Bottle Design:
Jules Dinand, Pierre Dinand

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Penguin Zoologist 2024

7.1 / 10 226 Ratings

A new perfume by Zoologist for women and men, released in 2024. The scent is fresh-aquatic. It is still in production. The perfume is vegan according to the manufacturer.
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Main accords

Fresh

Aquatic

Spicy

Leathery

Synthetic

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Ice accord

Juniper berry

Air accord

Heart Notes

Pink pepper Saffron

Saffron

Cistus absolute

Base Notes

Suede

Irish moss Musk

Musk

Sandalwood

Perfumer

Chiaki Nomura

Ratings

Scent

7.1226 Ratings

Longevity

7.4194 Ratings

Sillage

6.9193 Ratings

Bottle

8.7185 Ratings

Value for money

6.3145 Ratings

Submitted by Telekinec, last update on 11/10/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Penguin Limited Edition

Sea my Love

Himalaya

Cacti

Reviews

27 in-depth fragrance descriptions

01/25/2024

6Scent 6Longevity 6Sillage

SeoulBrough
39 Reviews

SeoulBrough

Helpful Review 3

Resemble Others

Penguin resembles Foconero by Tiziana Terenzi which resembles Vodka on the Rocks by Kilian which ALL share the DNA of Fierce by Abercrombie & Fitch.

Each has a variant but overall is the same fragrance. If this is the type of warm weather style of fragrance you enjoy, definitely get a sample instead of blind buying. You will be disappointed that your hard earned money was spent if you already have one of the aforementioned.

This is leaning masculine.

01/24/2024

Mlleghoul
458 Reviews

Mlleghoul

6

If the Lighthouse Keeper and Etheria's Empress of Snows had a baby

When I first saw the label art for Zoologist's Penguin, I’ll confess there was a part of me that thought, dang, I really hope this smells how the grizzled and extremely unhinged William Dafoe looks in Roger Eggers’ The Lighthouse. Of course, anyone who saw that must know that I am mostly kidding (although perversely, I am not totally kidding), and instead of an olfactory tour de force of maritime menace, unfettered madness, and the salty tang of brooding, brine-soaked despair, we get the mythical chill of Frosta, She-Ra's Empress of the Snows on the fantastical planet of Etheria. An invigorating blast of frozen air, crisp and clean, a tonic bracing and bittersweet, a glacial window to the indifferent beauty of the bone-chillingly wintry landscape. An ember of pink pepper trills tremulously through juniper’s whispers of icy ancient pine; saffron reveals the warm honeyed spice of its mysteries only to become lost in the cool, unknowable depths of sea moss. And yet… there’s a stormy heart to this scent, of musk and rain and the desolation of sirens and the destruction of sea gods. Perhaps that gnarly lighthouse keeper has a place in this planet's story, after all. I’m not sure what happened to the penguins, though.

05/08/2025

5Scent 4Longevity 4Sillage

kushbreth
12 Reviews

kushbreth

2

pure suede

i should preface my review by saying that i did get a decant tester from luckyscent for this.

SIGH. i'm really upset, there are so many reviews for this that state how "cold" this smells, i was really genuinely expecting the inside of a freezer from the sheer amount of the appliance. raw/in the bottle penguin smells perfect, it DOES smell nice and cold, like juniper and aldehydes. but once i put this on, it became nothing but suede and it stayed suede. it didnt smell like juniper or aldehydes or musk on me for a single second. i waited for a while for it to change but no, it's pure suede. no sage, no ice, no pink pepper, no labdanum, no sandalwood. just. pure. suede. maybe it's my body chemistry, i don't know, i was just really hoping this would smell like a nice arctic cologne :( it smells more icy and juniper-y on the bits that got on my shirt than on my skin. it's not a bad scent at all, it's just not what i wanted nor what i'm into.

08/13/2024

Killishandra
9 Reviews

Killishandra

3

Journey from Antartica to France in a Bottle

Last December, I embarked on the vacation of a lifetime to Antarctica and returned utterly captivated by penguins. I was aware of the existence of Zoologist's Penguin fragrance, and initially contemplated a blind purchase before my trip (for that perfect scent association)! But I'm very glad I waited. Now, eight months after my Antarctic adventure, I finally ordered a collection of Zoologist samples, including Penguin.

Upon the first spray, I was instantly transported back. The smell brought me to the pristine landscapes and all of the playful penguins and seals. The fragrance opened with a crisp, fresh air scent that perfectly encapsulated the essence of the Antarctic. It was as if I was standing on the ship deck, inhaling the purest air imaginable, with the scent tinged with hints of water, ice, wet animal fur, and snow. The aquatic air note is remarkably authentic, a testament to the fragrance's complexity.

About half an hour later, the initial aquatic air scent began to fade, making way for a distinct leather note. This leather scent leaned more luxurious jacket than new car, yet it wasn’t entirely to my taste. It was also slightly more masculine than I usually prefer. Fortunately, this phase didn’t last long.

After another 2-3 hours, the leather subsided, revealing a sublime musky scent. As a teenager, I adored The Body Shop's White Musk, and this fragrance evoked a similar allure. It also reminded me of Chanel 1957, though Penguin's unique top and middle notes are very different than either of those. The transformation from oceanic salt air and wet leather to an exquisite white musk was nothing short of extraordinary.

Zoologist's Penguin fragrance took me on an incredible journey, from the refreshing sea air of Antarctica to a Chanel-like white musk. I fell in love with both the initial and dry-down phases, each offering a distinct and captivating experience. As I continue to explore the rest of my Zoologist samples, I look forward to discovering more scents that are equally complex and transformative!

04/22/2024

5Scent 6Longevity 6Sillage

Daylight
6 Reviews

Daylight

3

Extremely surprising! sadly..

Having heard that Zoologist does stuff a bit differently, and how unique all of their fragrances are I just felt compelled to try some of them (especially with how cute the bottles and theming is!)

And the first one of to try off the 7 samples I got a hold of is Penguin!

It opens up with this rather harsh and as expected, cold note, it does genuinely feel like being out in the cold which was quite fun and unexpected; even knowing that was the point! Sadly it fell flat only about 15 seconds after that when I get transported back to my youth, to the fine memory of spraying my Axe "Ice Chill" deodorant after P.E.....

When I let it mellow out a bit and that harsh cold note had dissipated a second realisation hits, which is that Penguin smells, well.. almost identical to the Hugo Boss fragrance I wore 10 years ago.. It feels unbearably generic, like any other mall brand "freshie" marketed for men, only with better ingredients and less of that alcoholic sting. I truly thought something was wrong with my nose at this point, surely this wasn't the end for a fragrance from the brand that is known for their uniqueness?

When the dry down has fully hit there is something beneath the ice peeking up at me, through the fog of my old Axe deodorant and the mens department at the local mall. I cant fully pinpoint it, sometimes its there, sometimes its not; sometimes it the smell of wet fur, other times of moss and pepper. The annoying part however is that its never able to break through that ice.. I'm left to see it struggling, thinking that if they had just let those final notes have a sharper beak or more momentum, let it pierce through that snow covered sheet of ice. Then maybe we would have gotten a unique fragrance worthy of the name "Penguin".

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