Dragonfly

I was lucky enough to be able to get my hands on a sample of this bottle, the original Dragonfly (before it was discontinued and reformulated in 2021 to the current version). And I’m in love. *If anyone has a full or even a partial bottle of the ORIGINAL Dragonfly that they’re willing to sell, please contact me!* If you're reviewing the current Dragonfly that you recently purchased from the Zoologist website, then you're reviewing the wrong fragrance here, and you instead want the 2021 Dragonfly page. Both are nice in their separate ways, and it's a shame that Zoologist couldn't continue selling both the OG version and the current, slightly more masculine/unisex version (after all, two dragonflies are better than one - mating season, babyyyyy, amirite?!). Okay, with that out of the way, let’s fly on to the review of OG Dragonfly. The original Dragonfly shares similarities with the current 2021 version although they’re still different creatures entirely, and equally difficult to compare. They live on opposite sides of the pond, if you will. Whereas the current 2021 Dragonfly is more aquatic, ozonic, iridescent, and smells far more “green,” the OG Dragonfly is more moody, powdery, feminine, floral, and it smells exactly like what you’d imagine a light hazy purple would. I can particularly detect the notes of iris, lotus, heliotrope, cherry blossom, rice, and rain – except in my mind, it’s purple rain. 2021 Dragonfly shimmers and bounces across the pond during a bright afternoon. Meanwhile, OG Dragonfly broods in a quiet and elegant haze of melancholia amongst the reeds and the cattail plants, underneath a drizzling and violet purple sky at dusk. 2021 Dragonfly accurately conjures a pond or greenhouse, but OG Dragonfly isn't as photorealistic. Instead, OG Dragonfly conjures ethereal beauty: it’s a buzz-worthy, lilac-hued jewel. This OG Dragonfly smells like a priceless piece of impressionist art in a well-curated museum. Except the purple flowers in that painting are now oozing, melting and dripping off the canvas and onto the floor in a swirling, muddled, beautiful pastel mess. OG Dragonfly is ethereal and wistful – there’s something vintage about it that conjures an almost antique-like quality that vaguely reminds me of something from childhood, but which I can’t quite put my finger on. OG Dragonfly is more ineffable and indescribable than its current counterpart. I read that OG Dragonfly feels like a portal to another world, and there’s something oddly accurate about that. It has an unknown, surreal, and mystical quality that borders on otherworldly. While I enjoy both the original and the current 2021 version of Dragonfly, I think I need to give the edge to OG Dragonfly. In five words or less: Impressionist flowers oozing off paintings.

This is a lot less watery/aquatic and green than I thought it would be. On my skin Dragonfly is more a slightly powdery/dusty, milky and misty scent, a scent that makes me think of lavender coloured morning twilight. It's beautiful, but in a completely different way than I expected. The heliotrope note is very strong on my skin, and so is the rice. Together they make a smell that reminds me of soft, sweet floral almond milk - which I guess is what creates that misty atmosphere. And this nutty, milky floral smell lasts a really long time on me. To me this is more an intellectual and conceptual scent than an actual replica of a place/a landscape. Dragonfly contains notes that creates images in my mind, images of an early morning by a pond or a lake, the light is dim and cool, there is a mist floating just above the water and in between the trees - but the scent doesn't smell photorealistically like dewy grass, woods and actual water. It smells more like a time of day (morning), a light phenomenon (twilight), a colour (cool lavender) and a weather phenomenon (mist) - and all these things together makes the mind create a picture of a landscape that matches the place dragonflies hatch and live. It's genious and a real work of art. The scent is soft, calming and sensual in a very innocent and charming way. It smells very harmonious and tranquil. Towards the drydown the milky, misty almond notes and the floral part of the scent takes a step back and leaves room for a very pleasant vanilla (it's probably a part of that amber accord). Sillage is medium to strong, and longevity is very good. On my skin this lasts 8-10 hours. I want a bottle! <3

Well, this is just lovely. A very pretty little pond dotted with flowers and fairies that pretend to be dragonflies at sunset. This is aquatic but not in the way you’d expect. It has that ozonic smell in the air right before or during rain. The starch of the rice adds a pinch of something rich otherwise the wispy florals and aquatics would be too light to capture in a bottle. The floral stand out is the lotus which helps lends to the aquatic leaning magic. There was something that almost smelled like dry wood which is the papyrus and oak moss which when it combines with the iris and heliotrope gives it a little bit of a powdery ladylike quality and a mossy forest feel. The aldehydes are done very well in here. They aren’t the kind that bowl you over like in that iconic Chanel fragrance that I won’t go into here, but they are modern and used with restraint. It adds a little drop of airy etherial beauty. The clover adds that wonderful green grassy twinge and the musk gives it that smoothness along with the woody velvety sandalwood. This fragrance isn’t cloying, or sharp, or too green. Like one astute reviewer said, “this is unique and wearable” and manages to give you something romantic, and light as dragonfly wing all while telling you a story. It’s fresh but also a little funky like the real outdoors and truly does capture a rainy little fairy land in the forest. Gosh I love this house! I mean it’s just fun isn’t it?

Dragonfly is my unexpected favorite of the Zoologist line! I find big dragonflies that aggressively steer towards me a bit scary. But this scent is more like a smaller, beautifully colored dragonfly that just flies above a pond in a garden full of pastel flowers. I would describe this fragrance as an aquatic floral gourmand. It's very unusual. I'm not a big fan of watery notes of any kind, but the rain note in here is beautiful. Today we have a rainy spring day with a thunderstorm, I'm wearing my sample of dragonfly and feel that the rain note captures the mood well. It doesn't feel beachy or too clean, but like sweet water, like rain or maybe a little creek in the woods. In the beginning I get a hint of old school aldehydes that support the rainy freshness. On the other hand, the rice note is also very noticeable, like warm, nutty rice pudding. Heliotrope adds an almondy, sweet note. Later the florals come out, cherry blossom is most noticeable on my skin, but peony and lotus are close seconds. The basenotes are light here, there's just a hint of earthy and mossy notes in the drydown, but this is rather a fresh scent, focussed on the top and middle notes. This way it works really well on warm and humid days. The notes might sound like an odd mixture, but they play together delightfully. I love it!

There is something in the opening that comes through as a bit odd to me. Not unpleasant, but odd. It vanishes after a few minutes completely. The most prominent notes to me are rice (like when boiling while rice), rain notes, florals and musk. It's a lovely watery floral scent with a dash of milky softness & a twist of mystery. I have to confess it is well made and actually quite different from anything else in this category. I can detect almost all the notes and they produce a sparkly effect that rests on a breath of light sweetness. I would not buy it thou, to light and fragile for me. Longevity very good. I sprayed in the morning and went out. Came back home after 7 hours and I could still smell in clearly. It was softer, but completely there. This might be a safe blind buy for light fragrance lovers that are looking for something more complexed. My husband loved it on me. This is absolutely unisex. Tested from a sample sent directly from Zoologist.

When I was trying samples from Zoologist, I saved Dragonfly for last because I wasnt much interested in the name. Once I sprayed it on my wrist, my soul was fluttering with happiness and hope: Its spring time in the country side, by the deep lake. Laying on a warm rock, you are taking in the mystery of nature. A huge dragonfly passes you by smoothly; her wings are transparent and cheerful, her body shining like an armour of jewelry. How wondrous. There are pink flower petals floating on the surface of the water, swaying silently. The water is dark green, hiding its muddled depths. You wonder what kind of creatures it withholds. You gaze into the water, only seeing your reflection back. You are younger than yesterday. Life is beautiful. I adore this fragrance. Creamy, floral goodness. This is not only a scent, its storytelling, its art, its magic in a bottle. Love love love it.

There’s something magical about Zoologist’s florals. Although I dislike florals as a general rule (I usually find them too cloying, powdery, syrupy, and/or headache-inducing), this is the second FB floral I’ve purchased from them. Dragonfly opens with a light, watery musk. Lemon is listed as a top note, but I don’t get any citrus at all- this is fresh air in a garden after the rain, with a hint of lipstick-iris. It dries down into a soft, creamy, floral rice pudding. If, like me, you loved Safran Troublant but couldn’t bring yourself to purchase a scent with such poor longevity, give Dragonfly a try. It’s not a twin of Safran- more like a cousin; a blue-tinged violet to the rose-gold of Safran. The amber and sandalwood ground this scent and keep it from going too candy-like or powdery. Just a beautiful composition.

The Zoologist line always looked interesting, but intimidating. So I was really excited to see the "lighter" notes listed when this came out, and I ordered a sample immediately. I can't pick out the individual notes other than heliotrope, which for me means it's "well blended," like I get with a lot of Guerlain stuff. The overall effect for me is a very pleasant watery fresh pink floral. Predominantly floral more than anything, but I think a man, or even a woman who's not into florals could totally wear this. I've got a sample of Panda 2017 on my other arm right now which seems quite a bit stronger (or maybe just harsher) than this, so I'm surprised to see the votes for "enormous" sillage. I can smell it pretty well though. I'll have to try wearing this to the office Monday and see how it goes.

I was wary about the "rain" note, as I often don't mesh well with aquatics, but I love iris, heliotrope, aldehydes, oakmoss, and clover as well as loving most other Zoologist fragrances, so I figured I'd give this a go. It feels kind of like a mildly humid summery day in a way, with the rain and rice notes, which I think is evocative of a dragonfly's hot and marshy habitat, but it's not a full on wet and aquatic, which I greatly appreciate and isn't a total calone bomb. It's a very nice "fresh" fragrance for spring and summer, but one that is still unique and wearable. I can even get away with this one in the office, which is definitely not true of some Zoologist frags! It's very delicate and elegant but still interesting. I love this perfume as I do with most from this house.

The more I wear Dragonly and Macaque, the more I love them. There is something intensely pastoral about them both; Dragonfly is the afternoon in a large spring meadow, surrounded by mimosa and lilacs and wildflowers, all gently warmed by the sun. Macaque is early summer morning on my farm, everything wet and green and earthy. In a way, Dragonfly reminds me a little of Eden by Cacharel, but only as an impression. Dragonfly is extremely well-done, nothing is out of place or too much. It manages to be yellow and purple and green all at once; those of you who smell in colors will understand that statement. I struggle with Zoologist as a house (though I respect his vision immensely) but I absolutely adore Dragonfly. Certainly full bottle worthy and worth the price.

Oh wow. This one creeps up on you. Upon first spray I thought “yes this is pleasant and aquatic, nothing special though, I don’t think it’s worth a full bottle.” But after wearing it for a few days I’ve realised it’s so unique. It’s a light water scent, not at all sweet or floral. It’s also not jarring or sharp to the nose like some ozonics. I don’t actively notice the rice note at all, but I think it’s what grounds this and makes it so unique. The sillage isn’t incredible, but the longevity surprised me for such a light, dainty scent. I noticed this on a sweater two days after wearing it, and it clung to my hair for almost 4 days. I think potentially worth a FB investment. Edit: I got my sample in 2022 so it’s likely this is the reformulation.

So, Dragonfly is a beautiful aquatic floral that feels fresh, ozonic, powdery, and wonderfully strange—more or less an entire atmosphere in a bottle. In a way, my mental image is a rain-soaked floral pond filled with wet greenery, cool air, and delicate powdery petals. It feels very peaceful, yet vibrantly alive, as though the whole pond awakened after a summer storm. The opening is very strong and sparkling, with that unmistakable 1990s freshness that instantly reminds me of Les Belles de Ricci. Yet it never feels dated; instead, it becomes lush, vivid, and almost dreamlike. So, this is not a safe blind buy. Test it first—but for those who love evocative perfume weirdos, Dragonfly is truly magical. 🪷🌧️

Oh this is so beautiful. I originally bought only the 12ml travel size and was gonna buy a bottle but they discontinued it. Then a new formula was introduced in its place and i don’t really like it. So I searched for the original purple juice. And finally I found a man in Canada who thought it was too feminine for him and sold it to me, for a lot less than full price. I was so thankful to him. I love my Dragonfly. I guess if you’re patient and search long enough, u will eventually find what u want. I just wanna say thank u to the kind man who sold me this beauty

It's a wonderful, light and airy scent. Very airy I guess from the aldhydes. I don't get much rain tbh. It's not an aquatic. Definitely a Chypre. A great choice to wear in the heat. I can't pick out the rice but the lotus and peony are very evident. I recognise thd papyrus and a little cherry blossom. If there is heliotrope then its faded very quickly. The oak moss cuts through the other notes to stamp it's Chypre mark. Very unisex, airy and bright. It's a shame the longevity and sillage are less than moderate on me in this 28 degree room.

I don't know how Zoologist does it - they have captured the scent of a Dragonfly's environment here. It smells like a lake after a rain, very fresh and lovely. But it is done in a very natural way. I get slight lemon overtones in the beginning and the clover and lotus are the strongest florals... I don't detect any rice. This does not smell like algae or a dirty pond- this is an idealized version of the watery environment of a dragonfly. If you love perfume you really just have to try all the Zoologist scents. They do not disappoint.

I have never fallen for an water/beach fresh type of scent. Not in the 1990's or ever until this one. It's a wonderful scent for summer. It's definitely a rainwater ozone scent, fresh with some green, a tad strong on the heliotrope but It's really a cooling smelling perfume. A little goes a long way though. It's got a very strong sillage. I have this on my want list though. It's able to transport me to a garden filled with fountains and water and flowers.

Extremely photorealistic transportation to kneeling by a pond during a New England summer - reeds and clovers crushed beneath you while you tuck a flower into the pocket of your shirt. Fresh and verdant, entirely its own. I'm torn on how wearable this is for me, but I *adore* it as a piece of art. I'll try donning it in summertime when the aquatic elements of it feel quenching and I wish to feel like I'm transported away from the city and into nature.

Futuristic fresh fragrance. This is a "fresh" done right; ozonic laundry-like notes contrast with a serious aldehyde-y heliotrope and papyrus. Both sharp and creamy at the same time. There's something reminiscent of the Nile; water, papyrus, and lotus flowers. I wouldn't say this is realistic but rather an impressionistic painting of sitting by the Nile. Another hit by a house which is rapidly becoming one of my favorites. Fresh but weighty.

Considering the vivid journey this scent takes you on, I'm surprised of its wearability. This is the first fragrance containing obvious aldehydes that I've actually taken a liking to, it creates a lightness that lifts the scent out of the earthy murky depths (papyrus note) like the lift of a breeze under a dragonfly's wings ducking and weaving by a bubbling brook. This is a very clever concoction.

Definitely one of the most astonishing fragrances I've ever tried. Depicted the lake environment so well. I'm genuinely amazed by how well this fragrance managed to combine aquatic tone with greenery. Never tried anything close to this. It feels vibrant and fresh, with a hint of peacefulness in it. I would not consider buying since I'm male but this really is one of the best!!