Zoologist – an animal kingdom in bottles from Toronto
Zoologist was founded in Toronto in 2013 by Victor Wong, and the first three fragrances – Beaver, Rhinoceros and Panda – followed in 2014. Each animal is the starting point for its own world of scent, built from its habitat, behaviour and character rather than its smell. The fragrances are composed by many independent perfumers, and the labels show the animals in tailcoats and Victorian dress. At SNUD in Vienna's Josefstadt you can smell your way through the whole Zoologist animal kingdom.
What makes Zoologist special to us?
We love how Zoologist manages to be playful and serious at the same time – the labels make you smile, the fragrances then make you marvel. From the humming beehive of Bee to the deep sea of Squid and the snowy winter landscape of Snowy Owl, every animal carries a different signature.
Who are Zoologist fragrances for?
For anyone who loves perfume with imagination and enjoys getting lost in a story. With so many animals, almost every taste in fragrance finds its match – from the sweet, floral Bee to the smoky, woody Tyrannosaurus Rex and the green, fresh Snowy Owl. The best way is to smell a few animals side by side in our shop and find out which one belongs to you.
From video games to the animal kingdom
The idea of animal-inspired fragrances goes back to Victor Wong's school days in Hong Kong; before founding the brand he worked as a 3D modeller for video games. He found his first perfumers through the Basenotes forum and built Zoologist alongside his job for the first three years. The animal portraits on the labels are drawn by illustrator Daisy Chan – in tailcoats, lace collars and Victorian dress.
At SNUD, every Zoologist fragrance is an Extrait de Parfum, and alongside the classics there are editions such as Beaver Maple, Koala Joey, Dodo Jackfruit, Elephant Sanctuary and Chameleon Tropical Blooms.
Every animal, a different nose
For every animal, Victor Wong looks for the right perfumer. Bee is by Cristiano Canali, Squid by Céline Barel, Tyrannosaurus Rex by Antonio Gardoni, Rabbit by Fanny Bal and Snowy Owl by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz. For ethical reasons, Zoologist replaces animal musks with synthetic ones – so the animal kingdom stays in the bottle, and no animal has to give anything for it.
Others include Antoine Lie with Portuguese Man O' War, Prin Lomros with Rhinoceros, Bat and King Cobra, Tomoo Inaba with Nightingale and Moth, Nathalie Feisthauer with Cow and Lovebird, Julien Rasquinet with Seahorse and Shelley Waddington with Hummingbird.
