Penguin

Glad to see it added at last. I've had my sample for some time (kindly provided by Victor with my last order) and I've had time to wrap my head around it. I think? It's such an unusual bird (pun intended). Those who complained Zoologist were getting more "mainstream" will be served: this is Zoologist at their best! Evocative, singular and complex. On the surface, this is a freshie, crisp and sharp, dominated by notes of juniper and I believe cistus (which brings an herbaceous, woody tone). What truly breaks my brain and bugs my mind is the "ice" and "Antarctic air" accords. I honestly shook my head and thought "alright, you guys are pushing it here"... but immediately upon smelling it, you really pick up a weird "coldness" from it. I can't explain it properly, it's just a very weird sense of cold, like if you open your freezer and breath in deep (not food, obviously) or when it's -40 outside and the air has that briskness that takes your breath away. That. As someone who is not into freshies, I was a bit perplexed but also intrigued and it turns out, on skin this develops quite a bit. After the initial opening, I start getting a bit of warmth, a little coziness which I'm guessing is brought by the middle notes. You feel like you're the little chick being buried under the feathers, it's warm, fluffy and soft. Besides the feeling of briskness in the opening, there is nothing harsh about this Penguin. That fluffiness lingers on through the whole longevity (I'm guessing from sandalwood and musk?) and you get that typical "Zoologist bird" vibe, that familiar "featheriness". Surprisingly, this lasts well over 6 hours on me, which is very unusual for a "freshie". Also, this is indeed an aquatic but not the typical sense, not your average "beachy" aquatic. This is arctic cold. As it turns out I've also noticed that somehow, it survives the cold outside surprisingly well. What wizardry is this?! Truly a great job from the perfumer here. This is obviously good for wintry weather and I would say through early spring. I'm not sure how it will fare in Summer and I don't think it's a good fit for Fall, as it is very "airy". I've also had comments on it, some positive others just wondering what the heck I'm wearing (not negative just confused at what they're smelling) and I love that! Looking forward to add this one to my shelf.

I'm genuinely surprised that they managed to capture the scent of frigidity. I'm almost wondering if it has some sort of mild menthol or numbing agent just for the way it feels against my skin (though it doesn't smell like it). On the first spray it's so cold, and sharp in an astringent sort of way. I definitely get that "dentist office chair" vibe others have mentioned here with that creeping leather note that rears its head on the dry down. At first, I didn't love it. If it hadn't evolved past this stage I would have found it very challenging. It's truly desolate and cold and evocative of a penguin who lost his troop. "Ozonic" I think is the only way to describe it. It clings onto that essence very near to the skin throughout the wear, yet blooms with closeness and warmth in its projection once it dries down into this almost creamy and powdery saffron and juniper duo. At this point it becomes delicious, and with those contrasting ice and hide notes still lingering on the skin, I couldn't stop bringing my nose to my wrist to bring them back. Sillage is about where I like it too, within arm's reach with a couple of sprays and always radiating from my chest like a comforting little bubble just for me. Longevity seems decent, but I'd have to test it a few more times to get a better feel. I could definitely see getting a full bottle or decant of this one. It's subtle in its complexity and is constantly giving you something to enjoy.

Sampling the second most recent Zoologist release, and the first from 2024, Penguin, a perfume that opens as an icy fresh, citric, green, semi ozonic mix that dries down interestingly with spices and resins—namely, juniper, pink pepper, saffron, labdanum—so while it starts out icy fresh, it quickly finds more interesting footing in its more profound dry down. I really enjoy this quick evolution, frankly a bit of a bait and switch, from the icy blast to the spicy dry down, particularly in that where it ends up isn’t overbearingly intense but rather still nuanced and year-round pleasant. I think this leans toward the more crowd-pleasing, say, half of the Zoologist catalogue, while still being quite interesting and innovative. The spice/resin ensemble just clicks very well with me, and as usual, performance is quite good, albeit not as strong as the latest entry, Rabbit. Penguin is sold at the brand’s standard pricing, $175 for 60ml, in 20% concentration (usually between EDP and extrait), by both the house website and boutiques like Perfumology. Like many of the house’s new releases, it’s sold out quickly via a number of points of sale. And the house sells a travel size, too, as it does for most of its scents. 8 out of 10

This is probably by far the most unique cologne in my collection. Story time. When I was younger, I had a negative reaction to allergy shots and went into anaphylactic shock. I went unconscious and had cpr and all that jazz done to keep me alive. I ended up having to staying overnight in the icu to make sure nothing would happen. Well....This cologne brings me straight back to that time. Theres this icy sterileness to the opening that is reminiscent of sitting in the hospital bed under the ac unit getting pumped full of cold liquid benadryl into the iv. It doesnt stay cold though. As it warms it brings a very sharp suede and juniper like you just opened a bottle of good gin while sitting on an expensive leather couch. The moss adds a dampness that kinda rounds everything out with the musk/sandalwood adding additional support. I Genuinely love this fragrance. No other bottle has brought that level of imagery. Its a very subjective smell and id highly recommend you get a sample to try this. 9.9/10 for smell. 9/10 for projection and longevity. Easily can fill a room if over sprayed. Lasts 8-9 hours. 7/10 for price. It is a niche house so you kinda expect it.

okay i bought this as a gift for a guy and while i would not PERSONALLY wear it this fragrance is SO GOOD. very masculine verryy sexy imo! i think the leather and juniper work so wonderfully together, very deep, it almost smells like an expensive brand new car; the ozonic notes give it a fresh and clean smell and while i dont personally get alot of coldness like many other reviewers i can definitely understand where its coming from. this is a very dark cologney scent which is why im so surprised that i like this fragrance as much as i do! its got a veryy good patchouli smell to it that isnt obnoxious but still obvious, and instead of the leather notes being overwhelmingly synthetic i find them to be pure, for lack of a better word. overall i think penguin is a solid 8/10, i would not wear it but i would drool over someone if i smelled it on them. smells like going on a late night date with a light drizzle that ends as soon as you sit down to watch the stars