Musk Deer

Musk Deer Zoologist Perfumes (202010NB, 165 USD, Barely used) First Impression, blind buy. I received this from friend declutter sale, one of my close friend really enjoy this. The parcel just arrived today, sadly the spray head is slight dense due to transport. But the bottle and lid is still in very good condition, so there is a luck for me... I find Musk Deer is hauntedly beautiful... sensual and useable. There is a brief from the brand about how create musk deer late in his line up. As it have no true replica material for musk deer, it must be an accord. There is 2 types of Musk Deer, the carnal one and smooth silky musk one. And how he (Victor Wong) waits for a right person to brew this fragrance. He wants to find the person who can tame musk. "Pascal Gaurin" is chosen for this work and his rendition on Musk Deer is truly spendid. I own one of his work "Rouge Malachite" (for short RM) and I found that true. He is ruler of musk as RM most shining quality is sexy skin whiteflora by the end of the scent. Still, RM is fairly a designer profile but the way he manipulate the spicy-floral-musky cashmeran at the end of scent. Make me truly believe this could do a real good musk scent, under brand with no condition, like Zoologist. Now, if you except musk deer to be legal scent of Mongolian deer musk. This will fail you in all regards, according to Victor's brief. He wants to create the type of musk that smooth silky one. I find the opening is very ambrettey and woody. With a spicy tone that pretty much reminds me of Pepsi-cola. It is balmy, balmy in the way of how Chinese balm would smell like. And it doesn't really take much of my heart in early stage. As scent develop, later it do gives a cool hint. I think this is where I think the whole composition slightly changed. It is "Minty", "Herbaceous" and it is somewhat remind me of barbershop vibe. I do not understand this period a first. It seems unwelcoming in my knowledge of ambrette-musk fragrance. I found this cooling vibe really help in the final stage of scent. When it's all about musk, this cooling tint slight gives me sweetness / fresh quality of musk to the overall profile. And this musk, I found to be most beautiful rendered musk I have been testing so far. It is complete element of musk sweet, soft animalic, luster full body, silk-like, floaty, alluring. Like, all the comprehension I can say about how ideal musk smell like, Pascal transfer it beautiful here. I have sniffed, true Mongolia Deer Musk in Mongolian Migra by Prinn (the fragrance contains real deer musk) and remember the beauty of musk. I remember, the quality of that musk transfers beautifully here. Except the strong animalic aspect, is not presented here. Still, I like Scared Scarab the most but this is very close. Please allow me to mention that, if your understanding about Musk is White Industiral Musk. It will be hard to appreciate "Musk deer" at first sniff same as people who like the authentic regal musk. You won't really enjoy either. Key of Musk deer, is replica of musk using IFRA compliant safe ingredient. It is beautiful rendered by Pascal Gaurin. My appreciation for Pascal. I think I will adding you to my personal favorite perfumer list. Apart from Michèle Saramito and Alexandra Carlin. You can really make a sensual delight perfume. 9.5/10

The short: A new musk perfume which doesn't smell like musks of past days, and has been modernized. A clean deer in a humid forest. A perfume that strolls along the crowds and you might think it's not there, but it definitely is! This might become a hit and is certainly a breath of fresh air from other new releases by both niche and designer houses. Longevity 9~10 Projection 10 (less is more) Uniqueness 9 Price to Quality 9 (I deduct one point because SOME Zoologist customers might expect a heavier perfume, but I think after a full wear they'll "get" this perfume/understand it). The long: Some Zoologist customers may receive samples of Musk Deer like I did. I look forward to their reviews because this one has excited me. I was a little worried that this was going to be an iris bomb, or soap bomb. Or something in the vein of Nasomatto Silver Musk (overwhelming) but it's a totally new and different take on musk, and I would say a new direction for Zoologist. Forget dirty or ultra animalic, but also forget sparkling clean. This opens up with a light sprinkle sweet notes and something green (must be calamus). Almost immediately you begin your musk ride. This is Musk xylol ambrette + another musk molecule I've smelled before but never balanced quite in this way and the clean edges have been peeled back and forced into a wet damp earth. There's no geosmin or petrichor but the patchouli and (I guess) Laotian oud accord give it an earthy edge. I would say animalic, but this is much more laid back vs other Zoologist releases. I love this as much as Panda already, but not more than Panda. The scent has a mass appeal to it but not in the way you see in usual perfumes. I associate mass appeal with tonka bean, vanilla, wood-accords. This employs labdanum and sandalwood. The sweetness from the two combined with cardamom push out along with the musk, but it is perfectly harmonious. It's never *TOO MUCH* of one thing or the other. I should add here that I really dislike when cardamom goes from the sweet camp to spicy.. It definitely doesn't do that here. I've owned this for a day and I already plan to get a bottle on release. I will wear this more this week, feel free to ask questions. This perfume while not reminding me of other perfumes, does remind me of the styling of "Another 13" and "Gaiac 10" in that it whispers. It is not there and it is. After 6 hours of application, I was noticed across a room after walking in and sitting down for 5 minutes. You will smell clean as if you have a shining spick n span armor on your body, but you won't smell soapy, if that makes sense. I would say the persistence and durability is heads and shoulders above all perfumes mentioned. Once life returns to normal, I would love to see people's reaction if I wear this to the office, due to it's quiet but "persistently there" styling. by the way, for a user named "scentcritique", Scentcritique should at least know that many synthetic musks are significantly more expensive than naturals ;-). They are also very difficult to use without destroying or overwhelming compositions entirely

I took a long time writing this because I wanted to collect my thoughts and do it justice. Musk Deer was not my first Zoologist fragrance. Not my first musky fragrance, either. But it came at a time where I was convinced I hated musky scents because I had burnt my nose on heavy black musks (accidentally, perhaps). I was not ready for that. Then I experienced "laundry musks" and could see what people loved about it but I was still not won over. And then came the one fragrance that would be the trigger, the one where I "clicked" and I started my journey trying to understand what made it so special, what gave me that sensory overload, that rush of serotonin that gave me goosebumps. That fragrance was Musk Deer. I did not see this one coming. One sniff and I was already ordering a full bottle of this. That fresh, floral opening! The spicy, warming sensation that follows. This almost gourmand creaminess and that irresistible feeling of sexiness that it wraps you in. I had never experienced this before. I did not think this possible, much less from a fragrance not even using real musk (ambrette is the ingredient responsible here for the musky accord). I was already won over, but then came the comments. Almost everyone at work commented on it the first day I wore this to work. I couldn't believe it. If you hate musk or if you never tried musky fragrances, please get your nose on this one, this is far removed from those castoreum bombs like YSL Kouros or civet bombs like Chanel no 5. So yes, in summary, Musk Deer opens with this beautiful floral freshness from rose and jasmine, which deepens a few minutes later into a spicier, warming vibe from labdanum and cardamom making themselves noticed. As it dries down and your skin warms up, the woods and musk radiate, giving this a sweet and spicy sexiness, all blended together masterfully with sandalwood and orris root/butter giving it a creamy smoothness. It never feels raw, edgy or disjointed. The longevity on me is good, around 6-8 hours, you could probably stretch it with some enhancers but I find here iso e super keeps the florals from blooming and ambrox feels out of place so I just use Musk Deer by itself, as I find it perfect the way it is. This is great for cooler weather but Spring works well in cooler days but the spicy and floral aspects will be a bit heavy for Summer. All in all, probably my favorite Zoologist, one of my very favorite fragrances and a perfect place to start for noses new to musky fragrances who like spicy scents and florals.

'Musk Deer' really surprised me, but in the best way. If you're expecting something animalic along the lines of 'Hyrax,' or daring along the lines of 'Tyrannosaurus Rex,' look elsewhere. What we have instead is a gorgeous, light, wintry, sensual musk scent that's extremely wearable and completely different from any other Zoologist offering. To those who somehow feel mislead or disappointed by this, I'd like to mention that 'Civet' also turned out to be a lot less challenging or animalic than its name implied. That doesn't make it any less artistic or lovely. The scent really captures the vibe of a quiet, calm, snowy forest. At the opening, it almost has this sparkling effect, with a slight powdery smell that gives the impression of a light dusting of newly fallen snow, glistening in the sun. There's a constant faint sweetness in the background that lingers, but isn't overpowering. This is overall a gentle scent with lots of character; One of the tamer beasts in the Zoologist collection, but quite present nonetheless. So cold, yet so cozy and inviting. I experience slight anosmia to it at times, but then I'll get whiffs on and off and I'm reminded of how beautiful and addictive this fragrance is. When it comes down to it, 'Musk Deer' is what it's meant to be, and that's all I can ask for.

I find that I either dislike or love perfume selections from Zoologist. Rarely am I indifferent, as most of the blends produce strong opinions and Deer Musk is no different. I mostly have difficulty with Zoologist, I can count on one hand the perfumes I like from the brand. Many come across too synthetic or an odd mix for me, but not this time. I love Deer Musk. It opens with a dominant Cardamon, I didn’t get the feral scent others write about. Instead other notes make their entrance past the spice gate: Deer Musk is natural, earthy, then floral and lastly a wooded area. I don’t know if I’ve smelled Calamus before, but it might be the note that creates the pretty, sweet, green atmosphere. I’m on a testing binge as of recent, I have a big box of samples sitting in front of me, and by coincidence, another box of perfume is on its way. Perfect for a testing junkie like me. Anyway, I wore this to bed last night, which I admit was a dangerous move on my part considering the trouble I’ve had with Zoologist in the past, but I’m glad I did. I woke up in a lovely, grassy area with beautiful smells all around me. Deer Musk has some good performance. I’m wanting my own bottle.

This one wears totally differently on clothes vs. skin. On skin, this smells almost a touch vintage for the first five to ten minutes. The cardamom is quite present, along with a hint of powder. The cardamom almost smells like very soft aldehydes to my nose. Then all of that fades to the background and a borderline-barnyard animalic note comes out for about twenty minutes. That eventually softens and blends with the skin. At this stage, the gorgeous muskiness I love comes out. This is a comforting scent, one that feels safe (as in, providing a sense of safety, not boring) and pretty at the same time. On fabric, however, this smells so much like ginger ale! It’s almost comical. A sweet facet comes out and the cardamom smells effervescent and more gingery. It’s a bit more linear on fabric - the sweetness remains throughout the entire wear time. I’ll mainly wear this on skin, which is an unusual choice for me, but I might try this on fabric again in the late spring. Ginger ale might be perfect at that time.

Lovely medicinal ambrette. There's a cola aspect to it as well—not sweet, more like the various aromatics that contribute to cola's flavor. Ambrette seed is such a subtle note that it tends to get overshadowed by most of the materials you mix with it. Or often, a small dosing of ambrettolide is passed off as a full ambrette note (my guess is to keep those note breakdowns looking fancy). But here, that musky, vegetal, slightly waxy ambrette is very forward, generously helped along by the calamus. After a few hours, it comes down to a clean, musky scent—not quite a skin-scent but skin-like. I sense a lot of cashmeran and ethylene brassylate. I wish though it came in a lower concentration; the intensity makes it too "loud" and hard to appreciate its complexity. The overdose of musks and the oud makes it a little too thick and at times, headache-inducing. Still, Musk Deer is one of the best ambrette fragrances I've encountered.

So good, absolutely amazing! This is so much more about warm woods and spices than "deer", though it is there, the accord emerging once the initial application settles down. My very first impression was of sandalwood with cardamom, reminding my of the vintage pure perfume Samsara. The sandalwood recedes a bit after about 15 minutes, but never really goes away. 5 hours later, and when I sniff the spot where I applied just a few swipes from the tester rod, I detect a creamy jasmine sambac, transforming the initially masculine leaning unisex scent into a feminine leaning unisex scent. I thought to myself that it's almost as if the stag musk deer has found and become enchanted by his doe. Longevity and projection seem to be decent, or at least decent enough to not put me off purchasing a FB. Someday. When I win the lottery.

Today I got the most unusual compliments ever while wearing Musk Deer. This perfume really gets better with time. I wore it today, and then I went to do a fishing presentation at local elementary school. While the kids were on recess, me and my colleagues set up our stuff in the classroom (4th grade). When recess was over the kids returned to the class room, and immediately upon entering they started saying things like: "Something smells really good in here!", "What a nice smell!", "The classroom smells delicious!", etc. This was of course Musk Deer. I'd totally forgotten about it and I couldn't smell it anymore on me, but it was definitely there, and the 4th graders (who must be about 10 years old) began loudly commenting about it. All in all, Musk Deer is a great extrait de parfum, and a big favorite of mine.

Musk deer is a very pleasant warm musk, and I get nice wood and a hint of more spices than just cardamom. I'm not familiar with calamus but if its the source of the spiciness I may have a new favorite note. Musk Deer is warm, comforting and beautiful, the smoothest Zoologist so far. But "...The result evokes the animal desire of a lusty musk deer amid the alluring chill of a wintry forest, all captured without a hint of menace...". I'm very happy that no creatures were menaced in the creation of this perfume, but I think I'd prefer a just a touch of menace in the notes... Edit 3/31/2021 I'm finding that even though this is tamer than I expected, I'm reaching for it more and more. Sometimes I don't need excitement; Musk Deer is a sublimely smooth gently warm musk. Moved to 'love'.

Musky beauty, high level blending. Not as animalic as actual deer musk as they use ambrette and oud. Labdanum, coumin, cedarwood, sandalwood, orris and patchouli all mixed to perfection. Cardamom gives it some spices. Almost feels like saffron is present although not listed. Very strong, almost boozy, but also very wearable. They managed to balance the musk really well while keeping the juice super potent. It does get a bit more animalic as it dries but still manages to maintain mass appeal. This reminds me some of Dubai gold but less boozy. I think this could appeal to people who are squeamish to musks, but also has a touch of the hard stuff from the Laotian oud, to satisfy musk lovers. Impressive blend. Scent 8.8/10 Performance 8.7/10

Warm, spicy, flowery, musky, elegant, clean... this is Musk Deer, a very pleasing offering by Zoologist, one of my favorite perfume houses. Compared to other Zoologist, Musk Deer is very, very "safe". This is definitely a complex fragrance, not beast mode, but it creates a nice intimate scent bubble around me. On my skin it opens very spicy and then it transforms into a white flower bouquet with a musky undertone. This is creamy and although to my nose the oud is not very prominent, sometimes I can feel a bit of an animalic scent deep down in the drydown (this is very subtle). This is extremely well blended, and perfect for a number of occasions, and definitely office friendly. Well done again Zoologist!

I tried this on skin and was unimpressed. Then months later out of boredom and need to explore more perfumes, which is hard when almost no one ships where you live, I tried this on my clothes. Deer lord! Such a nice perfectly unisex musky fragrance, very clean and at the same time neutral, and potent. Very likeable I would say. It is not gourmand or floral, but other things, it might be. Edit: a ton of months later, I still find it very amusing to spray this one on one forearm directly on skin and on the other on top of my sleeve. Skin is kind of fecal if you bury your nose in it and inhale deeply, but on the clothes, so so vibrant! Oh my god will I actually have to get a full bottle of this one too...

TO ME THIS SMELLS LIKE COKE AND I LOVE IT. The opening JUST SMELLS LIKE SPICY COKE. I don’t know how but it really does. This is the best zoologist when it comes to quality of raw materials ‘cus it has real, natural oud. And it kinda shows. It’s coke with musk and animalic oud. BUT NOT OFFENSIVE WHATSOEVER!!!! I got a lot and i mean A LOT of compliments with this one. Great first niche fragrance without getting boring down the line. Love this so so much! Ratings Smell 10/10 Performance 10/10 (10h on me and great projection) Value 10/10 could wear this anywhere Price 9/10 (keeping into a count that it has real oud) Ovr 9,75/10 would round it up to 10/10

I like to describe fragrance with colours, and this one is a scale from deepest, darkest brown to palest beige or cream. It’s weirdly boring while also being intense. One second it just makes me think of clean naked skin and some warm leather, but the next I feel it’s very spicy in a slightly sweaty way. One theme is pretty consistent though: The feeling of being close to someone, smelling their skin, feeling the warmth radiate from their body. Not something I would wear because I want to smell amazing, but it's amazing at what it does, and I seriously love the fact that I can have the sense of closeness in a bottle!

Rude at first, then lovely. Opens with loud fecal spice, like something large and furry shat cardamom pods in your personal space. Just as your eyes start to water in protest, the cedar tamps down the fumes with some nice florals, and then the softest powdery musk takes over. The orris root makes this brilliant–not like Lolita Lempicka’s pulverized violet candy–more like fae monarchy walking in the forest, raising sugary pollen that glitters in the sun. The base woods stay sweet on the on the skin for half the day, with the musk trailing a foot above. Unisex. Leans delicate, after the feral beginning.

wonderful! no, really. what a masterpiece. it has this ethereal sweetness ... strange and different ... very difficult to describe. really. will this magical calamusa be? if so, I want to plant hectares! surely there is some very high quality rose and beautiful jasmine. after all I don't care. because these notes alone take you to heaven !!!!! definitely ambrette, fantastic cardamom that makes the scent also clean and soapy.surely orris in good quantity and a light sandalwood. I could compare it but very distantly to prada amber homme to the nth degree. vote 10/10 the women will be at your feet.

Magnificent. I have tried nearly all of the Zoologist Sample Set of Q1 2024. This, by far, is the clear winner. At least for me. Spicy rose opening. Great musk body and dry down. I can see where some lean towards a cola scent. But for me, just inviting. Welcoming. If this had "beast mode" projection, I would buy two bottles right now. Looking like a weirdo at my desk constantly sniffing my self. 🤣 it probably could use more musk if you wanted to benefit from the name. Regardless, this could be a timeless scent, a signature scent. If you don't like it, feel free to send me your bottle. 😀

Musk Deer is a feeling-scape of coziness. It is slow swirling pinks and whites in various shades, the feeling of falling back into the biggest, softest pillow, the sensation of holding a warm hand on a cold winter’s day. Best of all, it kind of reminds me of nuzzling my face into my cat’s fur. I think the reviewer below hit the nail on the head with “excellent entry level animalic”. It is the perfect fluffy musk with just a whisper of warm spicy mystery and animalic depth. As someone who gets a bit freaked out by some animalics, I am so surprised by how much I love this.

Absolutely stunning. Exquisite. Been wearing it and it needs another review for sure. A powdery , talc, exquisite spicy but elegant scent. Cola-like sourness, in the best possible way on opening. Incredibly addictive and majestically done. I AM IN LOVE. Woody , elegant, with a hint of animalic, but also a balanced soft and timid layer of sweetness. Ohhh lord my mouth is watering and my brain is being tickled. Unisex but leaning masculine. Leathery but airy , very skin like . 100/10 intriguing and mysterious. The best possible Male Scent. Timid but worthy.

Absolutely gorgeous. The first thing that came to mind was a dewy meadow on a sunny morning. I've never smelt musk like this before, so it's almost hard to describe, but the almost sweet, powdery, even rice feel of the ambrette is simply beautiful and harmonious. This is also my first Zoologist perfume, so I am excited to try more in the future. I would also say this could be blind buy safe, I mean, how could you not love this? Edit: the more I sniff it, on the dry down, it reminds me of Montblanc Individuel. That powdery musk is strikingly similar.

My first Zoologist perfume! This is a dab sample I purchased, along with some other niche fragrances. I LOVE the opening of this!! I think it's the cardamom that's calling to me so much. I fully agree with @foreverest's review on the scent, and I wouldn't have been able to put it as eloquently. It's 100% not what I expected it to be, but 100% unique (for my collection)! I love it, and if it wasn't so expensive I would buy a bottle right now! I now, without a doubt, need to save up and try ALL the other Zoologist fragrances!!! :D

Cardamom and rose create the effect of a fizzy, soft-spicy and sweet opening, a little bit like coca-cola for a second, which caught me off-guard because I expected it to be more animalic. 10 min later, the animalic appeared gradually, along with the woody-musky notes. It is also a powdery-warm musky if you sniff it closely, but neither the animalic note and the woody-musk are too dominant nor too powdery. The blend is balance enough to create a complicated and uniqe scent, yet safe enough for animalic newcomers.

This is so pretty. It is bright and sunny. Loaded with Cardamom so its spicy, with a slight sweetness not overdone and woody because I can definitely smell the sandalwood and cedar. If Civet is for the evening this would be for the daytime. It has a certain similarity with Civet with a resinous spicy sweetness, but musk deer can be easily worn during any time of the day and any season and is much lighter. I love it. Definitely worth a sniff if you love cardamom spicy fragrances.

Did I get a beautiful burst of fruitiness, especially cherry, at the opening? Yes. Did it last? Also yes but for a while. Animal notes? Faint but pleasant. I think this is the safest one to wear and still pick up the lovely notes. Labdanum will always linger shamelessly and you've got to love her for it. Definitely getting a bottle, this is the most wearable animalistic-type scent I've tried, you get all the intrigue without being bothered by it.... 10/10

Musk Deer definitely exceeded my expectations. This is really a great musk-centric scent that radiates the fuzzy fur element I love to wear every day from my various musk genre favourites. It's complemented well by the other notes, particularly the calamus and oud which provide a grounding herbal/forest element. I'll definitely be looking at a full bottle. If you love perfumes like Muscs Koublai Khan, Marlou Carnicure, Kiehls etc. this is worth trying!

Tested from spray sample. WOW !!! Love at first sniff......very surprised by this one. Musk.....warm spices and woods.......calming yet uplifting. Still figuring out performance/sillage. FB worthy, IMO. Nicely done !!!! Edit: O-M-G !!! I LOVE this !!! I am getting a "chypre" -ish vibe from this. And every time I wear this....I get changes....so complex. Very wood/patchy....earthy....a twang of medicinal/animalic....Full bottle...asap !!!

This opens with a strong, sweet cardamom scent that then mellows out with the addition of cedar, sandalwood, and musk. It's an interesting sweet, musky, spicy, and slightly powdery and floral scent. It's not as animalic as some other Zoologist fragrances, so I think this is a safe choice for those who are wary of animalic scents. I really like this one, though I do wish it was heavier on the musk and lighter on the sandalwood.

Immediately comforting; warm, soft, syrupy, spicy. A lovely bit of woodiness. Unisex. Dry down is a soft leather with spice somewhat reminiscent of Cuir de Russie. This one really lasts. I fell in love and have purchased. Rated as 8/10, would have been higher except that this is a very recognizable type of fragrance without the stunning uniqueness of some of the others from this very creative line.

I expected a dark and heavily animalic scent like civet (which I love) but was pleasantly surprised. The musk is clean and fresh, which the sweetness of the cardamom perfectly compliments. The rose and oud are slight at first but once it drys down the oud really shines. The heart notes are blended well together making it hard to pick them out individually but they definitely are there.

This fragrance has a woody scent, like the smell of trees in a forest, with a subtle animalic hint, almost as if I were near a wild animal’s home. It’s not unpleasant, just earthy and natural, and I think I can pick up a faint note of cardamom as well. After about three hours, the forest-like vibe has faded, and the animalic note has become a bit stronger.

I got a sample of this today and im super unsure of how i feel about it, i really can’t decide if i hate it or love it. I get a lot of musk from this as to be expected. It’s sweet, musky and smooth but there’s something about it i dont like but i really cant put my finger on it. This also is extremely similar to Orto Parisis Seminalis to my nose.

Reallllly enjoying my sample of this one. I want a bottle for $210 for 60ml is steep. Kind of reminds me of over the musk by mugler which is one of my all time favorite but sadly discontinued. Edit: ordered a 10ml decant because I loved the sample so much. This is one of my favorite scents recently- one of the best ive smelled in a WHILE

100/10 Comforting, balsamic animalic, how is this possible ? So interesting ! I can't stop reaching for it on my skin. Def airy, with a hint of sweetness in the bottom. Calamus is pungent. You need personality to rock this properly but wow ! Airy, not at all heavy or dark. True MUSK. Moth, this and squid, are my absolute favorite !

I know im crazy and will probably take this back - but this maybe my signature scent. Soft and warm while being alluring. Its just a perfectly concocted fragrance and experience. I love everything about this fragrance. Beautiful packaging, bottle, pressurized atomizer, story, scent, and great performance. This is a true 10/10.

Cold, bright, and soft. Slightly boozy and animalic in a very comforting way. My favorite! edit: I got a new sample after my old one ran out and it smells nothing like it. The previous one a favorite, spicy, fizzy, and fuzzy. This sample is woody and nothing else.

Powerful, warm, perfectly refined, spicy, atypical but familiar musk. Sexy, subtle, refined and still somehow funky. Excellent, "entry level" animalic. This may be as far as you want to go. An achievement. Top 3 from this house.

This is incredible. Smells like walking around a record shop, specifically the Electric Fetus that used to be in St. Cloud, MN. Lots of patchouli and musk and rose. Smells like hippies. I love it, I want a full bottle.

This is a very beautiful perfume. Clean musk, warm spices, and woods. It’s not loud at all, either. Moderate bordering on intimate projection on me. So, so pleasant. And I’m sure it’ll have men at your feet, Martin 😉

@FMilan I only smelled the Goutal briefly once, I will get decants of those. Unfortunately parfums empire is hard to find where I live. I kinda remember the Goutal, it was "waxy", I wouldn't pin them as similar.

I love it. It's very animalic and musky. I don't personally smell any sweetness or cola like property. It does not smell fuzzy to me. I mostly smell animalic musky notes. I also smell some beautiful woodiness.

I wanted to add: I find some remote similarities to CHANEL Exclusifs Bois des Iles

This is really nice. Super unique and musky scents barely miss for me.

Initially putting this on, I get a heavy smell of cardamom and some muskiness. I'm not sure what calamus is, but it's apparently a "a warm spicy woody note with sweet undertones," which I do get that sense as well. People said they don't think this smells like a musk deer, and maybe it doesn't exactly, but I do get whiffs in between the spicy and sweet cardamom scent that smell more animalic, maybe almost oily, and musky, where I could imagine a deer- specifically zooming in on the fur and it's texture comes to mind. The former scent is actually pretty wearable, the latter maybe a bit more 'niche,' but it's not overpowering and doesn't last long. It's also pretty strong upon immediately applying. I smell it definitely within an arm's length and very strongly within 4" of the skin. I really couldn't say if this is more masculine or feminine, it's pretty unisex and just "is". After 10 minutes, it's settled down to a strong skin scent. A woodsy note comes out more, too, and an ever so slight touch of powderiness. I agree with people saying that this is like sparkling snow on a bright sunny winter day in the woods. It's currently a lightly snowing day in the city for me, and I've got to say, it definitely is pulling more of a silent still woods snowy environment rather than just in general a snowy or winter day because I'm looking outside and I just keep thinking that this isn't matching the snowiness I see outside right now. It brings a sense of a much calmer outdoor environment, like I'd see going around the woods by us when I lived in Wisconsin. In 20 minutes, oud starts to become more strong, as well as some sandalwood. There is still spiciness to it, as well as muskiness. If you like oud and spicy scents, this is very wearable with a peaceful and lighthearted touch to it. I'll see how long this lasts and if it changes anymore. Update: 2 hours later, it's still going strong on the skin, still oud-musk-cardamom. 6 hours later, it's a faint skin scent that I have to put my nose to my skin to really get at all. It's mostly an, almost stinky, oud left (my opinion, since I'm not the biggest fan of oud, but others may not think so)

Not nearly as animalic or as musky as I would’ve expected, upon initial burst, the people who have said that Musk Deer smells like Coca-Cola hit the nail on the head. At first sniff, it smells like how vanilla coke tastes. It smells like how Lana Del Rey coos, “My ----- tastes like Pepsi Cola” in the first words to her cheeky 2012 banger named (naturally, of course) “Cola.” Fizzy, puzzling, and a bit of a fever dream, this scent becomes more difficult to describe as it develops. With that sparkling opening, trying to decipher this scent feels like being a shrunken person drowning in a carbonated bottle while a God-sized Lana Del Rey continues her song from the clouds above and gently crows, “He’s in the sky with diamonds and he’s making me crazy.” Then the bubbles slowly settle, and this flattens into something a bit more masculine and familiar. Finally, at the very end of the dry-down, Musk Deer unexpectedly leaps out of the woods and veers into the car. It’s at that point when this fragrance recalls a certain more mainstream perfume house, and it smacks of the same slightly off-putting “old man” scents from that house’s most masculine scents: the DNA of the dry-down is as close to a Le Labo scent as I would hope that Zoologist will ever get. Musk Deer is a mature fragrance, for sure, which not everyone can pull off or will appreciate. It’s not my favorite from the Zoologist house, and it reeks of acquired taste. But I appreciate it. I’d rather be confused by a fragrance than bored by it. And I’m certainly not bored. I read somewhere that Musk Deer is part of Zoologist’s “Winter Trilogy.” The other two scents being Penguin (a refreshing blast) and Snowy Owl (a masterpiece and an unparalleled piece of art). I don’t get any wintry vibes from this, but it does leave me with the slight buzz of a quick caffeine rush to the head, and that’s satisfying enough for me. In five words or less: My musk smells like Cola.

7th try from the brand and two sprays on my arm. First thing that it reminded me of was cola/pepsi. Not bubbly sweet soda or anything, just that spicy cola/pepsi smell. Its probably the closest a fragrance had gotten to the smell out of the stuff I've smelled. Awhile later, it dries down to a smell that I remembered from some where. After some thinking, I remembered. This smells exactly like Nasomatto Pardon and how it smelled on my skin with its medicinal chocolaty smell. Minus the barbecue smoky smell, this has the Pardon vibe probably from the patchouli. I was expecting an animalic musky smell but nope. The musk that was used here is supposed to be a winter musk accord and apparently it is supposed to depict deers in a cool Siberian forest. I can definitely see and smell that. Its kinda cool, medicinal and slightly fuzzy. The notes that are strong on my skin are calamas, ambrette, cardamom, patchouli and the woods. Performance wise, It's not a projection bomb on me. Its more of a moderate projector. Longevity is pretty good but you'd expect that from this kind of a dark scent. Overall, its a really nice perfume. I cant say whether it belongs on the challenging or the easy to wear club because its not very specific. its in the middle. If you like Pardon or if you're looking for a good depiction of the cola/pepsi smell, you might want to check this out.

Warm spicy scent; cardamom presence is felt all the way through, with some animal note and slight floral in the background. As it settles, it turns more powdery, with oud supporting the scent. Also, cardamom is the note i dislike, but the cardamom here is blended nicely, and it doesn't slaughter my nose. However, this zoologist take on warm spicy isnt unique - this combination has been done so many times before and while the balance is achieved rather nicely here, it isnt completely a new take on this classic type of fragrance. While the sillage is low to the level of almost being a skin scent, i think it is heading in the right direction, as warm spicy fragrance can easily be too cloying. The sillage in the first 30 mins or so is quite decent, and it becomes a skin scent after that. Nonetheless, the longevity is really good. I applied before going go bed and i still smelling it in the morning. Regarding the price, i fail to see why it has to be priced 30 dollar above the usual zoologist line ups. While the bee at 195 dollar justifies its price tag, i dont think this one does. It also lean masculine rather than unisex.

Musk deer is much woodier than I expected. A like not a love. The oud here is very pine like. It reminds me of the oud that is in my bottle of Dendera. This perfume reminds me of being curled up by a warm fire next to your beloved cats while drinking a spiced tea. Something I miss doing. The cardamom comes through very strong here as well and anyone who loves cardamom will really like this. This is mildly musky, not the musk bomb that Civet is and Civet is the one I love out of all 3 of the musk animals. This is a nice woody, warm spicy and slightly musky fragrance. Non offensive and an easy everyday unisex dumb reach but I'm a little underwhelmed by it but again this brand is known for really wild, exciting and polarizing juice. This is a nice and more mainstream offering from the brand. I also get a bit of a holiday vibe w/ this one. A good winter woody warm spicy musk. My husband snagged this and hyrax for himself. I'm still shocked. He usually hate skank in perfume. Musk deer is unisex. Hyrax is male

First blast of a dirty animalic sandalwood that becomes heavy with wood and musk with every second. Puts me in mind of a steamy cedar sauna in the middle of a night time forest. The drydown is much easier to get along with than the punchy sandalwood opening, the deepening woods and musk warming and blooming more. What projects is an attractive aromatic cedar and patchouli, sweetened with sandalwood at the back of the nose. Don't be afraid of the musk in the name; it's there but it's not as animalic as it was in the opening. Okay projection during the first half hour; extremely masculine and best for cooler weather. 6+ hours later: Dried down to a musky sandalwood, going moderately strong if only just at skin level.

The initial spray was almost like a cola or gingerale - quite warm, sweet and syrupy. But as it dried down, the warmth and wood-tones really came through, and it truly felt as if I'd wandered into a fortune teller's tent, or some sort of metaphysical bookstore/apothecary. It's delightfully comforting and somewhat nostalgic - I'm sure I had a great aunt somewhere that I met once as a child who smelt so strikingly familiar to this fragrance. It's a sort of hazy memory (and maybe that fortune teller can coax it out). I'm quite surprised at how beautiful of a fragrance it is, and it makes me very eager to try more of Zoologist's fragrances. This one was my first.