Seahorse Zoologist 2021

I new I must love it - tried it too in a colder weather and made a mark that this should be a beautiful summer fragrance - and it is. Unlike Squid (which has nothing in common with this one by the way) it is definitely for summer and it does not have those stones, pine and dark sea notes.

To me this starts like a gentle sea wave that brings white foam to your feet - some herbs (I cannot identify to be honest) give it fresh but not-trivial smell. Then it gets sweeter, like gingerbread cookies mix with the herbal accords. This is a very interesting and confusing phase when you would probably think - what is happening? :)
This probably could be a picnic near the beach maybe in spring, when the breeze already get warmer. Then I start getting a note of white wine and the sweetness starts fading. Actually this fading is the heart of this perfume, it last for about hour/hour and half. Generally I would not call this scent salty, it does not have salt, just a hint of freshness that associates with sea or water.

Then the scents gets fresher (which I find amazing actually that is goes from sweeter to fresher) and at this point I also get what people identify as "shaving foam" - but it is not unpleasant or manly, or "grandfather" - I love this still foamy effect of Seahorse, just the horse get more male.

Technically this is still the smell of clean body touched by ocean wind, that brings a bit of sea saltiness, it is mixed with herbs that grow on the shore, with evening freshness and clean, soap washed human skin.

Of course this comes in a gorgeous bottle, so it is pleasant to touch. This is a really dreamy perfume.
And yes the staying power is awesome, better than Squid actually, I could smell in _from skin_ in the morning, after good 8 hours of sleep.

First Impression: It’s definitely marine! I’m getting aquatic florals, emphasis on the aquatic. There is a salty element. This smells like the sea itself, not a beach. You're in the water, not next to it.

Drydown: This has a very friendly vibe. Something about it does make me think “warm sea” rather than “cold sea”. You do detect the basenotes of algae, vetiver, and ambergris more as it dries down but otherwise it doesn’t change too much. I really love those notes. I can still detect the seaweed/algae note hours later and I wish it was stronger! I really like it but vetiver haters may not like it. I don't love a lot of marine fragrances because I live in a cold, landlocked state and tropical smells are too foreign to feel like "me" but this one isn't oppressively salty or sunscreen-y.

Verdict: I like it a lot. I wrote this review months ago and I'm finding myself missing Seahorse a little bit! It's not a full bottle for me but maybe a travel spray.

The fennel and ambrette seed are the most prominent notes for me, with a bit of algae to remind you of the aquatic theme. There's something slightly herbal in the opening, too.
Overall the effect is creamy but with a bit of sharpness to it, would be nice accompanied by a fresh breeze while walking on the pier. I don't get any flowers, it's not a sweet perfume to me and the tiny tiny bit of marine cologne I'm getting makes this solidly unisex.

If Squid is the deep, inky black void of the ocean, Seahorse is the bright blue shallows above a coral reef teeming with life. Fresh and salty on the opening, with dominant fennel that skews herbal alongside the saltiness to give the impression of seaweed. And I really do smell algae!!!!

On my skin the fennel and sage give it this interesting green quality, fresh but in a way that feels very aquatic and marine rather than just clean. Dries down musky and light, summery without being generic about it. Lasts really well too. This feels like something you could reach for on any warm day.

My mission to find a fragrance that vibes like a y2k aquarium lamp is fulfilled. Seahorse smells exactly how it looks: a high-saturation turquoise. It’s a brine-free marine with plenty of buoyant, melon-toned calone. The algal note plays more like the squeaky-clean cucumber from DKNY Be Delicious than anything that you might scour out of your goldfish bowl, but just kelpy and salty enough to stay oceanic. It’s on the same wavelength as that “Caribbean lagoon” smell you might find in cyan-hued body washes, scented candles, and beach house AirBnBs. Also reminds me of the same artificial beach I get from TF's Neroli Portofino, but more aquatic and less sweet or floral. Think snorkelling, not sunbathing. Lasts a full, frolicky afternoon on skin for me (~5h). My favourite Zoologist to date. But don't think too hard. You're on holiday.

Mental Snapshot: A glossy trinket, endemic to aquariums gift shops and cruise ports. A utopian biome, encased in a key chain's acrylic. A coral reef, immortalized in a snow globe. A mousepad of neon blue goo, little clownfish bobbing within. There’s no pollution here. Not when everything’s already plastic.

tl;dr: some might call it fake, others ~fantasea~