First, I would like to congratulate you on receiving the Art & Olfaction 2015 Award in the Artisan Category for your perfume “Woodcut”. It’s been a few months since then, how do you feel now and how does it affect your future perfumery work?
It still feels a little unreal, although I have finally gotten used to seeing the golden pear displayed on my shelf! It’s a big honor to live up to, knowing that whatever I create in future will be compared with Woodcut.
In the fragrance community you are well respected for your perfume brand “Olympic Orchids”, but not many people know that you are a university professor and a professional orchid grower. Would you share with us some tidbits about your two other professions? And when and how did perfumery come into the picture?
Tidbits? I don’t have any good gossip that would interest anyone.
I started out in graduate school at Duke University studying the chemical senses, specifically focusing on how information about chemosensory quality is represented in spatiotemporal patterns of neural activity, but later became interested in hearing, especially echolocation in bats. I currently teach undergrad courses on sensation & perception, scientific writing, and psychology of music.
Oddly enough, it was my academic career that got me into orchids because an elderly colleague who grew orchids in his office retired, and those of us in the department divided up his plants. I got four Cattleyas, which thrived and bloomed in my office. They were the only “house plants” I has ever been able to grow successfully. Then another colleague took me to an orchid show, and I got hooked. After growing orchids for over 10 years as a hobby and subsequently growing them commercially for 10 years, I’ve smelled a lot of different orchid flowers. I got fascinated by their scents, and decided to try to recreate some of them as perfumes. The resulting intensive self-study of perfumery started well before I officially launched my perfume business 5-plus years ago.
You have always been studying and fascinated about bats. Was it the reason why you chose bat to create for Zoologist Perfumes? Did you want the perfume to smell like a bat, literally, or a creative interpretation of what a bat would smell like? And in what way do you think you have succeeded?
My research on bats has focused on how information is represented in temporal patterns of neural activity (bats can recognize a species of insect from any angle based on the time-varying pattern of acoustic “glints” reflected in echoes from the insect’s body), mechanisms for selective attention in a noisy environment (our brains and those of bats adapt to high-probability sounds, but are extremely sensitive to novel sounds), vocal learning in mammals (bats are some of the only mammals known to learn their vocalizations), seasonal changes in the auditory system (properties of the auditory system change depending on bats’ hormonal and metabolic states), and other related topics. I’ve published a large number of scientific journal articles and book chapters on all of these topics, and have an extensive knowledge of bats’ physiology, behaviour, and ecology.
I have personally trekked through the jungles of Jamaica in search of bat caves, experienced an earthquake while inside one of those caves, and crawled through filthy insulation in 130+ degree F hot attics in North Carolina in search of bat colonies. (These observations are “for whatever it’s worth”).
Of course I did not want to make a perfume that literally smells like a bat, although some species do have pleasant smells (most do not). What I wanted to do was represent the cool, earthy, damp limestone cave where the bats live, the fruit that they eat, and the clean, musky smell of their fur. I wanted it to be light enough to be like the delicate, elusive flight of a bat. However, when I was working on it I also found that it had the property of coming back at times when I didn’t expect it. I would intentionally or unintentionally wear a little bit of it to bed, and days later I would suddenly smell… Bat! This is appropriate because although it is light, it is also insistent enough to keep circling around the wearer and come back at surprising, odd times on clothing or other things that the wearer had touched. Knowing bats, I think it succeeds pretty well in doing what I envisioned.
I think Zoologist’s Bat is a one-of-a-kind perfume. I really have never smelled any perfumes like it. How would you describe the scent of Bat? Does it fit into any typical perfume genre? Who do you think would like to wear this perfume, and on what occasions? Does it matter?
I agree that Bat is a one-of-a kind perfume. I would describe it as moist, airy, earthy, minerally, fruity, resinous, and musky. Those probably seem like they would not go together, but they fuse into a unique whole that just smells like… Bat. I’m not sure you could fit it into any traditional genre. It’s neither masculine nor feminine. It’s just what it is. Even though it doesn’t fit into any known box, it’s a very wearable scent. I think people who aren’t hung up on conventional fragrance classifications would like to wear it. It has enough of a natural feel to appeal to those who like natural scents, but is complex enough to appeal to those who like sophisticated perfumes. I guess the potential wearer is anyone who enjoys it, on any occasion that they see fit. And no, it doesn’t matter.
One thing I notice about Bat is that it does not have any florals in it. Traditionally even the most masculine scents have some floral accords but they are masked by some heavier or stronger wood, herbal and spice notes. Do you think adding florals in Bat would make it more of a “crowd pleaser” perfume but not faithful to concept of the perfume, or do you think a perfume without any florals is actually something particularly interesting?
I see no reason why perfumes have to be floral. A number of my perfumes, including Woodcut, contain no floral notes at all, and they seem to be quite well-liked. I’m not a fan of floral perfumes on myself or on others, although I do like to smell floral fragrances on plants. Regarding Bat, there are nectar-feeding species of bats, but their habits and diet overlap with those of Hummingbird. In fact, some nectar-feeding bats look like hummingbirds as they hover in front of flowers, occupying the same niche at night that hummingbirds do during the day. The Bat I had in mind, though, is a small fruit-feeding species that lives in caves, so they would never encounter flowers except by accident. I think too many perfumes are designed to be “crowd-pleasers”, thereby rendering them bland and very similar to one another.
Do you have a favourite perfume genre and some favourite perfumery materials? Was there a perfume that you particular liked or found influential before you started making perfumes yourself?
I have created perfumes in most traditional European genres as an exercise, and some of these have been quite well-received. However, I consider working within a given genre too restrictive, so I think I end up mostly going outside standard perfume genres. I am partial to Arabian-style perfumes, if you consider that a genre. I use a lot of woody materials, incense, musks, herbs, and spices. I like to play around with offbeat materials that hardly anyone uses in perfume. I just got my hands on some "geosmin" aromachemical before I made Bat, and used it to help create the cave smell. I guess my general dislike for traditional European-style floral perfumes was one thing that inspired me to make my own.
Do you think Bat is quite typical of your perfumery style? Do you think people who enjoy your scents from Olympic Orchids would like it or it’s actually a big surprise in store for them?
I think Bat is typical of my style inasmuch as my style is often strange and unpredictable. People who like scents like Woodcut, Salamanca, Kingston Ferry, Blackbird, and the Devil Scents will probably like Bat. I hope it will be a good surprise for them!
If Zoologist Perfumes asks you to design their next perfumes, which animals will you suggest?
There are so many interesting animals that could inspire perfumes! Some have been done - Snakes, Gorilla, big cats and little cats (Hello Kitty). I’m thinking of weird ones like Platypus, Naked Mole-Rat (did you know they live in colonies with a queen, like bees?) Termite, Raven (too close to Blackbird?), Hyrax, Shark, Hydra, Dodo, Tyrannosaurus rex, Brontosaurus, Woolly Mammoth and other extinct animals, Silkworm, Kangaroo, Koala, Penguin, Parrot, Whale, Bird of Paradise, Komodo Dragon, Chameleon, Sloth, Spider, Scorpion, Armadillo, Hedgehog, Alligator or Crocodile, Cicada, Bullfrog, Treefrog, Woodpecker, Dung Beetle (maybe not!), Opossum, Moth, Octopus, Squid, Slime Mold, … the list could go on and on …. and, of course, Human (what would that smell like? Auto exhaust, laundry musk, tobacco and marijuana smoke, fast food, a plastic phone case …) .
Wow, you have inspired me! Thank you so much for creating Bat for Zoologist and taking the time to do this interview!
Photo by Lucien Knutesen.
Wonderful reviews for Zoologist Perfume's Hummingbird just keep coming! Here are some of the reviews from different fragrance sites and Youtube channels.
Cafleurebon.com
“Each transition from top note to heart to base becomes lyrics and melodies that create something incredibly artistic… simply put, It’s just fun, wonderfully wearable – ripe, juicy fun in a bottle.” – Pam Barr, Senior Contributor,
Brooklyn Fragrance Lover Fragrant Reviews
“It is airy and innocent, and for lack of a better word, pretty.”
Scents Memory
“It takes a really well made Fruity floral gourmand to win me over as I am normally not a fan of the genre. Most are too sweet, to immature, too common in this age of sugar water passing as perfume. Yes, most hummingbirds will fall for sugar water feeders in a garden over real flowers because it is so easy. Yet there is always one or two birds with refined taste who seek out the true nectar of nature. Hummingbird by Zoologist is made of real flowers, and ripe fruit without the candy and sugar that I detest. This Hummingbird has won my heart. ”
Fragrantica.com
“Being a vibrant cornucopia floral, it has plenty of pizazz to start with: it's choc-a-bloc with flowers, some of which have to be art essences and / or accords – because these blossoms stubbornly refuse to yield up their secrets, regardless of method. The fruit notes follow suit in that they, too, possess a tendency toward the honeyed. Then, there's honey as well. And cream. And amber.
Just when you are basking in floral abundance and sweet endearments, the base begins to make its presence felt: haylike coumarin, a delicate wink of moss, subtle hints of sandalwood and musk, a whisper of woods.
The eventual drydown is so discreet and gentle, so very tender – it bears reminding that Hummingbird's opening was the flourish of floral trumpet fanfare.
FragBoyStewie
"Sexiest women's fragrance I've ever smelled"; It's a perfect scent"; "I would wear this almost everywhere.";Scent - 10/10, Longevity - 10/10, Performance - 10/10, Versatility - 9/10, Overall - 9.5/10
KnowScentz Frags
Zoologist Hummingbird Reviews
RyzFragz34
Hummingbird Zoologist Fragrance Perfume Review!! (2015)
Maximillian Heusler
Maximilian Must Know Episode. # 448 (Quick Take - Hummingbird by Zoologist Perfumes)
Ouch110 Fragrance Reviews
Zoologist "Hummingbird" Fragrance Review
ModernMen
Top 5 Spring/Summer Fragrances 2016
CascadeScents
August 2016 Fragrance Haul!
The Silver Fox
Glimmerfur: Pungency & Shimmer – ‘Bat’ & ‘Hummingbird’ by Zoologist Perfumes
Cafleurebon.com
“Each transition from top note to heart to base becomes lyrics and melodies that create something incredibly artistic… simply put, It’s just fun, wonderfully wearable – ripe, juicy fun in a bottle.”
Brooklyn Fragrance Lover Fragrant Reviews
“It is airy and innocent, and for lack of a better word, pretty.”
Fragrantica.com
"The eventual drydown is so discreet and gentle, so very tender – it bears reminding that Hummingbird's opening was the flourish of floral trumpet fanfare.”
FragranceDaily.com
"A harbinger of joy"
The Scented Apprentice
"Shelley and Victor, you have created an amazing work or art, and should be very proud, 5/5 Stars."
This Blog Really Stinks (A Perfume Blog)
"Our fun-filled Hummingbird is a delight to wear and nothing like those department store confections."
Perfume do Dia
"Hummingbird is simply vibrant and there is something in the scent that besides being pleasant look very stylish and addictive."
Colognoisseur
"I have come to really enjoy Ms. Waddington’s way with floral notes."
Scents Memory by Lanier Smith
"Hummingbird by Zoologist is made of real flowers, and ripe fruit without the candy and sugar that I detest. This Hummingbird has won my heart."
Jaroslav Blog (Polish)
The Fragrant Journey
"This is probably one of the prettiest lilac scents I've ever smelled."
Could you tell us something about yourself and your passion for perfumery? When did you first start making perfume?
Hi, Victor, and thank you for your good questions! I grew up in a Bohemian art colony where I was culturally and academically immersed in learning many arts; writing, music, jewelry making, woodworking, painting, textiles, enameling, sculpture and ceramics. I was taught a deep respect for tradition, and to strive to go beyond it in both my life and my work.
I first tried my hand at making perfume when I was ten. Unlike most other things I learned at the time, there was no available guidance or instruction, so my first attempts were poor. I set aside the idea, with the hope that I could learn more when I was older.
Molded artistically and temperamentally in a non-conformist community, I emerged with a burning desire to learn new things, meet new people, and explore new places. It required setting aside my shyness and leaving my solitary comfort zone. Professionally, I push myself to compete even though I’m essentially a collaborator. I take pretty big risks, both financially and physically – I’ve been lost in foreign countries, run out of money, missed flights, was mugged in Mougins. But the upside is what Roald Dahl speaks to when saying, “…the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.”
I am literally on a constant voyage of discovery. (Hence the name, En Voyage.)
You have fans of your perfumes all over the world. What do they like most about your perfumes?
If I try to summarize I’ll end up embarrassing myself, so I’ll just mention what others have said - that my perfumes are rich, and have a “wow factor” that most others don’t. They find my fragrances evocative and comforting, always complex and evolving over time. “They seem to have a life force or energy that is very vibrant,” is how one person describes them. “The ingredients are high quality, the concepts and packaging are well thought out and interesting, but that it’s the juice that excels.”
Another person kindly mentioned enjoying my wonderful scent portrayals of women, the balance of vintage and modern in my style, and the richness of detail even in my least complex creations. “These are perfumes made by someone that loves fragrance, and who makes them for people who also love fragrance. They are personal, affordable and meaningful.”
What is your approach to making a perfume?
Each project begins with an idea, followed by blending small amounts of oils in a tiny 5ml beaker.
Theoretically, I see it as the process of alchemizing a story. Some do it by painting, sculpting, writing, composing music, etc. I do it by arranging smelly molecules. It’s mostly a solitary, hands-on activity.
How would you describe the style of your perfumes?
Structurally, my perfumes are classical, although I’ve experimented with linearity. My early years as a natural perfumer strongly influence my work, and possibly contribute to the perception that my work is largely a balance between vintage and modern. I don’t set out to intentionally work in a “style”, and I’m not really sure how to describe what I do other than the above. Style is ultimately an attitude. Gore Vidal summed it up very well when he said that “Style is knowing who you are, what to say, and not giving a damn.”
Do you have a favorite perfume genre and some favorite perfumery materials?
Floral-amber and floral-chypre are well suited to my personal wearing style. So is oriental-amber-vanille. Favorite perfumery materials, hmm. I like orange blossom. And notes that evoke wet air after a thunderstorm. White flowers. Cyclamen. Hay, tonka, liatrix. Vanilla, tobacco, leather. Amber, sandalwood cedar. Conifers. resins and musks. Hey, did I just build a perfume? Victor, there are so many and they are all my favorites.
What were your initial reactions when Zoologist Perfumes approached you to make a perfume based on an animal theme? Was it a good challenge?
I was much honored and attracted by the whimsy and humor of the concept. Collaborating can be heaven, hell, or something in-between. Hummingbird has been a lot of fun and a very rewarding experience.
Do you find the theme or concept behind a perfume important?
Yes. A perfume without a theme or a concept is like a book with no plot or storyline.
Could you tell us what makes Zoologist's Hummingbird special?
Like her namesake, she’s cheeky and charming. And she drinks tons of nectars - honeysuckle, mimosa, pear and honey. We’ve given her a cozy little moss nest adorned with pretty things, and a soft blanket of musk and sandalwood to keep her warm and comfy.
You put great emphasis on high quality perfumery materials and it shows. Did you use any special materials in Hummingbird that you feel have made a big difference in quality and uniqueness?
I’m quite pleased with the materials that I was able to source for this project, especially the pear, honeysuckle, and mimosa absolutes from elite manufacturers. I was also able to get my hands on a rare but superbly fragrant and diffusive sandalwood.
If Zoologist Perfumes asks you to design their next perfumes, which animals will you suggest?
Oh I can imagine doing an entire flock of hummingbirds; Oriental Bruce Lee Hummingbird, Ancient Oudh Forest Hummingbird, Vlad the Impaler Hummingbird… But seriously, I love birds and animals both, so it would be fun to think about.
Thank you for inviting me to be the nose for Hummingbird. Thank you for a great interview!
Thank you, Shelley! Hummingbird is truly beautiful and unique, and I am sure perfume lovers will have another perfume designed by you to fall in love with!
Perfumes The Guide 2018
"★★★★ While the official list of notes led me to believe it was going to be something like the old Azzaro Pour Homme, a traditional aromatic fougère, Rhinoceros instead showcases how to update an old genre with a niche sensibility. The top note has the busy, early-morning, urban freshness of an outside train platform at dawn—a smell made of equal parts correction fluid and herbal tea, refreshing and eerie. The rest is like the inside of an emptied cigar box, a vegetal, slimmed-down rethink of the tobacco-leather masculine genre. For the gentleman who meditates."
Pierre De Nishapur
“Rhinoceros is so stylish, overt, dandy and artistic, or better to say fashionable. It's a modern vintage leathery woody floral fragrance, urban and informal. Yet not realistic and plain, it a complex minimal abstraction of what rum/leather should be.”
PerfumeNiche.com
“The heart is a complex woody/leather/tobacco/oud accord that plays off opposites: rugged/refined, animalic/dignified and so peaceful powerful it will steal your soul.”
Fragrance Daily
“I am visiting a very old house in New Orleans on a very hot day, as a thunderstorm impends. There is petrichor in the air. Inside, the cypress floorboards creak as I open a cedar-lined armoire containing old linens layered with bundles of vetiver roots."
Fragrantica User Review
“This fragrance doesn't tip-toe. Neither does it hint or suggest. It's bold like the animal it was aptly named after, and heaven for those who love dry, animalic, smokey musk, leather, and tobacco, with a dash of booze. Incredibly well crafted, long lasting, distinct, and memorable, this fragrance delivers what it promises. Fall/Winter fragrance perhaps, but you'll probably catch me wearing it throughout the year whenever I just want to feel good and need my smokey leather fix!”
robes08
Initial Impression: Rhinoceros by Zoologist (2014)
Elegante Aroma
Rhinoceros by Zoologist (Exploring Niche/Indie)
MyMickers
Zoologist Fragrance House Spotlight + Giveaway
Phatkat Collections
Fragrance Review : Zoologist Perfumes Rhinoceros Cologne Review
Ouch110 Fragrance Reviews
Zoologist "Rhinoceros" Fragrance Review
U Smells Good
Rhinoceros by Zoologist
Now Smell This Perfume
Rhinoceros goes on as a musky/smoky leather scent (with a brief shot of rum and dense citrus). Next up are herbal notes (sage, immortelle and geranium) that are joined by resinous aromas —sweet "turpentine," fresh-cut pine. The perfume ends with the scents of leather, caramelized amber, oud and smoked nougat.
Il Mondo di Odore
Rhinoceros by Zoologist Perfumes (Paul Kiler)
Perfume Do Dia (Portuguese/English)
Zoologist Perfumes Rhinoceros Fragrance Review
Pierre De Nishapur
A Modern Retro Animalic Emblem
The Scented Apprentice
Zoologist Perfumes Rhinceros EDP
Pomelo Girl Thoughts
Zoologist Perfumes Review: Rhinoceros
Scentsory Meltdown Magazine
“A palate-cleanser that cuts through all of the excess perfume noise in my closet. It's a 'reset' scent, one that is detectable but restrained and takes me back to a beautifully composed center. It's highly original…”
The Scented Apprentice
I can't say enough great things about Panda, it's a true work of art, beautiful in every sense of the word, 5/5 Stars
Colognoisseur.com
“[Panda] sends you on a journey into the Chinese countryside in search of a Panda but along the way you are instead captured by the natural beauty surrounding you.”
John David
Review of Zoologist's "Panda"
RaJuR reaL deeP kooL
Zoologist Panda
This Blog Really Stinks (A Fragrance Blog)
Zoologist: Panda - A perfume review that gives me an excuse post pictures of pandas!
EauMG.net
Zoologist Perfume EDP Perfume Review
Cafleurebon.com
"Finally an animalic I can wear! Castoreum and linden blossom make for an odd, but delightful and approachable combination. This is the scent that convinced me to wear "skanky" perfumes -although it is relatively subdued, smelling of clean wet fur and fresh air. An absolute joy…"
This Blog Really Stinks (A Perfume Blog)
"Beaver is like a remade classic scent. A modern vintage. It has the lovely, earthy skank of an older perfume (that castoreum is really an accord and not a little dose of the real deal?!), with a modern and light hand shaping the notes around it."
Cafleurebon
New Fragrance Review: Zoologist Perfumes Beaver
EauMG
Zoologist Beaver EDP Perfume Review
Scent Hurdle
Zoologist Perfumes Beaver(s)
The Mauve Notebook
Perfume du jour: Zoologist's Beaver
The Fragrant Journey
Zoologist Perfumes Part Five: Panda, Beaver & Rhinoceros
Death/Scent
Created by Chris Bartlet, Zoologist’s Beaver is a fun and playful musk that is really well balanced. There is a lovely freshness, like a bracing breeze that blows in with the top notes and is dominated by Linden before it rustles through a dark wood and settles down into its den with all the warm furriness you would expect from a scent called Beaver.
Cosmetics Magazine (Spring 2015) has coverage on Zoologist Perfumes.
Zoologist Perfumes is greatly humbled and honored to be receiving the "Best of 2014" Perfume award for Beaver and "My Best Discovery 2014" award from much respected perfume blog site Cafleurebon! This is the greatest thing a perfume house could ever receive! Congratulations to the other winners who also take home the Best of 2014 awards. Thank you again!
Could you tell us something about yourself and your passion for perfumery? When did you first start making perfume?
Maybe as an Artist in many mediums, you could call me a perpetual “Noticer”. A photographer and artist is often so clued in to observational patterns, textures, sounds, and for me, odours as well. I really pay attention to my senses and what happens around me, and I particularly enjoy the scents around me in nature. I sit outside on a patio just now, in a short sleeved shirt, enjoying roses all across the garden in front of me, while parts of the USA now have more than six feet of snow. Living in So. California gives me great opportunity to enjoy beautiful flowers and scents year round.
I started on my perfumery journey when I moved away from the temperate beach climate of Southern California to the much hotter semi-desert region inland, buying an affordable house. I've been an artist and commercial photographer all of my life, and always enjoyed puttering around in the garage making things, but our new home’s garage was blazing hot in the summer, and freezes sometimes at night in the winter. This made working in the garage making art more difficult, and drove me inside. I began to explore my own desire for a nice scent to wear myself, since I didn’t seem to like a lot of what was available in the mass market, and also had some allergic reactions to some flowers and perfumery ingredients. This was 2005, and I sought out all possible sources of learning available to me in the deserts of California: the Internet, and any books I could find. I wasn’t in France, certainly… I learned from many sources, and many people too. When I started, even Andy Tauer was a part of the early online groups. Now, I moderate for the largest online group of 2200 Perfumers worldwide, and offer classes and workshops.
I launched my own line of PK Perfumes in 2012, and have won almost 30 awards for my Perfumes since.
What is your approach to making a perfume?
Artistic inspiration comes from so many sources, maybe a place, an abstract idea, a romance, a flower, or a really great material. Starting with the idea, then thinking about what else compliments and reinforces the concept. Sometimes surprises walk in and tear it apart, sending it in an unexpected direction, or can work out so very nicely. I think in this part of creation, that I am more experiential than theoretical. Success can come quickly sometimes, or with many months or years of trying to make your vision a reality. Perfumery is very contemplative, and also then, much patience is often required.
How would you describe the style of your perfumes?
Layered, textural, orchestral, rich, opulent, graceful and beautiful. And full of fantasy…
I liken perfume composition to composing a symphonic score, with main instruments, supporting and background players, voicing different notes and melodies with contrasting harmonies, and that unfolds and develops over a protracted period of time. Time has been a favourite element of many of my artworks, and it certainly plays a large part in my perfumery.
What were your initial reactions when Zoologist Perfumes approached you to make two perfumes based on an animal theme? Was it a good challenge?
The driving concept of the line was so very intriguing and challenging both. Animalic type perfumes seem to have suffered from a reactionary sentiment about using real animal elements. Since Zoologist Perfumes respects animals so deeply, and the perfumes refrain from using animal derived ingredients, there’s the challenge for me to both mimic and honour each animal, their environment, and the mythos surrounding them. Zoologist Perfumes therefore offers a unique opportunity to celebrate a somewhat ignored market segment in new and interesting ways.
Could you tell us what makes Panda and Rhinoceros special?
Composing Panda was a great and interesting confluence of fresh watery green notes, with Bamboo and Zisu leaves with their super bright green odour of perillaldehyde, plus beautifully interesting and different florals for me to employ (osmanthus, orange blossom, and lilies), and other unusual Asian natural materials like buddha’s hand citron, Sichuan pepper, and Pemou root. For me, there’s quite a romance surrounding Panda’s, with the abstraction and realities of China, and incense flowing into the streets from different temples and stores. It was really great to tap into this romance in composing Panda. Panda took quite a number of trials to get to the balance of what is now the final formula. Panda truly had to get worked out…
Rhinoceros, as Victor Wong at Zoologist Perfumes envisioned it, was a little different than I might have personally started from, and the different perspective that Victor brought was refreshing and I thought was a brilliant directive to work out. I quite surprised both Victor and myself, by getting quite close to what is now the finished fragrance formula, on the first trial. The rest was refining it, and then giving it the twist of rum in the top note that we initially didn’t have in the concept. And I really loved working the herbal aspects of Rhinoceros that were tailored to Victor’s initial vision and direction.
If Zoologist Perfumes asks you to design their next perfumes, which animals will you suggest?
Let’s see… We’ve done animals from North America, Africa, and Asia… How about something summery, colourful, and tropical for launch next summer? But I also could easily see a big cat, like Tiger, Lion. Leopard, or Cheetah, and a Fox, either a Red Fox, or Fennec Fox.
Could you tell us something about yourself and your passion for perfumery? When did you first start making perfume?
Making perfume has been a lifelong interest, going back to my early teens. Like many people I started by blending essential oils. I read-around the subject extensively - in those days I virtually lived in the library - we're spoiled now that the internet makes access to knowledge so much easier. By the time I was in my early twenties I'd made my first 'real' perfume as a gift for my mum - I rather suspect it was dreadful, but she wore it a few times anyway.
Shortly after that I got a proper job and pursued a career first in IT, later customer satisfaction, leadership, national security by way of intellectual property, human networking, training, sales and Government relations (I still do some consulting in most of those areas). Perfumes continued to be an interest in the background throughout this period, but wasn't my primary focus and I did a lot more buying than making. The background I gained in legal and regulatory frameworks has proved helpful in getting to grips with the many rules and regulations that surround perfumery, and a there's some other carry-over in terms of some of the basics of running a business in retail that have stood me in good stead. Even so it's hard to imagine a bigger change than between national security and fragrance creation.
One thing I have found is that understanding requirements is much the same whether you are selling a big computing deal or designing a bespoke perfume: it’s all about asking the right questions and listening carefully to the answers.
Along the way I discovered it was possible to get some formal training in making perfumes, and what's more I could get it from the perfumer who made an exclusive personal perfume for HM The Queen - with qualifications like that who could resist? My partner bought the first course for me as a birthday present and there was no stopping after that.
I was made redundant for the second time and it seemed fated that it was time to return to the early passion and make something of it: so I started making things I thought might sell and as luck would have it, most of them did… so I made more, learned more and that cycle continues: the more you learn the more you realise how much you don't know. I've always been driven to collect knowledge - whether of the not-much-use-except-in-trivia-competitions variety or the more directly applicable sort - I can't imagine stopping that until I'm packed into a (scented) pine box!
What is your approach to making a perfume? How would you describe the style of your perfumes?
I suppose it’s intuitive in the sense that I sort of know what to put together to get an effect, although there’s a fair bit of analysis there too: I start any new fragrance with a list of potential ingredients in a spreadsheet. Actually that’s not true because before that it’s an idea in my head that gradually develops into ingredients, that then get listed in the spreadsheet with first draft proportions. It’s only once I’ve spent quite a bit of time with the fragrance in this virtual state that I make up the first version. When I say quite a bit of time, that can be a couple of days or months depending on how hard I’m finding it. Once the first version is made then it’s either a case of chuck it out and start again or tweak to get to the scent I imagined. Tweaking can be a few versions or dozens – depending on both me and the client, if there is one.
What were your initial reactions when Zoologist Perfumes approached you to make a perfume based on an animal theme, and a perfume named "Beaver"?
Well to start with it’s always flattering to be asked to realise someone’s concept, to turn a dream into reality: it’s a great privilege to be able to do that. In this particular case though there was also the animal theme, which I loved from the start: animal ingredients have been a traditional part of the perfumer’s palette for generations (now mostly replaced with synthetic equivalents for ethical reasons) but it’s uncommon for any fragrance since the 18th century to feature animalics as the main theme.
But then there’s the beaver business and I must confess I was in two minds about that: the common euphemistic use of the term made it impossible to avoid a snigger at the idea, but the brief made it clear that what we were talking about here was the Canadian national animal – not just any animal and not a comedy fragrance: that made it a great challenge that I enjoyed working on.
I’m still hoping to be asked to do Arctic Fox by the way – one of my dogs (Jazz) does that characteristic pounce we’ve all seen arctic foxes do on wildlife documentaries – it reminds me of the idea every time I see her do it.
Could you tell us what makes Beaver special? Is it a big deviation from other perfumes that you've made in the past, or even from most perfumes in the market?
Beaver is first and foremost an animal fragrance: a complex of musks and animalic materials. I wanted to capture the claustrophobic closeness of the inside of the den as well as watery notes to reflect the beaver’s well known practice of damning and of course some distinct woody notes to get the sense of the felled trees used in building. But most of all it’s the animal: not dirty (beavers are in and out of water all the time after all) but not sterile or washed either. There are a few animalic fragrances on the market, a very few, but there’s nothing quite like Beaver: he’s a very civilised, sophisticated chap, but he’s still an animal for all that.
Castoreum has been a common musky ingredient for perfumes for decades. What is its special property and what role does it play in the Beaver perfume?
Castoreum is one of the traditional animal ingredients – very few perfumers now use the natural extract of beaver glands – there are no animal parts in Beaver. However I did use a very fine quality recreation to give the uniquely leathery-musk, faintly sour scent that is so uniquely beaver, it just had to be present in Beaver. Unlike Civet there is no faecal quality to castoreum, it’s clean but darkly animalic and very, very interesting: it adds a wonderfully complex undertone to the play of water, wood, musk and maple leaves that make up the heart of this characteristically Canadian scent.
Zoologist Perfumes is ecstatic to announce its debut animal-themed eau de parfums: Beaver, Panda and Rhinoceros. Designed in Canada and crafted by award-winning international perfumers, these scents will satisfy both enthusiasts and the curious who desire unique and alluring fragrances.
Zoologist Beaver Eau de Parfum is a sensual musky perfume featuring linden-blossoms and synthetic beaver musk; Zoologist Panda Eau de Parfum is a fresh, green and floral musky perfume featuring bamboo, green tea and osmanthus notes; Zoologist Rhinoceros Eau de Parfum is a dark and moody perfume featuring leather, rum, and agarwood notes.
All three perfumes are available in 60ml bottles, and will be released in late November 2014 on zoologistperfumes.com. For those who want to try these interesting scents, 2ml samples and a sample set featuring all three perfumes will also be available.
Our perfumes do not contain animal products. We don’t want to harm animals so that we can smell good.
Zoologist Perfumes was founded by Victor Wong in 2013 and prides itself on capturing the idiosyncrasies of the animal kingdom and transforming them into unusual, beautiful, fun and even shocking scents. They are a proud Canadian company located in Toronto.
Contact info
E-mail: victor@zoologistperfumes.com
website: zoologistperfumes.com (available in late November, 2014)
Social Media:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/zoologistperfumes
Twitter: twitter.com/ZPerfumes
Instagram: instagram.com/zoologistperfumes
