Bat

Bat, as anybody who's reading this probably knows, was constructed as an interpretation of a bat cave, complete with damp stone walls, dark musty corners, and bat-food--deposits of tropical fruits the furry little creatures can feast on as they hang upside down and do bat stuff. And Zoologist nailed it. Or more specifically, Ellen Covey, perfumer and avid bat enthusiast, nailed it. The first thing you'll notice about Bat is that it smells different. The opening is almost cold in its effect--immediately conjuring mineralic properties of stones and earth. It feels damp and has a sort of mustiness about it that contributes to the dark, cave-like atmosphere that's established. This seems mostly achieved by a very earthy, rooty vetiver. But this isn't a dreary, foreboding cave; there are signs of brighter things ahead. Namely, a kind of general tropical fruit (papaya, guanabana, etc.) that starts to appear shortly after the opening. The fruit is ripe and fresh, but as indicated in the pyramid above, it's soft. It's not sharp. It doesn't jump out and bite you or reach into a very high register. In fact, as the fruit develops it takes on the smell of bananas, which blend surprisingly well with the earthy vetiver of the cave. Still, this would not work without the final element in place--the bats! A very warm musk develops in the base, almost seamlessly, and it holds everything in a very comfortable embrace. This "furry musk" as described by the perfumer does indeed have a warm, living sort of quality. But it's not animalic in the typical sense of the term. It lacks any kind of objectionable stink--civet, castoreum, cumin--they're not here. Instead it's just a very warm, soothing musk that takes any impersonal element from the cave and draws it in to a more comfortable space. This is the perfect conclusion to a very dynamic and interesting perfume. While the development of bat is certainly interesting, and really flawless as far as its transitions and stages, it's also important to note the quality of the perfume itself. It is completely void of any harsh synthetic elements. The vetiver is raw and real, as if uprooted from the soil and the fruit has a soft, natural sort of glow. The musk is fantastic, exuding an incredible warmth and depth, melding with the skin just as it should. It feels as though it was made with very carefully chosen, high quality ingredients, and an eye toward avoiding a synthetic edge which would pull it out of character. As far as its performance is concerned, I would give Bat a 10/10. It projects very strongly for the first couple of hours (you really have to watch how heavy you go). And even after it settles in, it still projects with significant intensity. Regarding its longevity, Bat lasts over 10 hours. In conclusion, this is an excellent fragrance as it's not only unique and made with quality ingredients, but it's also fun to wear. While you may need an open mind, and some affinity for the strange and different, Bat really isn't that difficult to pull off. If you can wear a true vetiver fragrance you can wear Bat. The same goes for those who can wear hardcore fruity scents, or unique stuff like Fahrenheit. As long as you don't over-apply it and choke everyone out, Bat should be an easy, enjoyable wear. Thumbs up! with a 9/10 rating.

I actually love this fragrance! I can't believe how much I love this. So, let me take a whack at reviewing it! At first dab/spray, I get loads and loads of dirt mixed with fruits--again largely dirt though and it's moist dirt; it is as if you're digging in your garden after a light spring rain. I freaking love this. This is what I wanted from Demeter Fragrances Dirt (minus the rest of the notes obviously). So, what am I trying to say? This is a more realistic dirt than Demeter's Dirt. I only get this kind of smell from Demeter if I mist it at a distance on myself. Oh, I love the smell of wet dirt! On the other hand, the partner hates it. So, I will never wear this around him. PS I got no banana... As this sits on my skin I get a push of fruits, surprisingly it matched the middle notes I read about afterward. I smelled fig and random tropical fruits. I really smell pineapple most distinctly of the tropical fruits--the pineapple juice from that Dole can. It's concentrated, sticky and pungent. I still smell the essence of dirt-- but it's coming from the myrrh. The incense smell gets stronger and the fruits fade in and out. I can't say I smell anything green distinctly but I'm sure it's lending to the persistent wet dirt/wet stone smell I am perceiving. At the end, I am mostly getting vetiver, sandalwood and an indescribable sweetness. It's soft, subtle sweet. It's warm, yet cool. The only way I can describe it is like this: It's like you're in a cool environment, cool enough that your hands and fingers are cold to the touch and you're holding a small mammal in the palm of your hand, like a mouse, creating a very distinct, concentrated--yet subtle-- pocket of warmth on your generally cool hand. This is definitely not for everyone and not for tight public spaces BUT this is wearable. It's daring. It's so freaking realistic. It's such an experience. It's definitely a must-try. I'd honestly wear this in wide open spaces, especially hiking so as not bother those around me. Warning: This might be a stomach turner for some people out there. Don't deeply inhale this, especially on an empty stomach. ;)

This is an extremely interesting fragrance created to smell like the environment, food, and body of a bat. Zoologist - a very fascinating niche perfume house from Toronto - does not aim to capture just an animal's own scent, but the scents of its environment and diet as well. Thus, Bat is composed of "soft fruits, damp earth and minerals." It was developed by Dr. Ellen Covey, the owner/perfumer at the indie house Olympic Orchids, and herself a professor at the University of Washington who studied bat biology for years. Covey wanted Bat to smell like "the cool, earthy, damp limestone cave where the bats live, the fruit that they eat, and the clean, musky smell of their fur." She succeeded with me and apparently others, too; Bat won the Independent Category of the 2016 Art and Olfaction Awards. As for the scent, it is extremely spot-on to the description. It smells literally like wet earth, and is full of the geosmin chemical (the same chemical that causes the scent of 'petrichor' - the after rain smell of wet soil). The only thing this is comparable to is CB I Hate Perfume's Black March, which also has a large wet soil scent (but is far more fleeting than Bat). On the drydown, I somewhat smell the tropical fruits (mainly banana) but the wet soil scent remains throughout. It really smells like you're smelling a cave! I for one am obsessed by this sort of scent, so this is one of the best fragrances I've literally ever smelled. Sillage and projection are also both through the roof, lasting over 10 hours with just 1 spray (especially as it's an extrait de parfum). This is honestly a masterpiece of perfumery, and unparalleled as far as dark green earth scents go. 5/5

Polarizing for sure. Is it wearable? Yes. Would I wear it? No, but only because I feel this is a dark night scent to be paired with a long tight black dress for the ultra contemporary femme fatale or the mysterious guy in the corner. At the moment I'm not either of these people. Not everyone can wear this. Unless you go wine tasting in an old wine cellar...in this case you would be the sweetest fruit in the room. I tryed Bat last...well I actually got to try the NEW Camel last :)/love it! Anyway...I was super affraid that I would dislike Bat, but I had a blast using my sample. It is earthy, damp, cave like, BUT also tropical sweet fruity leathery scent. There is something very fun and pleasing about bat, you become a bat for a day while wearing this. A peculiar creature that possess incredible powers, feasts on ripe succulent fruit, navigates on echolocation, sleeps upside down and masters the night and it's dark caverns... I got quite mixed reactions to this fragrance of course... My husband was horrified, some friends were intrigued, some dazzled... Sure thing is you will not get unnoticed. Longevity was very good, but it does dissapear after 6-7hours on my skin. Silage heavy the first hour, than moderate. I would say perfect. Many people could smell this from far away anyway... If you like earthy fragrances you should be fine with this. Definetely worth a sample. Maybe you fall in love, if nothing else you will get a hell out of an experience. Tested from an original sample bought from Zoologist.

Bravo! Wow, stunning... Okay, here's the thing. Back in the adventurous college days in Cuba, me and a bunch of friends used to go in the wilderness, explore and sleep in caves packed with bat colonies, in the middle of nowhere. Those where incredible years, unforgettable... When I first read about this particular fragrance I was so intrigued, I wanted it to take me back to those those times... Well, It did. This is probably the most creative perfume I have ever smelled. I understand 100% those who don't apreciate it because it is definitively not for everybody, this is for those who see perfumery as a form of art, which to me it is. And/or those who are very familiar with the more complex smells of nature, which I adore. And finally those who are daring, adventurous, with enough confidence to bypass people's puzzling opinions about the smell... Fun! The damped dirt note is predominant at every single stage, but there is a lot more going on. There are some fruits, green notes, there are musks... woods?!... all of it easily detectable to my nose, each one making appearance at the exact needed time. But we barely leave the cave, if anything just a short fly around the fruit trees. I will be wearing this one quite a bit in the coming weeks and I hope that the sample will be sufficient to make me love it enough to invest in a full bottle (something tells me it will) Definitively worth to smell, caution do not blind buy. No matter what you expect this will catch you out of guard, trust me. Enjoy!