Dodo Edition 2020

I purchased a sample of this recently along with Bat (2020) and Musk Deer, expecting Musk Deer to be my favorite. Instead, Dodo 2 is the stand-out. My first sniff of a spray on some cotton gave me a rush that only a few other fragrances ever have – something truly joyous and vibrant. The pineapple, sage, cardamom and cumin are all vivid and natural-smelling, almost like you are burying your face into a huge bowl of a strange salad, crisp and inviting. Once it was on my skin, I found that different facets of Dodo 2 waxed and ebbed throughout the day, so that one moment I smelt all the tropicality of the fruit notes, then a bit later would smell the oak and cumin in a pungent and somewhat masculine mélange. The performance was, for me, just right: respectable-but-not-overpowering sillage and presence, with around 10 hours of projection and a longer intimate drydown. I was concerned that the fruit notes would be too sweet for me, but they are well-balanced and blent with the aromatics and base. Still, I think the fruitiness is what might keep me from wanting to own a full bottle, since it doesn't often suit my mood. I see that the cumin note is controversial – I personally love it, and I think it adds an edge of grunginess that suits a Zoologist release. I think this may be the new masterpiece of the Zoologist line, up there with Camel and T. Rex for me. The previous formulation was artistic and challenging, but not something I wanted to _wear_, or even smell for more than an hour or two. Wearing Dodo 2 is like taking vacation.

It's not beautiful, it's an experience. On my skin: At first it smelled like someone spilled their drink on me, a honey vermouth-y gin based cocktail. There's a real funk to this scent that is reminiscent of my B.O. and a competent floral scented deodorant battling each other to the death on a crowded dance floor. The funk is elevated with the scent of pine needles and sap. (maybe that's the rosemary?) Cheap body spray like Axe with surprisingly sophisticated notes of deep purple florals and overripe tropical fruits blend everything together. This scent on my skin smells like a hot drunk mess in the best kind of way; sugary shots dribbling down my chin mixing with the salt on my skin, hooking up in filthy bathroom stalls, making out on the dance floor, sweaty bodies grinding against each other in dark spaces filled with loud music. A sudden sobering burst of baby power erupts like the lights turning on when the club closes or the sunrise after a night of dancing and debauchery. The morning after is filled with hazy visions of the night before. There's no time to shower, the fresh application of a powdery deodorant harmonizes with last night's flesh frenzy. I search for my shoes, keys, gather whatever is left of my dignity and stumble my way home, dehydrated but happy. Would I wear this scent in public? Probably not. It would be too polarizing, possibly offensive. Would I forever keep a sample or a small bottle to relive my 20s? Hell yeah! It's memories in a bottle and I love it.

Ah! Dodo, my last Zoologist acquisition; the least liked and most polarizing scent of this (my) favorite house. On my skin Dodo begins with green fresh notes that quickly fade into the smell of perspiration, but pleasant perspiration, like clean sweat (the kind you get just after a shower in the middle of a Summer heat wave, or after sex sweat). This "sweat" is, however, more akin to overripe fruit (pineapple), ripe to the point of rotting (which I can only perceive when I put my nose to my skin, and not in the air). A very intriguing scent. Like a salty overripe fruit salad, strange but weirdly addictive. On my skin, this funky period lasts about 45 minutes. I don't think it smells horrible; it smells unusual but interesting, and I certainly don't get cat urine. The dry down is really interesting, as Dodo transforms into a refined and dense scent without the funky part, and it smells very good: fruity-resinous, peppery, spicy, woody, earthy, animalic, green. This is not a beast mode fragrance, and on my skin projection is moderate for about 2 hours, and then becomes a personal bubble. Longevity is around 8 hours. I really like this Dodo, Zoologist never disappoints (at least not me). As always, try before you buy, and in this particular case, let it reach the dry down.

Love this! Dodo(2020 version) is my second favorite Zoologist! (Civet the top) The black currant buds in this is so delicious realistic and mixes great with the cumin. Very different and I just can ́t stop sniffing the cap on my sample, addicting! For me saying these ammoniac blackcurrant buds smells something like ammoniac catpiss is like saying that rotten bananas tastes like strawberry ice cream just because both tastes kinda sweet and fruity. But I guess I am good at differentiating black currant smells as I have picked those berries my entire childhood and it is one of my favorite notes in perfumes. Might end up with a full bottle of this in the future, but right now I am passing for three reasons. 1 Many seems to really hate this so maybe I can only wear it at home alone. 2. I love how this smells but I feel for the price of this the scent seems a bit simple and not as complex as I would like. 3. I already have a wonderful blackcurrant scent. Omanluxurys Wanderlust is all about blackcurrant. But more the leafs than the buds and mixed with olibanum instead of cumin. And not just me, but also others seems to love that one(after the sharp opening)

I'm reading that this perfume was discontinued recently which is a shame because it's the most interesting and compelling sample I've tried from Zoologist yet. Just my luck, everything weird that I like goes away.... This opens with the rosemary, bergamot, and clary sage setting the scene for a masculine scent, but then opens into a glorious chorus of RIPE juicy tropical fruit as soon as it hits warm skin. It continues to evolve: giving way to hints of musk, spicy herbs, and slight woody notes. I did not experience the 'cat-piss' notes that others complained about, and I am very glad for that. I think some people complaining about sulfur notes aren't remembering that the ripest tropical fruits have a definite 'funk' to them, and that just adds character and depth to the scent imho. Definitely a warm-weather scent, the more humid out the better. Feels like crunching through steamy tropical undergrowth.

Zoologist seem to create scents that have a challenging opening that transforms into something pleasant in the dry down. Dodo is strange yet familiar. The opening blast of Dodo is incredibly sharp and screechy. Perhaps to evoke the cry of the bird? It is high pitched and jolting; so loud that it might work as an alarm to wake you up. The screechiness of the blackcurrant is further amplified by the cumin note which gives the scent a sweaty, pissy quality. I believe these two notes are the most prominent, and somehow manages to create an animalic composition with just vegetal notes? It stays cranked up for a long time and eventually settles into an Aventus like fruity pineapple-y green cologne. You could say it smells ‘lived-in’. Less is more with a scent like Dodo. I think those who like classical animalic fougere like Kouros would probably find this easier to approach than most.

The opening smells like Black currant. No really.. exactly like fresh black currant that is currently growing in a garden. Me personally? I love it. Reminds me of how they used to smell in my grandmas garden. I don't smell any urine or B.O. just black currant. After roughly three hours I can't smell anything on myself, but the people around me told me I smelled grassy, nature like in a good way. Very addictive opening that quickly fades unfortunately, making it a light scent for the summer. This one you really wear for yourself and not for others

Saw mention that this beauty may be getting discontinued, so I immediately went to their website and snatched one up. This is a very challenging fragrance, so it certainly won't be everyone's cup of tea. Personally, I get a thrill from what a fascinating sensory experience it is. I've seen people who like to compare perfumes to works of fine art: I would say that Dodo's fine art counterpart is Da Vinci's Study of Five Grotesque Heads. It is not pretty... yet somehow it is beautiful in its grotesqueness. That is incredible art.

I love it but it took a while. Hyper masculine fern smell. It feels and smells like a Fouger done the (old) Zoologist way. I get the BO complains, got me in the beginning BUT once I got over it i finally started LOVEING IT. Ripe fruit, Green ferns, Hyper masculine smell, 10h on my skin and room filling projection the first hour. I don’t really wear it, cus my gf HATES this with a passion but i always smell it, at least once a day. Try smelling it without thinking of BO, you are gonna LOVE THIS ONE!!!!

The opening to this is a weapon. A urinous, sweaty, and vegetal weapon against any who would dare come within a 5 foot radius. It reminds me of weedeating in the hot sun for hours on end--past the point of dehydration, and then hitting up a public men's restroom with no AC. I love this and I hate it. It's so stinky, so unique, so green, and so... unpleasant. Yet I still love it. Eventually it calms down and I get a lovely, fruity lavender. What a trip.

I was so scared to try this because of the previous reviews. Once, I tried it, I was faced with pineapple. Pineapple is the number one note I smell. I set a timer waiting for the dreaded "cat pee" smell. However, it never arrived. I absolutely do not smell cat pee with this scent. I sprayed my husband and waited for it. It never arrived on him. This is a beautiful scent to MY nose.

I bought a 65% full bottle off of someone because I love zoologist and I heard this was really bad so I was curious (blind bought it) and it just came in so here are my thoughts (tester strip only. I’ll test on skin and come back to give a proper review). The opening is beautifully herbal and fruity. But not those synthetic nose-stinging fruits, it smells like authentic ripe fruit right from a tree. It’s a little peppery and very aromatic, but not animalic or challenging at all (to MY nose.) the cumin is not nearly as pronounced or as “bad” as people say it is. To be honest, this smells like if someone went on a short walk in humid weather with a lot of Old Spice Fiji deodorant on. In fact, it kind of just smells like old spice Fiji, just higher quality and more interesting with that added cumin and aromatics. Maybe it will smell a lot more armpit-y on my skin, but right now this is actually one of my favorite zoologists. Edit: I’ve had it on skin for a while, and here are my thoughts; the cumin is more prominent on skin, but it doesn’t smell like a sweaty armpit like people are saying. It really does have an armpit vibe, but it’s like the smell of a half-used old spice Fiji deodorant. (Yes, specifically that deodorant) So dodo smells like juicy pineapple, aromatic ferns, and a spicy cumin. Not animalic, not stinky to my nose, not nearly as challenging as something like T-Rex, Bee, Hyrax, or moth. This is completely wearable to me. However, I am both cursed and Lucky. It seems I’m one of few to enjoy this scent, but I asked my mom and my brother what they thought it smelled like, and both said armpits (seperate rooms, seperate times, so it wasn’t coordinated.) therefore, I won’t be able to wear this in public because I don’t want other people to think I’m dirty 😂 anyways, personal rating is an 8.4/10 for smell, and 9/10 for creativity. Mass appeal is a 2/10. My final rating is ~8.85/10

This one is a stinker. But in a good way!... Well, I suppose that’s all relative isn’t it. The opening is bracingly hesperidic and green woody from ample doses of bergamot and petitgrain. Green herbal elements and pepper immediately join the almost obnoxiously bright opening before cumin comes in like cannon fire. This is a big cumin note, and it is not shy with its oily, salty, and funky characteristics. In combination with touches of sweetness from the fruit and the nose-tingling pepper... yes, it does come across as quite body-odor/salty-sweaty like. Or, like a really, really swampy vetiver. I have no problem believing that this is a bit tough for some to handle, but I didn’t have a problem with it. There are enough green, fruit, and woody components at work that the sum is greater than any one individual part. In finality we get a pretty standard fougere, which is about the only thing I would say is a letdown for Dodo. It’s well done with plenty of green patchouli, mosses, and musk; clean and easily wearable in a classic masculine sense, but it’s certainly lackluster compared to what was driving the perfume prior to the dry down. All in all, Dodo is a solid perfume that ventures a bit into left field for something a bit daring but not uncomfortable or overly challenging. I haven’t a clue what this has to do with the dodo bird. What a weird animal, with a tragic extinction story, to choose for inspiration for what is actually a fairly commonplace and un-tragic perfume.

Tropical funk! The original Dodo was one of the only OG Zoologists too challenging to wear, along with Hyrax. Where Hyrax is fecal-by-design, Dodo brought the urine. So I sprayed this new one on with that adrenaline-filled, fighting-your-own-instincts feeling you have when talking yourself into eating something strange ... like you finally got a seat at that Michelin-starred restaurant and the first thing they serve you is pigeon-kidney pie. And then a moment of panic, as the tangy-sour blend hit my nose and I just knew I’d be sobbing in the shower trying to wash off all that urine again while promising myself this was really the last time I’d do this to myself, for real this time. But then it resolves into less challenging notes and the panic subsides - tart petitgrain atop overripe tropical fruit and just a hint of the earthy jungle floor. It reminds me of the “tropical-flavoured” antibiotic liquid I had to force down as a kid. There’s something attractive about this jungle funk. I feel like I’d wear it with a “weirdest guy at the tropical resort” kinda energy. And that is, admittedly, sometimes my vibe. Perfect soundtrack: Mike Cooper’s Rayon Hula.

Update: My prior review hasn’t changed, but seeing the reactions from my friends and family has told me that this is not a perfume to wear anywhere. I wear it when I’m alone and just chilling, but anywhere else will offend people. I still love it though

Yeah there’s a lot of cumin here. I get what some people say that it reminds them of sweat. That’s a very nice smell but quite unwearable because lots of people will think you’re sweaty :D So. Great to test and sniff, not gonna buy

this smells like basil and durian... sometimes I like it and sometimes I don't but it's definitely interesting

Some of these reviews are absolutely hilarious to read, and could be quite off-putting to anyone considering trying this. Be that as it may, I got myself a sample and I'm here to document my experience. There's a lot of dis-hype about this scent, so I'll try my best to offer a balanced perspective here. Upon spraying this on paper, I was fully prepared for it to smell like a compost bin full of fruit scraps based upon the reviews. Thankfully, it did not. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to get a lot more greenness than anticipated with something dry and peppery bringing freshness to the party. It honestly smelled like a fresh and clean green soap, quite masculine but not offensive by any means. After some time it settled down into a what you'd typically expect from a masculine green scent, without coming across too "old man" as Polo Green. I sprayed it on my skin the next day and things got interesting. The weather is quite cool here, so keep in mind that I would expect this review to change if you live somewhere more hot and humid-- I'm curious to repeat this test in summer. Something about my chemistry pulled out a LOT more of the earthy, smoky and woody flavours of the fragrance which transformed it into some much more dark and grassy compared to the fresh greenie I had experienced on paper. There's a note of wet hay in there somewhere. Honestly, it's ok. It reminds me a lot of what Polo Green smelled like on my body, and I didn't really dig the vibe. That doesn't mean it's bad, but it's just not for me. Thankfully, I have made enough correct decisions in my life to have never experienced the stench of ripe cat piss. However, if I'm being honest and concentrate hard enough, I can understand how the flavours can mix together to make something slightly urinal cakey. Is it weird to say that I don't mind it though? Ultimately, if it had remained the fresh and brighter greenie that I got just on paper, then I think I honestly would have considered a bottle. However the dark masculine green scents just aren't my vibe. Because of this, I rate it just ok and wouldn't knock getting a sample for those curious.

Eating pineapple while sitting on a pile of sweaty gym bags next to a rosemary bush. I see what people mean when they say this smells like sweat or cat piss. When I go to the gym and I forget my towel I *have* to lay down on the bench press. A bench press with pleather that has everyone's congealed sweat :( When I shower at home afterwards I catch a really strong smell of it and have to scrub it off my back. This perfume somehow manages to capture that exact scent. On paper it's very similar to it and incredibly gross, though on my skin it that sweat note comes across as a weird funk (it smells more like cumin!). Over that grossness there's the really sweet, sour and sticky pineapple. After an hour the rosemary starts to creep up and it adds a lot this experience. I feel like the dimension it gives makes this perfume enjoyable as the opening by itself is incredibly one-note. After a few more hours the lavender comes in too and the funk becomes a nice subtle bitter note (I think this is the basil). This stage is my favorite in this perfume and I wish this is how it'd open. I can't see anyone justifying wearing this for 2-3 hours to get to the "good part" for outerwear, and smelling it doesn't evoke any feelings or memories in me so I can't really see why anyone would wanna buy this. That being said I don't find it as offensive as the majority of reviewers here. I wish they'd try it on skin before they judge!

I’ve been super apprehensive to try this one, based on reviews. It was a Saturday, and I headed into work for a supplemental shift, so I decided to gamble and take it for a spin. First impression was a big blast of cumin and patchouli--two of my least favorite notes in fragrances. While not a scrubber, it was far from the best first impression. Shortly after, I start to pick up on some muted pineapple, and a bit of an herbal accord (rosemary / sage), and the cumin softens considerably. Ohhhhh... black currant--you (often skanky) bastard. I can see why, particularly in this fragrance, you are often interpreted as being urine-like. Thankfully, that doesn’t last for long, and it softens back out. As it dries down, I get a mental image of Si Passione and TF’s Beau De Jour wrestling each other for dominance, and Beau De Jour wins. Because of its fougere resemblance, I’d say this leans a touch more masculine than truly unisex. Longevity was pretty good, detectable for a solid 8-9 hours. Projection was moderate for a little over half of the wearing, detectable at arms length for the first 4-5 hours. While not my favorite of the Zoologists, it was not nearly as bad as the ratings would have had me believe. Current Ranking: Beaver > Sloth > (Squid?) > Koala > Hummingbird > Elephant > Panda > Macaque (Yuzu) > Chameleon > Nightingale > Dodo