Sloth
Zoologist Perfumes (2020)

It can be described as fougere summer scent; it is a universe apart from the popular beachy or citrusy scents that many turn to in the heat. And it stands apart from most other.

Sloth open with the scents of walking through a dark forest trail. Wet violet, pine and fir trees, wild mushrooms and some lavender in the background. The heart is where Sloth shines. It shows a fiery warmth of spice laden herbs that seem to glow amongst dreary clouds and cold greys. Rosemary and cumin are immediately noticeable while the rest of the fresh herbs slowly unfold.

Once reach the drydown, the oakmoss enters. It scent covers a lot of territory, herbal, green, powdery, lightly sweet. Contemplative and quiet, this is a great signature for the hot summer months.

Quirky comfort wear

Zoologist has always intrigued me but I never came across a fragrance that I wanted to wear repeatedly. Recently, I’ve been returning to the strangely comforting, vegetative Sloth.

Far from your typical cool, crystalline greens, Sloth has a warmth to it. Violent leaf does give Sloth a more traditional damp green aquatic chill while oakmoss darkens its shadows at the base. However, its combination of spices, especially cumin mingling with flaxen camomile and hay notes, pushes the scent’s darkness into a textured, loamy territory that evokes the kind of warmth that comes from decomposing organic plant material. This makes for a compelling contrast where the touches of cool greens end up having a calming quality rather than a more aggressive or angular verdancy. As the scent dries down, the textured feel softens with a gentle sweetness, lush florals and vanilla. Overall, it’s an incredibly grounding fragrance.

Like other more conceptual Zoologists, I can’t imagine wearing Sloth out or what kind of outfit I would pair this with. But it's perfect for curling up with at home, wrapped in a blanket with a book and a cup of hot tea.

Sloth is an absolute delight. Very green; very berry. Very good. And it lasts a good, long while, too.

I don’t imagine this to be the smell of the sloth. But I can’t imagine anyone lining up to smell the sloth.

If I were to wear Sloth to the grocery store, I know from experience that I’d come away with many offers for naughty late-nite encounters. And by experience, I of course mean virtual experience. And by that I of course mean imagination.

I have the sampler set from Zoologist, which really is something everyone on Basenotes needs. Well, maybe not everyone. For example, I don’t.

Anyway, expect to be hearing more from me about this odd collection of colognes from my neighbors to the North.

I have always found fragrances from Zoologist to be experimental and extraordinary. The opening of Sloth is a unique blend of aromatic chamomile, beeswax, and cumin. While some may detect a body odour vibe from the cumin, I think the addition of violet leaf, acai berry, and a touch of florals balances it out. While the opening may be a bit challenging for some, the rest of the fragrance is not too offensive.

Upon smelling it up close, I get a coca cola candy vibe, perhaps due to the light top notes contrasting with the heavier notes of myrrh and frankincense. There is a fizzy element in the mid that is difficult to explain, but it dies down in the base as the hay note takes over.

It's challenging to describe such a unique scent. Sloth is complex and it's enjoyable to experience its evolution into the drydown. However, I expected it to be more earthy and forest-like, but the heaviness of the darker notes prevent it from capturing the light green notes of a forest.

To enhance the forest-like experience, layering Sloth with Andrea Maack's Coven would be perfect. The crushed leaves of Coven bring out the green aroma, while Sloth provides the dirtier aspects of the forest, such as mushrooms, woods, and animals.

Overall, Sloth is a good fragrance, but I am unsure if I want a full bottle. I recommend getting a sample first, as it may not work well with everyone's skin. The combination of cumin, anise, and beeswax may feel unusual, but it doesn't veer into animalic territory.

Sloth is green and herbal, but of the deep, satin, dark green type. It can also feel fluffy at times. Don't ask me...

Very different. Hard to describe. Top notes border on something I'd want to eat - not quite. You have to try this to believe it. It's one of Zoologist's more fun creations.

I sort of smell a chocolate-covered berry thing. a slight tea leaf vibe. Waxy, young flowers. A straw / hay mix, of which have a freshly cut smell, creeps underneath. It's like a flower garden growing in the middle of jungle clearing. It alternates between cool and juicy, or warm and dry. Bits of spice in the background. The beginning is somewhat fierce, while the heart becomes mellow.

The hay is particularly strong at times. It appears early then bounces around in the heart. Not, a barnyard feel, I might add, until later. A bit of skank - animal skank, that flirts. Marigold weaves in and out. Eventually the base becomes earthy with an incense feel.

It grows earthier, damp, with a mish-mash of more incense tendencies. Sloth is definitely different from the others... Tonka rears its lovely head in time, along with vanilla, tamping down the almost sweet, churchy "incense" vibes. Long lasting. Love it!