The company says:
Brutal winter winds buffet the Siberian forest. The tall trees long for summer's return, short though it may be. But at the base of several bare trunks, invisible love notes call to a would-be mate. The fragrant missives are secretions left by the male musk deer. Long fangs give the buck a demonic appearance, but they too play a role in the mating ritual – weapons in the tussle with rivals for a doe's love. The dream of a mate sustains the lonely musk deer as it searches out scraps of lichen and moss among cold, barren roots.⠀
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For centuries musk deer have been hunted to near extinction, coveted for their fragrant musk pods. Zoologist respects this majestic creature, masterfully recreating the distinctive scent though a mixture of synthetic musks and natural oud and florals. The result evokes the animal desire of a lusty musk deer amid the alluring chill of a wintry forest, all captured without a hint of menace.
Musk Deer fragrance notes
Head
- cardamom, calamus, rose
Heart
- sambac jasmine, patchouli, atlas cedarwood, labdanum
Base
- ambrette, orris, laos oud, australia sandalwood⠀
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Latest Reviews of Musk Deer
This fragrance presents a subtle, restrained musk that remains fairly close to the skin. The cardamom note is present, albeit understated, and is somewhat overshadowed by the cedar and sandalwood. While the scent is inoffensive, it doesn't necessarily feel like a good representation of the brand's style and is underwhelming in comparison to the other offerings in the line. In addition, the performance of this fragrance is lacking. Overall, while it's a decent scent, I would have preferred if it had offered a bit more.
You must understand something going into this review: I’m an idiot. Complete buffoon. Try as I might, and I’ve been trying for years, I still know nothing of accords. I suppose I should look into sampling essential oils or something, but I kinda thought by now I would’ve picked something up. But no.I’ve tried and rated some 350-odd fragrances over the millennia, but still have no idea what musk smells like. If this is it, I really dig it. But it sorta smells like soap, and I was thinking it was supposed to be a dirty smell.
See what I mean? Idiot. Complete buffoon. Alls I know is what I like. And this one I do. Maybe you will, too?
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Sociable and sweet cardamom-infused woody with popular appeal, but not a beasty musk by a long shot. For that, seek out the vegan musks of a house like Auphorie or Parfum d'Empire's Musc Tonkin or even the humble workhorse, Keihl's Musk. But for what this is, it's pleasing in a mainstream spicy-fresh cologne kind of way the cardamom diffusive and delivered in a cool mouth-freshener fashion, some light floral sweetness backed with patchouli and a nice woody accord running right through. The only indication that this belongs to a house aspiring to the wilder fringes of niche is a chalky soil note that enters and persists in the settle, but stays close to the skin. I really don't know; this is the kind of thing I expect to pick up at a Rituals store competently put together and not provocative. But somehow I miss the cuddle factor of a good musk and I expect different things from Zoologist. 
Good fragrance but a bit disappointed because of the expectations.What I get is a strong cardamom in the opening, I like it.
Then unfortunately I don't like flowers, what I guess is the rose comes out and makes what I wanted to be animalic a more trivial scent.
After an hour or so there's a good blend of aromatic woods (patchouli and oud I believe) that are pleasant and lasting but nothing more.
A nice perfume, with good duration and absolutely wearable despite the name. I hoped it was more complex and rude though. Unisex, but I see it more interesting on a woman as there are several men fragrances that are similar.
Musty sweetness on top. Spicy, like an incense. The heart has a woodsy-floral aroma, with some raunchy patchouli and labdanum. This fragrance has the "signature" tell of most Zoologist scents. To me, this seems more linear, and mellow, than most others of this house.The base is woody and dry, like an old wood furniture aroma. Ambrette hovers above the skin.
Overall the top notes are louder than the heart notes or base notes. It has an echo, for lack of a better word, as it settles. One of the least pungent of this house IMO.