Macaque Yuzu Edition

A lot of the new Zoologist releases are on the more restrained side, although this isn't a big problem for me since a lot of their safer releases are the ones that appeal to me a lot anyway. As a comparison, this really has basically nothing to do with the earlier version of Macaque—which got discontinued apparently for not quite hitting the brief of the animal on the head (and I liked it but I agree that nothing about it really related to the theme of the animal to me). This one however feels like a thematic home run, having essentially completely revamped it from dusty, sour apple and galbanum to lots and lots of woods and lots of Comme des Garcons-style incense (and also a short-lived but super-zingy yuzu opening, freshly zested). This might be too specific a reference, but the particular mix of citruses and juniper on the sweet incense background give the impression of Chinese Nin Jiom herbal sweets (they have a tangerine-lemon flavour that really does feel funnily similar to the opening of Macaque). There's no mentholated touch here obviously, but there is something here (maybe the cypress, maybe the resinous aspects of the incense) that vaguely opens the sinuses and as others have pointed out really gives the impression of hot steam—whether it be from a cup of tea or a hinoki wood spa. I've been on the lookout for an incense scent that doesn't lean too spicy or dark and this really hits a spot for me. The drydown does remind me very faintly of Koala too (although, yes, Koala is deceivingly spicy and dark in comparison). I think if anyone is on the lookout for a very peaceful take on that Comme des Garcons cypress-incense formula, this might be for you. The real question is whether I splash out for a full bottle now, or wait till I can sample the Fuji Apple edition.

Sampled this as a throw in for curiosity as I really wanted to try Chipmunk and I didn’t like the original Macaque too much (had a sharp too synthetic apple note for me), and this has been a very pleasant surprise. Macaque Yuzu is quite different to the original and I’ll say straight off the bat, I love this one. It essentially gives what I imagine a Japanese spa would smell like type of vibe off me, it has an effervescent mineral watery like feel that I think is a typical spa-like smell with a citrus twist, but it has a green mossy feel too which I would guess is the hinoki (and maybe a bit from the juniper). The lightness of that watery mossy citrus is balanced against the darkness of smoky incense which comes into play not long after spraying, and gets stronger as it dries. As a big incense fan this is where the full bottle worthy line is crossed for me. This is one that opens really well and just gets better as time goes on. Definitely looking forward to trying the Fuji version now. On the aspect of this representing the animal, I can see this. The Macaque in the portrait is wearing a Monk like robe for the liturgical and warm incense part and a steamy watery and mildly fruity hot spring environment to balance to that out is where a Macaque might hang around in the real world. edit: If you find it hard to sample this, it smells a little bit like a much more incense focused and higher quality Costa Azzura by Tom Ford. I tried the TF and it immediately brought me back to the scent memory of this.

As its name suggests, this new version of the macaque is a yuzu dominance fragrance. It blends nicely with juniper, incense and some smokey wood. As a result, you get this sort of citrusy but yet dark. There is something to it which distinct itself from all other citrus fragrances on the market, which is tend to be bright. Exactly like @shibe reviewed below. With new fragrances we get from zoologist this year, i can see that the house is moving toward mass pleasing offerings - which isn't wrong, but it has to be done with care in order to keep them interesting. I think the house has achieved the right sweet spot here. Its mass appealing and unchallenging to wear for sure, but yet intriguing to deserve the niche price. Unlike the chipmunk, which is also mass appealing but extremely boring (and i mean really really boring), this one is absolutely delightful. So happy that i purchased this one. Another thing that i really like about this is that the bottle says yuzu on the label. Although this is because there is the fuji apple released alongside it, it helps people distinguishing the new formulation from the original (but i still think its better to release it under a new name/concept and discontinue the old one rather than make it a reformulation). Im a big fan of the original macaque and put it in the top 3 of all zoologist fragrances , yet i think this new version is also really good (might even put it in the top 3 along with the chameleon and the original macaque!)

I've postponed writing a review on this for a while, despite it being one of my first scents, because I wanted to try other, similarly profiled, scents before making my complete judgment. Truly, this is a phenomenal scent, even if not particularly interesting or exciting. It's by far away my most complimented scent, with it earning me "*damn* Pete, is that *your* cologne?" and "woah, you smell like a breath of fresh air amid all these sweaty dance smells" both at a pride after-party. People are very vocal with compliments on this one. While I've fallen in love mostly with slightly unusual scents, this one I will keep returning to because of its brightness, dimensionality, and general "must sniff my wrist again"y-ness. My skin eats the yuzu top notes extraordinarily fast on this one, but I've found that if I spray it on a mesh undershirt, the whole scent lasts beautifully, and for such a long time. Even when I do wear it direct on skin, the heart notes and base notes that emerge in this scent are spicy, warm, and welcoming, as well as long lasting, and make me feel confident and comfortable, even in environments where I don't normally feel natural. Not sure if I'll be buying a full bottle of this just because it is missing that aspect of Unusual that I've mostly been drawn to, but I'll definitely invest in a travel sized at some point, and use this for times when I need a boost or should wear a more standard scent. 9.5/10 half point deduction for lack of weirdness

To this day I consider this the best citrus of my life (yet) and the best Zoologist I know. I spoke about it before here, but I only sampled it and decided not to buy it because of the price and performance of it, and I still stand by it - it's just this fits my taste so well I can kind of forget that it's expensive and performs like an EDC. I own the bottle now. The way it connects the sparkling, tart yuzu in the opening with the clean woody, hinoki, and incense aspects is marvelous. I can really see (maybe a trained, clean, groomed and domesticated) macaque jumping between the branches of a Japanese forest. It's airy, spacious, zesty, bright with a clean woody, somewhat creamy soapy, and cypress/hinoki aroma. I can see why the Macaque wears a robe as it's also clearly resinous, incense-y and somewhat medicinal. While it is a unisex, I think it suits me more than my wife. You can wear it anytime you want maybe except when it's cold as it might kill the already thin performance of it. And while it says extrait (25% concentration) I am very sorry to say it lasts about 6-7 hours on my skin with a moderate projection for the first hour, maybe two hours and then it becomes a skin scent. An outstanding, marvelous scent, but still. It is pricey, it doesn't perform as hard as I'd want it to but oh my god, how I love the way it smells.