The niche perfume house — who capture the idiosyncrasies of the animal kingdom — is moving deeper into the reptile world.
When it comes to niche perfumes, there are some houses that act as gateways, leading enthusiasts down winding pathways and rabbit holes, while others provide what’s found once one has emerged underground. Zoologist Perfumes is unique. With 33 scents to choose from, all inspired by different animals and their natural habitats, the brand’s wide breadth becomes an exploratory journey all on its own. Originally recognized for their complex and unconventional approach, the Toronto-based house teeters the line between mass-appealing musks and the absolutely mind-altering.
Zoologist has not received renown for its wearable creations. Even some of their more moderate scents, like Cow, Rabbit, or Harvest Mouse, include notes of hay, carrot, and beer extract. Victor Wong, who founded the company in 2013, wishes for the fragrances to reconnect us with what the natural world has to offer, and curates each perfume with specified inspiration. So while some profiles imbue the wearer with bucolic breaths of freshness, others are more daring in where they wish to transport us.
That’s where King Cobra comes in. Nearing its full bottle release in the fall, Zoologist’s newest member is expected to be a polarizing addition. Designed by Thai perfumer Prin Lomros, this combination of black tea and vetiver takes the wearer into a landscape of wet soil and cold moss. Described as “driven by danger and a desire to dominate,” the overpoweringly green King Cobra might be a difficult everyday scent, but that doesn’t make it any less wearable for someone committed to its essence. Despite leaning toward the masculine, this unisex fragrance opens with strong top notes of fig leaf, petitgrain, camphor, and ganja. Any sweetness is replaced by the satisfying smell of a waxy nug of weed, underlined with spicy tartness. Once the initial sprays begin to drydown, a complex ecosystem reminiscent of a damp forest floor unravels, with heart notes of black tea, cumin, leather, and soil taking up most of the fragrance’s real estate.
Lomros, a self-taught perfumer who is also the mind behind Zoologist’s Sloth, Rhinoceros, and the 2020 reformulation of Bat, considers perfumes another form of narrative art. Holding a Master’s degree in Filmmaking, Lormos’ process begins with envisioning an active scene, where color, texture, and soundscape inform what the fragrance will eventually be composed of. This holistic approach sets up Lormos’ work in elaborate and multi-dimensional worlds, ones that shift and move in accordance with whatever (or whoever) the star of the story is. He believes that a fragrance belongs to the audience once it hits the shelves, and, much like visual artists and musicians, that a creation ceases attachment to the creative once it comes into contact with a wearer.
King Cobra is a fragrance that changes form and shape depending on whose skin it sits on. It’s an experience that refuses to remain straightforward and streamlined. Refusing to follow a predictable pattern, thick temple-dwelling incense can be the winning note for some, while others could be left smelling clean and earthy like green leather. It’s a dry and sultry scent that, after a while, morphs into the embodiment of an herbal sauna.
With base notes of incense, amber, moss, patchouli, and vetiver, it’s demanding to be paired with a long night out — one in which you become the sanctioned mystic of the smoking section, worn during your favorite underground band’s warehouse show. It screams urban decay, seducing the wearer into thinking leather pants and a tank top are the only viable outfit options. King Cobra convinces you that night vision is possible — and that everyone looks better with a snake tattoo coiling up their arm.
Wong might have gotten his start after falling under the spell of Le Labo’s Rose 31 and Kiehl’s Original Musk, but King Cobra is right up his aesthetic alley. The hobby turned award-winning indie perfume brand has long since consumed his previous career as a video game 3D modeler, all to the market’s benefit. Originally inspired by Camille Saint-Saëns’ The Carnival of the Animals, Wong guessed correctly that more of us wanted to channel the playbook of animals within, even if we hadn’t previously been aware of it. He’s proven himself skilled at finding the perfect match of perfumer and perfume for his brand, unencumbered by the status quo. He trusts those he charges with the animals in his zoo — and believes that the more skilled a perfumer is, the more wearable the designs will be, regardless of how mold-breaking the note combinations may sound. Our tastes are constantly changing, and if there’s something Zoologist Perfumes reminds us to do, it’s to never write the daring off. 🌀
Carlota Gamboa is a poet and art writer from Los Angeles, CA, who spends most of her time pressing buttons at a Beverly Hills talent agency. You can find her work in Bodega Magazine, Salt Hill Journal, The Oversound, Whitehot Magazine, and Art & Object. Find her feigning apathy @its_wtvr.