and that’s why it’s such a divisive perfume. (I believe normally Indian sandalwood is used in perfumery.) I highly suspect that Zuma uses Australian sandalwood, too, and that’s the similarity I’m getting. I do not recommend this perfume. Give the other 3 a try for sure, though. Laurel Canyon is an EXPERIENCE and I love it.

Oh, really not nice unfortunately. Smells like squeaky clean school shoes made of cheap leather and a plastic sole. Maybe some cleaning products in the background. Incredibly sharp. We all had to scrub our wrists after trying. Maybe my sample was bad?

Was excited about this one, but as someone who grew up at the beach in SoCal, this really doesn’t smell like the beach area, IMO.

I like the shot of bitter citrus, almost a grapefruit, at the end, but that's about it. Just too dry and one dimensional.

Bleh. This smells like celery juice to me! Quite disappointed as i absolutely adore everything else from this house :(

Not for me. Astringent and masculine beach cologne, like walking past an Abercrombie store in the 2000s.