ZOOLOGIST
PANDA EXTRAIT DE PARFUM

2017

PERFUMER
Chris Maurice

Apple
Tea
Ozonic notes
mandarin
Osmanthus
Magnolia
Lily

Earthy Notes
Patchouli
Jasmine
Amber
Orris
Bamboo

Musk
Civet
Sandalwood
Vanilla

This impression is for the Extrait de Parfum that was released in 2017; I haven’t tried the original Panda EDP (2014) that was discontinued/replaced, and from what I’ve heard they are quite different.

The first thing that hit me when I sprayed Panda on my skin was that it’s not the safest. Yes, it is fresh, fruity and green, but it’s also very bitter. I doubt the bitterness is really noticeable from a distance and it does fade after a while, but when smelled up close, there’s an earthy, dirty scent underneath the freshness, that might put some people off.

Aside from that facet, this should actually be a crowd-pleasing fragrance. Apple is the main note here for me in the first hour, combined with some light florals that I wouldn’t be able to distinguish. There’s a hint of sweetness to the fruitiness as well, that reminded me of the sweetness that you can get from pineapple. I honestly don’t get the tea vibe at all, which was a bit disappointing. Longevity is good, but projection is really impressive, especially since the scent overall is light and ozonic.

The freshness of the fruits fades away and it leaves a (still relatively fresh) vegetal, floral and slightly earthy scent, with a healthy dose of sweetness. At the same time seems very aquatic or just plainly ‘wet’. One thing I will say; this smells exactly how I would imagine (a panda eating) fruits in a sunny, damp tropical forest would smell. Now if you have a garden or a little greenhouse that smells like this, that would be awesome. It smells great, but I don’t know if I like it as a perfume as much.