Chipmunk

The most recent release from Zoologist is Chipmunk, fittingly a nut-heavy composition that has woody, fruity, and slightly spicy/animalic accords, as well, fostering the habitat and diet of the rodent subject, looking sharply uniformed in the house’s signature artwork. It instantly feels pretty harmonious, with balance among the hazelnut and spices, most importantly, with just the touches of fruit (quince), and a sort of oaky feeling throughout, and I’m impressed at how restrained it is but that it involves some bold, interesting touches. It definitely has a very blended effect, without many of the individual spices and other notes being all that distinguishable, the hazelnut being the main standout, but relatively subtle when compared to, say, a note like coconut that would usually announce itself more loudly. Overall, though, Chipmunk is among the more understated offerings from the house, even with its wealth of interesting notes, yet it performs pretty well and feels niche and somehow off the beaten path, even though its main elements are familiar and comforting. Chipmunk is priced at the standard $165 for 60ml in extrait concentration and is sold by great boutiques like Perfumology, which sells samples, as well as the house site, which also sells a 10ml travel spray for $45. I’m quite impressed with this recent release. Congrats to Victor Wong and his team for another lovely addition to the house. I might have to nab a bottle. 8 out of 10

This is unlike any fall fragrance that I own. It's basically autumn in a bottle, but make it sweet... Adorable even. There are not that many sweet notes in this, but it still smells like very refined Nutella, due to the very prominent hazelnut note. I don't like a lot of gourmands, as they often can are sickly sweet or boozy, but this is all very well balanced, and not too edible leaning at all. It's also one of the best animal depictions by Zoologist- it smells exactly like the little chippy from the perfume bottle portrait. Pia Long understood the assignment. Despite Chipmunk being sweet and adorable, you don't need to fear wearing it if you're a man- it's a true unisex. There are no detectable florals in it, the dirty soil and animal notes feel very smooth and well blended, and there isn't anything about this fragrance that feels either masculine or feminine. It just feels cosy-brown, if that makes sense. Brown nuts, brown tree bark, brown soil, brown chippy. I can even see it being appealing to slightly more men than women. It's not a very long lasting fragrance, but I enjoy every hour of wearing it. Despite that, the woodsy and nutty notes feel very strong at the first spray, and they can be headache inducing in hot weather. I think it can be worn during all seasons except summer, but fall is ideal.

The “This perfume reminds me of” list is just bonkers, half of those smell nothing like this perfume... Chipmunk is fruity, woody, nutty and slightly resinous... nothing more, and nothing less. Zoologist animal interpretations are very interesting, and perfectly reminiscent of their corresponding animal moniker... not like other brands such as Jusbox, who forces absolutely absurd and random music names and references to their perfumes. Coming back to Chipmunk, it’s lovely, it’s cozy, it’s slightly sweet, it’s very interesting, but unfortunately it’s also very faint and intimate. There are a myriad of ingredients listed for this concoction, but as mentioned previously, what you’ll get is a sweet and zesty fruity scent, a very likable greenish wood accord, a lot of nuts, and some faint resin accord. Not a single ingredient is detectable on its own, all are perfectly well blended. The scent will transport you inside a Chipmunk’s den, no doubt about it. It’s unisex and better suited for cold or mild weather. Performance is really bad all around, and it’s a shame, basically scented water. Constant reapplying will be required. A very lovely parfum, I just hope someday Zoologist improves performance.

First of all, I'm glad to have found a reference point for a great woody-spicy perfume. It's been a while since I smelled a precious liquid so wonderfully dry, spicy, and woody—neither gourmand nor sweet, but somehow both at once. Since the release of Vanille Mona di Orio. Just as Mona's Vanille is a unique oriental-spicy, so the Chipmunk is a unique woody-spicy. Here is the non-existent Mr. Chipmunk from Fantastic Mr. Fox—golden-brown, wearing a velveteen tailored suit, living in a hollow in the woods with varnished furniture. This is how he should have smelled if he existed at all. In the dry down, it evokes the soft fur of a cute little animal. Important note: I didn't like it the first time, nor the fifth. Fortunately, my sample was large enough to go through different moods and adjust my expectations. It turned out to be not at all what I expected, but wonderful in a completely different way. I will definitely try to explore more of Pia Long's works, because Chipmunk was created by an incredibly talented person!

I got this more out of curiosity than anything else. I'm new to Zoologist perfumes and only liked Chameleon of the ones I sampled. I'd been looking for something more autumnal after wearing Atelier's Clémentine California most of the summer. I wasn't expecting much from Chipmunk because it sounded like it could be sickly or overbearing from the descriptions I read. I'm surprised and really happy with how it smells on my skin. The hazelnut is very subtle and more authentic compared to some sweeter hazelnut scents. It doesn't overpower the rest of the fragrance. There's a rich peppery spice and woodiness to this that's so atmospheric and comforting – with a nice hint of citrus at the top. It really feels like an autumn day to me. I like how it settles on my skin, too. (Then again, I love earthy/woody smells and patchouli.) I'm a lurker on this website and use it to help me decide on new fragrances, so I'm surprised to see some mixed reactions to Chipmunk. Glad I bought this on impulse.