Koala Joey Edition

I know some people will be disappointed or complain about missed opportunity to include new animals to the line-up but from my experience (and I've been a fan for 7 years now), Victor never releases a flanker (if we can call it that) that doesn't outright improve (Dodo) or completely overhauls the original (Bat/Dragonfly). It is, of course, all in the nose of the sniffer. Some prefer the original Dragonfly, I much prefer the remake. Nonetheless, no one can claim they are similar to each other. It is once again the case with this new edition of Koala, the "Joey" edition. Now, I really love the original so I was eager to dig into it and the bar was set adimittedly a bit high. Now, I *do* prefer the original Koala for its barbershop-ish, dapper vibes and its eucalyptus punch. That said, I can only applaud the work of perfumer George Tedder here. The man managed to retain Koala's original DNA but make it more "cute and friendly". It really does smell like a "kiddie" version of Koala. The mimosa here is the star to my nose. Although the opening comes across as fresh, herbal and green (galbanum, most likely) and reminds of the original's DNA (much more subdued), it quickly transitions into a yellow floral, powdery mimosa bomb. I thought I didn't like mimosa but here I find it super addictive. It's not aggressive, it's rather inviting and makes you want to get cozy. It all makes sense as to why "joey", it gives me vibes of cuteness in the best possible way. The drydown gets woodier (expectedly) although I expected more animalic muskiness out of it and it didn't come across that way to me, I find the original to be more animalic. If the animalic tag worried you I really suggest you try it, it's more a green, powdery woody yellow floral than animalic. I'm having a hard time deciding which one of the two I prefer and that to me is a good sign of a successful flanker: it's not so similar to the original as to give you no reason to own it yet if you know the original you can understand the flanker better. The performance is great, I get an easy 6-8 hours and it pushes out well in the first 1-2 hours, most likely thanks to the yellow floral nature. For those guys who are afraid of florals, this might not change your mind, it is very powdery and mimosa will probably be divisive but I think it's easily unisex thanks to its green opening and woody base. This is one I would say fits more Spring but could work in cool Summer nights and early Fall. A fantastic flanker and I'm looking forward to have both Koalas, one for the colder seasons and one for the warmer ones.

The greenest, most aromatic opening I've ever smelled in a perfume. Dewy, fresh herbs on a fuzzy musk base. The Irish Spring scent as if it were made with real essential oils. I wish the top notes did not vanish so quickly though: Koala Joey smells so lush, crisp and sparkling at first (it kind of makes my mouth water actually), but it goes to this fuzzy musk very quickly and stays there for most of the wear. I wish the base was more focused on woods (or on eucalyptus for that matter). Overall a great olfactory experience but I'm not sure how I feel about wearing it out.

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite fragrances. It is so fresh and green, and the eucalyptus really comes through. It stays fresh and clean for a long time and lasts well. I like that it smells very natural and isn’t sweet at all, it doesn’t smell too “spa” like, but rather more like you are walking through the woods surrounded by eucalyptus. I get a lot of compliments on it and I think it’s a fragrance that a lot of people can enjoy, it’s very easy to wear.

Fresh, green! Something about it reminds me of fresh cut grass, which I love the smell of. It opens very grapefruit-y but more like the zest than the juice; it has a bitter quality. The spearmint and eucalyptus take over and all I think is that it's so green! The basil gives a nice aromatic spiciness, and after a few hours the scent goes more soft sandalwood and has a cozy kind of animalic quality.

I usually don't like "green" fragrances but this one is different. Not too bitter, which is how a lot of green fragrances come across to me. This is lush and verdant, with a tiny hint of mimosa powderiness. The spearmint is refreshing and natural-smelling. Had to order a bottle of this.