ZOOLOGIST
PANDA EXTRAIT DE PARFUM
2017
PERFUMER
Chris Maurice
Apple
Tea
Ozonic notes
Mandarin Orange
Osmanthus
Magnolia
Lily
Earthy Notes
Patchouli
Jasmine
Amber
Orris
Bamboo
Musk
Civet
Sandalwood
Vanilla
THOUGHTS
This impression is for the Extrait de Parfum that was released in 2017; I haven’t tried the original Eau de Parfum that was discontinued/replaced, but from what I’ve heard they are quite different.
The first thing that hit me when I sprayed Panda on my skin was the musk. Yes, it is fresh, fruity and green, but it’s also very bitter. I doubt the bitterness is really noticeable from a distance and it does fade after a while, but when smelled up close, there’s an earthy, dirty scent underneath the freshness, that might put some people off. The civet note probably has some say in this as well.
Aside from that, this should actually be a crowd-pleasing fragrance. Apple is the main note here for me in the first hour, combined with some light florals that I wouldn’t be able to distinguish. There’s a hint of sweetness to the fruitiness as well, that reminded me of the sweetness that you can get from pineapple. I honestly don’t get the tea note at all, which was a bit disappointing. Longevity is good, but projection is really impressive, especially since the scent overall is light and ozonic. I enjoy the opening, but I’m not completely sold yet on drydown.
The freshness of the fruits fades away and it leaves a (still relatively fresh) vegetal, floral and slightly earthy scent, with a healthy dose of sweetness. At the same time seems very aquatic or just plainly ‘wet’. One thing I will say; this smells exactly how I would imagine (a panda eating) fruits in a sunny, damp tropical forest would smell. Now if you have a garden or a little greenhouse that smells like this, that would be awesome. It smells great, but I don’t know if I like it as a perfume as much.
In the drydown I oscillated between getting pleasant wafts and not being sure how I felt. When I woke up the next morning, the scent was still clearly present on my arm and I think I enjoyed the more subdued fragrance a bit more.
