Zoologist: Squid
Squid by Zoologist isn’t your typical aquatic. If you’re into scents that evoke sunlit sand or a breezy citrus this one will be a bit leftfield. This is a scent of shadowed tides, slow-moving ink and evokes arcane rituals conducted beneath the waves. It’s a hums rather than shouts. It is brooding, smooth, and softly spellbinding.
Projection: Moderate.
Squid wears close to the skin, like a whispered incantation rather than a broadcast. Expect a gentle aura, especially after the first hour.
Longevity: Respectable.
It stays with me for 4+ hours, with the earlier stages more defined. The dry down lingering nicely as a veil of salted incense and soft resins. Lasts better in colder weather, I have found but these things are incredibly variable and will differ greatly from person to person.
The Scent
The opening is one of the more unique that I’ve experienced; ink swirled with salt and mineral freshness, evoking blackwater and sunken scrolls. Less seaside more deep ocean. It’s smooth, not sharp, and not at all fishy to my nose. There’s a damp herbaceousness that hints at apothecary shelves dusted in sea salt. A hint of pink pepper adds movement.
As it dries down, soft resins and a light smoky accord emerge alongside the salted ink. It retains its aquatic character throughout, but the ink and salt are joined by a gentle driftwood quality.
Rather than shifting dramatically, Squid dissolves slowly into a skin-close haze; translucent, mineral, a little melancholic.
The Notes
Top: Pink pepper, solar salicylate, incense
Heart: Opoponax, salty ambergris, ink
Base: Benzoin, musk, synthetic ambergris
Unlike many atmospheric scents that collapse quickly into a generic base, Squid maintains its mood, but it’s that same consistency that may leave some wanting more. There’s no bold twist or surprise reveal; instead, what starts as an enigmatic, alchemical aquatic gradually softens.
Who is this for?
Squid is for those who love the ocean but not the cliché. If you're drawn to moody, conceptual perfumes and want something aquatic without the aquatic tropes, this is worth the investment. It will suit quiet thinkers, dark dreamers, and lovers of atmospheric storytelling. If you’re seeking a fresh powerhouse marine or crisp sea air, this won’t fit.
Final Thoughts
Squid is a quiet triumph, imaginative, wearable, and surprisingly serene for something so unusual. It doesn’t push or provoke; it lingers like an old myth: inky, arcane, almost otherworldly. While it might lack dramatic development, it excels in setting a mood. Think of it not as a statement scent, but as a whispered ritual. A soft spell written in ink and cast in salt and smoke.
