Moth

The opening of Moth strikes with the unmistakable scent of aged, medicinal dust - a sharp, sterile tang hanging in the air, as though a hospital ward had been abandoned for two centuries. The space feels ancient, its walls coated in layers of dust that have settled over forgotten medicines, decayed bandages, and long-forgotten cleaning products. This is no modern antiseptic scent. Instead, it evokes old-world remedies - bittersweet, herbal brews from times past, once promised to cure ailments both physical and spiritual. Clove emerges first, dominant and almost oppressive in its vintage character, conjuring the image of a janitor’s closet within this timeworn hospital. The scent clings to the wooden shelves, where old, medicinal bottles stand in dust-ridden disarray. A touch of lemon adds a faint, crisp sharpness, perhaps recalling neglected bottles of cleaners, now oxidized and crumbling in the damp air. Beneath this, a floral note lingers. I'm imagining an anthropomorphized flower lying broken and bandaged on a hospital bed. Its withered limbs are wrapped in gauze, a faint resinous drip feeding its frail, fading body. Chain-smoking clove cigarettes, it clings desperately to life, watching the resins drip through tubes into its veins, feeding on their semi-sweet sustenance as its vitality wanes. The fragrance is unsettling, yet its unfolding is captivating. As time passes, the experience becomes darker, shifting from bitter to smoky. The honey note does emerge, though never overtly. It offers only a subtle counterbalance to the smoke that grows stronger as the scent evolves. This honey is far from the lush sweetness found in Bee or Naxos - here, it whispers quietly, offering a brief, delicate relief amidst the darkening haze. I can picture a grief-stricken moth fluttering into the janitor’s storeroom, drawn by the tragic news of its floral lover. Arriving just in time, the moth watches helplessly as its beloved flower lies in its final moments. Despite the flower’s imminent death, the moth arrives carrying a final offering of nectar - only to witness the heartbreaking moment when it is unable to share it with its love. Shattered by the loss, the moth flutters toward the wood-lined hearth at the far end of the room. It hovers briefly, as if lingering on its final moments, before diving into the flames in an act of tragic surrender, carrying its sweet nectar with it as a last tribute. The flames consume both the moth and the flower, their bodies merging in a bittersweet end. Over time, the incense-like smoke begins to settle, slowly cleaning up as the oud flickers faintly in the background, barely perceptible. The final traces are delicate - semi-sweet, a quiet incense with the soft, lilac-like undertones of a dry rose petal. The scent fades, almost like a wisp, leaving behind only the faintest memory of loss and love.

On the wings of the dead. On my culture moths are told to carry back the dead souls, in a similiar way that anglosaxons speaks about the crows, for obvious influences from E.A. Poe and '90s pop cinema, and this perfume brings me back immediatly to that story. It is dark, haunting and at the same time irresistible. It opens with an overdose of warm spices, almost intoxicating, then a honey accord emerges from the base (a thick one, sticky, non gourmand, almost resinous) because after all, beside the narration and the suggestions this is a honey fragrance, mixed with powdery flowers that remind of the dust of moth's wings while a smoke, burned, note remains present till in the woody (a little bit of synthetic? oud here) earthy (cypriol, patchouli, vetiver) resinous and slightly animalic drydown. Wow, what a fragrance. It is so evocative, dark, intense and representative of the story of this moth looking for love but going nearer and nearer to the flame untill she burns and dies. I can't stop smelling this, I'm in love with every part of the evolution, it is so godly formulated to tell the story and yet remaining a stunning perfume in every phase. This is for me my first 10 out of 10 review ever, and it is fully deserved. Ok, I'll try to tone down my enthusiasm and give some practicalities: this a strong perfume, it takes the scene and can be even suffocating (and in this case they are all good qualities for me since I love it this much), so be carefull in close quarters situations (ie restaurant ecc...), it is totally narrative so totally unisex, maybe avoid 30+ temperature but beside this it is so good you can wear it four seasons; has a decent longevity (6+) in the heat and a good one in the cold times (8-10). Price is the usual zoologist and this time it is fully deserved. Not blind buy safe I must admit.

🕰️ I’ve wanted to test it for a long time (3 years), and I finally got my hands on it. I’m absolutely in love. Once I get rich, I’ll buy a full bottle. The scent is strange, but at the same time soft, warm, and comforting, very nostalgic. The longevity is insanely long, wow. It stays on my wrists for three days and for more than a week on my scarf. But after about 12 hours, the smell on my skin turns into moths pooped scent 😭 lol. Maybe it’s just my skin. Imagine you received a mysterious letter in a foreign language that says you've inherited a house from a distant relative, an old woman you didn't even know existed. Your curiosity gets the better of you, and you decide to take a look at it. It's a three-storey, beautiful gothic mansion that looks like it can no longer hold its own weight and might crumble at any moment. Cracks run along the stone walls from the ground all the way to the roof. Everything inside is antique but in terrible condition, destroyed by humidity and bugs. Dust and spiderwebs cling to every surface. You walk up the creaking stairs, hearing all kinds of noises around you. You realise the house itself is making those sounds-whistling drafts, expanding pipes, moulding peeling off the ceiling. It's dying. On the top floor, you find a big wooden chest. When you open it, an old, musty smell hits your face. Inside are personal belongings: old clothes, small items, colourless photographs of a beautiful woman. The house is unlivable. You get back into your car and decide you'll return to investigate this mysterious woman. But before you start the engine, the house lets out a roaring, screeching sound, and collapses in on itself.

Way back in 2021 I wrote a long impression about Zoologist's Moth (attached at the bottom). Now, almost 4 years later, after it has been "maturing" in my dark and cool closet, I can say that it gets way, way better with time. IMHO one the masterpieces from Zoologist. BIG love from me (and growing). >Josu01 09/25/21 10:26 >Moth by Zoologist is like a Symphony in 3 movements. >1st Movement: A blast of spices. Strong and in your face. I can detect honey and oud in the background, but the >spices take all the attention. This is a quick movement, and on me it lasts no more than 5 minutes. >2nd Movement: Suddenly the spices are gone and then you are in a floral garden. A clean floral garden. A soapy >floral garden. Flowers, flowers, flowers. All the flowers in the description are there and they make their presence be >noticed: heliotrope, mimosa, rose, iris, muguet, jasmine, all playing in unison to make a perfect floral accord. Then it >sort of feels like the flowers wilt before continuing to the third movement. This lasts on me some 20-30 minutes. >3rd and last movement: Honey, smoke, oud, resins. The dry down is very nice. This lasts, and lasts, and lasts (this >is after all a long lasting perfume). On me it lasts easily 10-12 h. After the 6th hour it's like a honeyed safe smoky >oud that clings and lingers on my skin. >This is a symphony of olfactory notes, where all the "instruments" (notes) make one irresistible music (perfume). >I love it. It is definitely not for everyone. This is one of the few perfumes where you can clearly notice its distinct >phases.

I originally ordered a tester of this because I dress gothic Victorian and had read this was a perfect fragrance for that style. I generally enjoy powdery scents and weirdly I love the smell of mothballs so I thought I’d give it a try. After spraying it on I immediately thought “Oh god this smells like a dusty hospital!” and straight away scrubbed it off because I have medical related trauma. This was a few years ago. Reading other people’s reviews on here had me digging through my drawers to find the old tester vial and thankfully I had kept it. I gave it a second chance today and allowed it to dry down and the hospital scent goes away. It’s an extremely powdery and dusty vintage floral-ish fragrance. I’m still not sure that I necessarily want to smell like this on a regular basis— I prefer sweeter powdery scents. This is also only suitable for cold weather, in my opinion. Now I no longer hate Moth or find it unwearable. I’m glad I gave it a second try because from my first attempt I was so thoroughly confused at how anyone could find this wearable at all. It’s certainly a very interesting fragrance. Edit: I keep coming back to the tester of this now and I’ve actually grown to really like it? I’m actually considering purchasing a full bottle which I never would have believed a couple years ago when I first tried it. I don’t know if I’m maturing or this fragrance has me in some kind of Stockholm syndrome type relationship. I still wish it had more of a mothball smell though, I don’t get mothballs from this at all.