Quick answers
History of the house
Zoologist was founded in Toronto (Canada) in 2013 by Victor Wong, its founder and creative director. In a 2020 interview republished on the house blog, he said he first ran the brand alongside a day job before going full time.
The first releases, Beaver and Panda, came out in 2014, followed by Bat in 2015. Those first versions have since been discontinued. The house now sells Bat (2020), composed by Prin Lomros, and a version of Panda credited to Christian Carbonnel. In 2020, Wong named Panda as his bestseller.
The model is closer to publishing than to a classic brand. Wong commissions perfumers, or accepts their proposals, then releases their work under an animal’s name. In February 2020 he counted 21 fragrances in seven years, discontinued versions included, at roughly three launches a year.
Two awards mark the story. Bat won an Art and Olfaction Award in 2016. On 10 September 2020, Squid, composed by Céline Barel of IFF, won The Fragrance Foundation’s Perfume Extraordinaire of the Year award in New York (United States).
The house says it uses no animal-derived musks, replaced by synthetics for ethical reasons. Hyrax is the exception: it contains hyraceum, which the house describes as a by-product harvested without harm to the animal. Hyrax is therefore not vegan.
We found no record of outside investment. The 2020 interview republished by the house calls it an independent brand; its 2026 About page describes a Canadian company based in Toronto.
The collections
Zoologist does not group its catalog into themed collections. Each animal is a fragrance, and the catalog reads like a bestiary.
Bottles and editions
The official site lists more than forty full-size references. Some are spin-off editions of an existing scent, such as Beaver Maple Edition, Chameleon Tropical Blooms Edition or Koala Joey Edition.
Attars
The house also offers a line of attars, listed separately on its site. We found no dated source for its launch.
Notable perfumes
The house credits the perfumer on every product page. Years come from the 2020 interview republished by the house; where no house or press source dates a fragrance, we say so.
| Year | Perfume | Perfumer | Accord |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 (first version) | Panda | Christian Carbonnel (current version) | Greens and florals |
| 2020 | Bat | Prin Lomros | Tropical, loamy cave |
| 2020 | Sloth | Prin Lomros | Herbal and mossy, close to a fougère |
| Not established | Hyrax | Sven Pritzkoleit | Raw animalics, soft patchouli |
| Not established | Squid | Céline Barel (IFF) | Not established |
Olfactory signature
Zoologist has no single olfactory formula. Consistency comes from the editorial rule: one animal, one perfumer, one story. Product pages describe a habitat or a scene rather than the literal smell of the animal.
The range runs from approachable registers, such as the greens and florals of Panda, to harder-edged work. Bat pairs guava and passion fruit with a soil accord, while Hyrax builds on hyraceum, saffron and whiskey.
A bestiary published like a list of authors: every animal handed to a perfumer, every perfumer named on the bottle.
Key characteristics
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Zoologist: About Us (accessed 4 November 2026)
- Zoologist blog: “7 Niche Years Later: Interview With Victor Wong”, interview by Elena Cvjetkovic (The Plum Girl), 18 February 2020
- Zoologist blog: Squid wins Perfume Extraordinaire of the Year, 10 September 2020
- Happi: “Fragrance Foundation Names 2020 Award Winners”, 11 September 2020
- Zoologist: Panda product page (accessed 4 November 2026)
- Zoologist: Bat (2020) product page (accessed 4 November 2026)
- Zoologist: Hyrax product page (accessed 4 November 2026)
- Zoologist: Deluxe Bottles catalog (accessed 4 November 2026)