Exploring New Scents #12 | Zoologist: Olm
This week, I received my travel size of Olm for Zoologist. I will be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of how this fragrance was released. It was a soft launch of the product which is coming out in 2026. 140 bottles went on sale, and of course, the scalpers came in and up they went on eBay for $5000. This is why I don't care for these kind of launches. As I learned in school, if you don't have enough for the class, don't eat it.
Beyond that, I was happy to find that the travel size was available. I'm not the type to blind buy, but was really intrigued by this creature which dwells in caves, can live to be 100 years old, and can go 10 years without eating, if needed. I can barely go 4 hours!
After the initial spray, I was surprised to see this was a lot more wearable than I originally thought it would be! It has an aquatic algae note, but for some reason, there was a fir like scent which emerged almost immediately, even though it's not listed as a note!
After sitting with this little guy a little longer, I realized this was a very smooth yet oily scent. I really wasn't expecting that at all! Also, it became a little more dank and earthy overtime. Almost like touching your hand on the wall of a cave and getting that clammy moisture onto your hands. But right before you think you have it figured out, there is a slight sweet scent which comes forward from the amber, but there's still pine. Where is this coming from?
Over time, this scent keeps morphing. Every time I think I have it figured out, I don't--much like life. But the strange thing there remained a very spicy green note, mixed with an aquatic scent and cement with a hint of amber. What the heck is going on and why am I addicted to smelling myself?
Though this fragrance is more artistic, I find it completely wearable! It's very earthly, but not so strange that you would smell it once and put it on the shelf forever never to be seen again. I also think this wold be a perfect layering scent. It's so grounded in its earthiness that a nice floral or vanilla would change the scent into something completely different, but it would work with the right combination and be quite lovely.
I really found myself loving this scent and was even fonder of the longevity. For some reason, many Zoologist scents don't last on me, but this one was still going strong after 5 hours. It stayed contained in a small personal space bubble of two feet from my estimation and kept me smiling all day, and wondering just where is that spicy green note coming from?
Many people will be confused by this, but some of the best art is baffling. I don't understand a lot of modern art pieces, but I get Olm. It makes sense and I love it. This will be polarizing, but I give Olm an 8.5/10. I will keep wearing my sample and from there, pick up a full bottle. In the long run, this may not be one people keep ordering, but I will make sure it's always on my shelf!
Binky
But I've been living vicariously through reading others reviews and I love yours! What did you think of the algae note? It sounds so good!
There was one note which was very green and spicy. I have smelled algae a few times, and this wasn't the scent. I think the spicy green note hid some of the notes, or at least on me. Chemistry will play a big part. Some people say it's unwearable, but I don't find that at all. It's very, earthy and sludgy with the spicy note. It changed a lot in the first 30 minutes, but I always found it somewhat appealing. I mean that in a good way. This isn't your standard perfume. A bit unique, but not bad at all!