Koala

if you google what the definition of the "Proust effect" is, you will be presented with the following, "The Proust effect, also known as the Proust phenomenon or Proustian memory, refers to the phenomenon where a sensory experience, particularly a smell, can trigger a vivid and involuntary recall of a past event, often accompanied by strong emotions". This fragrance is exactly that, I remember the first time I encountered zoologist on my fragrance journey, in Philly, months ago; I didn't expect to fall in love with this fragrance based off the notes, but I did, and it was instant. I'm rather young (17 on august 13th) so I don't have extensive memories of the 2000s or even early 2010s, so I'll try my best to retell this memory for Fragrantica, and smell koala while typing this to get myself closer to it. 2012, middle of the jersey summer, AC on full blast, fans on the porch, hoodies past 9pm. It was my first summer living in the house I spent most of my life growing up in, and my mother made 4 year old me a dish of cut up watermelon (among other things but I can't exactly recall what they are). I've always been very attentive of smells I've come across throughout my childhood, and the moment i laid my nose on koala, I was instantly transported back to this. The smell of sitting outside, drinking tea with too much honey (on account of being 4 years old), the Fleetwood Mac Rumors LP playing on the ipod speaker we always kept on the porch, a slight breeze, and the shade from the beating sun. This fragrance made it apparent in my mind for the first time that things like the "Proust effect" are even possible through fragrance, and that perfumery is an art form. Since the first time I smelled koala, I've purchased 2 2ml samples (which are both nearly empty) and recently a full bottle, I waited to write this review until I had enough time to process how my brain perceived it, this fragrance even inspired me to start self teaching perfumery and hopefully create Proust effects of my own. This is (as of now, and hopefully the far foreseeable future) the greatest fragrance that has ever been created, no exaggeration, no sponsors. Thank you so much to Spyros Drosopoulos, the mastermind who constructed this fragrance in the first place, and especially to Victor Wong, the man who made it all possible. If you haven't gotten your nose on this fragrance yet, PLEASE (and i can not stress this enough), PLEASE do so. This is art. Performance is amazing on my skin, 10-12 hours easy, beautifully blended fresh eucalyptus and menthol with honey, tea and the vibe of sitting under a tree in the summertime, strong presence in the air, amazing bottle, amazing price. 11/10 P.S this fragrance really made me realize how much I love koalas :)

Koala is the newest release from the house of Zoologist and is exclusive to the webstore, not available through the boutiques that carry the rest of the line. The subtitle “Eucalyptus Sunshine” seems especially appropriate, as the fragrance is bright and fresh with a playful use of eucalyptus but I’m pleased that it does not go overboard on the eucalyptus, a note that I find overpowering at times and sometimes a bit more evocative of room fragrances than personal fragrances. In Koala, the eucalyptus is part of an ensemble that also includes “menthol honey gumdrops,” a note that acknowledges some of the sweetness but also the vague minty menthol, which pairs well with the eucalyptus, along with florals (mimosa, geranium), black tea, vetiver, spices, woods, musk, and most notably, oakmoss. It comes off almost like a modern take on a fougere with menthol/eucalyptus but not lavender, slightly reminiscent of Sharkskin by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz / DSH Perfumes, a limited edition from the Heirloom collection, though Sharkskin is brighter, more citric, and more aldehydic, whereas Koala is greener and woodier with the eucalyptus. Koala performs quite well and is priced at $165 for 60ml, in line with Zoologist’s standard pricing. In addition to Bee, I’m inclined to buy a bottle of Koala. 8 out of 10

I love the deep incense (not the burning kind) which is slightly sweet. The menthol and pine are very forward. If I spray on my extremities, the animalic (does make you think of koala fur) and quite masculine side is too prominent, so I spray it under my shirt and it is actually perfect, like a warm hug, but sort of refreshing at the same time. Moderate sillage which lasts a while. I could still smell it faintly on my skin a full 12 hours laters, but the first 6-8 hours are the best. This is like an *elevated* and deepened classic men's after shave kind of fragrance kind of like Eau de Minthe is, but I like this better. I'm in an LDR, so I find this scent very cozy/comforting. I am not even sure if this would be a good scent for my partner, but it kind of gives the feeling of a hug of a masculine person and helps with loneliness as I find with a lot of incense frags.

Man, I'm in trouble. I ordered one of those sampler sets from Zoologist in order to try a bunch and pick a favorite, and so far I like all of them a lot! It hardly seems possible to me that every one I try I seem to like better than the last, but here we are. Today it's Koala, which at first thrilled me with its very minty, refreshing opening notes. I can't think of any other fragrance I own that has that minty note. Putting any of these fragrances is on is such much fun, because as the opening notes dissipate they start to smell so different, and finally you get even more changes in the dry-down. I've had Koala on for about four hours now, and it's evolved to spicy and woody, with just a hint of that freshness. Honestly, I love it, and not in small part because it kind of reminds me of Old Spice! This is the kind of fragrance I love smelling on a man or myself!

I recently stoped at scent bar in ny an picked up a sample tried it on skin an was impressed.I immediately picked up the eucalyptus but perfectly balanced with the Black tea,musk toning it down lovely,so self soothing an has the ingredients of incense rose which brings this koala to be blended to perfection. This is perfume is art to me my first from zoologists.I love the feel this gives me through out the day whiffs here & there I even managed to get 2 compliments today.Ms Klass stepped into the room an said someone smells really good pulling her mask down, Mr Hydralene said during passing in the hallway what is that cologne your wearing today I like it, an this is only the 2nd day wearing it after purchasing a full bottle.I just cant stop smelling my wrist it's that good 👍 I'm glad I have this in my collection on this frag journey.

Oh yessss this is a great eucalyptus scent. Medicinal, earthy, slightly sweetened. “Fuzzy” in texture, a little bit mossy, a little bit skanky. Like the earthy-mossy base of classic woody chypres like Aromatics Elixir, except with eucalyptus instead of florals. (Or, even more precisely, like Oeilleres, except with eucalyptus instead of chamomile.) Koala gets quiet fast and stays more-or-less the same; kind of a “my skin but better” subtle natural aura, glowing gold-green. If you’re me (big fan of herbal, medicinal, and earthy scents, kitchen-witch or hippie vibes, secretly loves the smells of bug spray and Vicks Vapo-Rub) then this is a straightforward winner. If you’re not, it’ll weird you out. Know yourself and choose accordingly.

Eucalypt, pine, very fresh and gorgeous opening. I lack experience to give a proper description of what happens next. It's a little animalic in a pretty subtle and pleasant way, never pissy or sweaty, just deliciously so. After a little while this subsides a bit. Next a little bit soapy, flowery, tea, beautiful incense and sandalwood. This seems a theme in Zoologist perfumes, lots of ingrediënts used in very smart and subtle ways, that take you on a little discovery tour, not through a list of ingrediënts but of impressions or by creating a certain atmosphere. I think I have tested a hundred perfumes by now, and this house absolutely stands out through it's artistry.

First thought: Lozenge! Remarkably photorealistic lozenge. But after a few moments pass and the eucalyptus settles down, it smells like magic. Sweet, slightly spicy incense (vaguely reminds me of Floriental by CdG), loads of geranium. It's very fresh yet somehow still floral to me. More freshness on clothes and sweetness on skin. I discovered so many good summer scents since I started trying Zoologist perfumes. They are always so unique and creative! I would say Koala is definitely not a safe blind buy because of the harsh opening but the dry down is tamer and the perfume is definitely worth sampling. Leans feminine, in my opinion, but overall unisex.

Koala is a very clean, very "safe" perfume from Zoologist. You can smell the notes described in Fragrantica, and the final result is very nice. This is an office friendly fragrance. Koala becomes a skin scent in about 2-3 h, but it doesn't go away. Applied on my chest, it lasts 8h or more. On paper, it can still be detected 24h after spraying it. Sillage is about an arm's length after first spray, so not huge, and nobody will complain. Koala can be a good introduction to Zoologist. Clean, pleasant smell. It reminds me of something I've smelled before in the dry down , it triggers a pleasant olfactory memory, but I just can't remember what.

I was worried this would smell like pharmacy bath oil or cough pastilles, but neither is the case. It’s actually a gorgeously warm and cozy perfume. A strong, somewhat camphorous eucalyptus opening, but soon the eucalyptus is tamed by the pine and other green and woody notes, creating a beautiful harmony. The honey and spices add a lot of warmth. In the dry-down there is a pleasant, skin-like muskiness as well, and a soft smokiness. I can totally see this evoking a dry landscape of eucalyptus forest, but at the same time the pine and sweetened spices give this a Christmassy feel as well.

First blast of clean spicy woods and light incense, warm yet invigorating and..minty? I suppose that's the eucalyptus; I smell this and immediately think aftershave. There's a a warm cinnamon that adds to the zesty gingery clean feeling. I use the word clean a lot but there's no soapy vibe to this. A confident, attractive, mature, delicious man should smell like this. Technically unisex but leans male and best for all weather. 6+ hours later: This one faded surprisingly fast, I thought it would hold on longer. It was pretty much gone by the 3rd hour.

I got this as a sample from luckyscent and I am absolutely obsessed. Upon first smell, you definitely get the eucalyptus cool mintiness, it reminds me a tiny bit of vicks vapor rub or tiger balm. But the dry down is what really does it for me. On me, it smells like a beautiful rich incense with a balance between the black tea bitterness and the sweetness of amber and vanilla. Whenever I wear this I can't help but smell my arm constantly. I do wish the longevity was a bit better though.

After really loving the eucalyptus note in Carnal Flower, I thought I’d give Koala a try. The mimosa (which us Aussies call wattle flower) and gum tree remind me of my childhood but in a good way. Add in the honey and you have soothing honey-menthol lozenges. Behind all that is a hint of smoky incense. I’m a bit low tonight but the mix of nostalgia and comforting associations that this fragrance evokes feels like the best hug. Not from a koala though. Koalas are pretty sharp.

My first zoologist, after smelling the whole collection (almost), this stood out to me. The opening is very unique with the combination of the honey and the eucalyptus, and once that eucalyptus settles it smells like an adventurer in a rainforest. The added tea and spices give this so much more depth and originality. Performance wise it's not spectacular, I'll be getting around 8 hours with 3 hours of average projection, but I don't feel that this needs to be loud at all.

If I could define Koala with one word, it would be Happiness, it just lifts my mood. Koala smells of fresh eucalyptus wrapped in soft, cozy sweetness. It instantly lifts whatever my mood is, and settles into something clean, warm, gentle, and comforting. On my skin, Koala feels like a calm hug . It’s such an easy, happy wear: clean, calm, and surprisingly addictive. I've been wearing it for years, and it's a big love for me. So sad it's discontinued. 👍👍👍👍

For me, the eucalyptus menthol smell vanishes a few seconds after spraying, and all I'm left with is a very strong incense smell. It smells exactly like those little New Age shops that are full of dream catchers and rocks with "mystical properties." I actually like this on me, it makes me feel a bit like a church lol. It lasts for about 6 hours on my skin (longer on my clothing) and it's got a decently strong sillage.

Beautiful perfume with freshness and some dust-facets. Really captures the koala habitat. I love this Zoologist and Panda. Totally wearable. I can see this becoming someone’s signature scent. It’s on par with Panda in terms of safety. No pissy or fecal facets here. No tiger balm eucalyptus. Does not remind me of Royal Mayfair, or Elixir or any eucalyptus heavy perfume. Nice portrait, matchy matchy with me.

“There is a right time and place for everything to have a beginning and an end..." Just as in "Picnic at Hanging Rock", Peter Weir's masterpiece of the seventies, in this perfume you can perceive the intensification of occult in the sunny Australian landscape. A small olfactory prodigy that reaches ecstatic and dreamy heights. The best skin perfume I have ever tried so far.

I love this perfume. I don't know if I will get a full bottle, but it's so interesting. The eucalyptus and medicinal honey take the stage with my body chemistry, and they remain medicinal throughout the dry-down. This reminds me of Vicks VapoRub, but an elegant, sophisticated VapoRub. Like if you needed lozenges for a sore throat but also needed to go to a black tie event.

Do you want to smell like a sexy explorer? Traverse through a eucalyptus forest with tall vetiver grasses, eventually you come to a beautiful clearing, with the sounds and smells of nature around, you pull out a thermos and poor yourself some sweet and spicy black tea. As you look out into the horizon you feel optimistic and excited for the rest of your adventure! 🐨☕️🌳