Macaque

So I spent the day wearing Macaque then logged onto fragrantica and was surprised to see the relatively low rating of 3.57. Decided to read the reviews and they are all over the place; some say it’s the most wearable Zoologist, others say not. Some people pick up on banana notes, others can’t smell the green apple; some think this is a weird scent and so on. And I’m in partial agreement: Macaque is weird, but it’s also incredibly intriguing. First and foremost this is a green scent sitting on a bed of fruit. A lot of overripe fruit. This fruit compote is not juicy or sweet as it’s been sitting on the jungle floor for too long and is starting to ferment. There’s a dusty, almost powdery quality to Macaque which points toward synthetics but still oddly appealing. It’s as if all the fruit — green apple, banana, passion fruit and others have melded in flavor, combining to make one boozy cocktail. Surrounding this fruity drink is a lot of rainforest moss, grass, and swamp land. After my walk through the jungle I end up drinking an exotic blend of hot tea. I can smell the wood of the hut I’m sitting in. Maybe someone has just sprayed bug spray but I can also smell food cooking. None of this is meant to be a negative, I’m simply in awe. There’s an otherworldly quality to this blend, here the perfumer has achieved my highest praise. Conceptually Macaque is a home run. The challenging part would be finding an occasion to wear this unique fragrance.

If you love galbanum, and you like perfumes such as Chanel N.19 or even Bas de Soie, Macaque is an absolute must-try! The combo of the crisp, sour, Granny-Smith apple with a sharp, fragrant galbanum is superb. This was love at first sniff for me. It is a massive green perfume that is extremely fresh and vibrant. As the perfume dries down, I get a hefty dose of green tea and a nice bit of mossiness that really rounds the fragrance out. In the base I get something vanilla-like, and it brings just the slightest hint of creaminess. I don't know if white oud is a naturally occuring thing, or if it's a synthetic accord, but maybe that's what I detect. This is such a beautiful and super-unique take on galbanum. I never would have thought to pair the plant with fruit. Despite the artistic take on it, it smells surprisingly classy. Lasted a solid 12 hours on me. High on my Want list (Update: bought it). It's such an uplifting scent--like monkeys swinging from vines!

Oh this is lovely. Weird, but lovely. Extremely juicy, almost sour fruit in the opening. My right eye went all crazy with the juiciness as i was sniffing this. The apple is almost as the one in Panda, but more sour and blended more green and less sweet (even though Panda itself is far from sweet). The galbanum is indeed the star, there’s a herbal bitterness here, but it’s also blended to create a lovely composition, albeit slightly synthetic to my nose. BUT the synthetic vibe is so strange, because its a result not of synthetic elements, but of “natural” elements amped up so much, that they become synthetic...if that makes sense. Another thing: something in this reminds me of Anais Anais. Less floral and less “stinky” Anais.

This is for the original macaque. Really wonderful green and tea scent without being generic. Opened with a bit of citrus which leads to the main note of tea with some fruity element, all on some woody base which will become more prominent towards the dry down. I dont find this fragrance to be too green either. Its really comforting, fresh peaceful and zen, just like the monkey dressing in japanese style robe. Very likeable from the house. Above average performance and well blended just as you would expect from a zoologist fragrance. For me its definitely one of the best from the house of zoologist along with the chameleon. Sad it has been discontinued but really happy that i was able to get the full bottle.

@scain54 "...behind closed doors, though...kinky'...I can't help but wonder what makes it so awesome to make someone feel that way. That comment alone is enough reason to want to try it. I tried samples of all their releases from 2015. I hate so say it but my nose just couldn't handle it. I'll chuck it up to me not being as sophisticated as I thought. Perhaps my nose needs to learn how to appreciate and love these fragrances. I'm fascinated by the note breakdown on Macaque, even if not by the name of the fragrance. Still, scain54 could well have uttered the best line to describe any fragrance and what they do to us, or perhaps what they make us wanna' do. Cheers, world!