Marine
Unconventional
Top Notesincensepink peppersalicylates
Heartinkopoponaxsea salt
Base Notesambergrisbenzoinmusk
Tags
#clean
Style
for her
for him
unisex
This deep and dark aquatic perfume takes you from the salty warmth of beach pebbles straight into the whispering waves, and eventually down to the inky fathoms inhabited by giant squids. Feel the caress of tentacles of incense — initially menacing, ultimately comforting.
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
An evening beside the sea after the swimmers have gone: salt remains on the skin, while the water has turned almost black. Squid fits that quieter register, its pepper and ink lending an austere edge before warm incense makes the atmosphere more intimate.
How to wear
Start with one or two sprays on skin, allowing the salty opening to settle against the resinous warmth. Mild to cool weather is a natural setting for its incense and benzoin; in heat, use a lighter application so the marine character has room around the darker accords.
Who it’s for
For lovers of incense and amber who want an aquatic fragrance without the familiar sporty brightness. Its salty, inky contrasts suit a taste for abstract compositions, especially when unusual effects are softened by warm resins and musk.
Release year
2019
The nose
Céline Barel is an IFF perfumer whose work on Squid balances atmospheric abstraction with wearability. She built the fragrance around marine saltiness, solar warmth and frankincense, then developed its darker, ink-like character with resins and balsams. Her aim was a marine amber rather than a literal reconstruction of ocean smells.
Collaborators
Zoologist founder Victor Wong shaped the animal-themed brief and worked with Céline Barel on its emotional direction. He asked for a more pronounced inky, melancholic character and a spicier opening, helping steer the composition toward its distinctive darkness.
Zoologist’s story
Founded in Toronto by Victor Wong, Zoologist translates animal habitats and characteristics into imaginative perfumes rather than simply reproducing animal odors. Its compositions embrace beauty, strangeness and surprise, using synthetic alternatives to animal-derived musks. Squid contains no animal products.
Squid’s concept
Squid emerged from a collaboration between Zoologist and IFF, with Barel choosing the underwater brief from three animal-inspired concepts. Jules Verne’s submarine imagination informed a composition of salt, incense and ambergris. Wong’s request for greater melancholy deepened the ink accord; Barel also listened to Beethoven while developing that Romantic mood.
Extra info
Squid won The Fragrance Foundation’s 2020 Perfume Extraordinaire of the Year award and was also an Independent-category finalist at the 2020 Art and Olfaction Awards. Its formula contains colorants; fading or changes in color do not affect the fragrance’s smell.
Featured in edits and sample packs
2025 Bestsellers | For HimBenzoin in PerfumeBestsellers of 2024 | For Him
Top Notesincensepink peppersalicylates
Heartinkopoponaxsea salt
Base Notesambergrisbenzoinmusk
Tags
#clean
Style
for her
for him
unisex
This deep and dark aquatic perfume takes you from the salty warmth of beach pebbles straight into the whispering waves, and eventually down to the inky fathoms inhabited by giant squids. Feel the caress of tentacles of incense — initially menacing, ultimately comforting.
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
An evening beside the sea after the swimmers have gone: salt remains on the skin, while the water has turned almost black. Squid fits that quieter register, its pepper and ink lending an austere edge before warm incense makes the atmosphere more intimate.
How to wear
Start with one or two sprays on skin, allowing the salty opening to settle against the resinous warmth. Mild to cool weather is a natural setting for its incense and benzoin; in heat, use a lighter application so the marine character has room around the darker accords.
Who it’s for
For lovers of incense and amber who want an aquatic fragrance without the familiar sporty brightness. Its salty, inky contrasts suit a taste for abstract compositions, especially when unusual effects are softened by warm resins and musk.
Release year
2019
The nose
Céline Barel is an IFF perfumer whose work on Squid balances atmospheric abstraction with wearability. She built the fragrance around marine saltiness, solar warmth and frankincense, then developed its darker, ink-like character with resins and balsams. Her aim was a marine amber rather than a literal reconstruction of ocean smells.
Collaborators
Zoologist founder Victor Wong shaped the animal-themed brief and worked with Céline Barel on its emotional direction. He asked for a more pronounced inky, melancholic character and a spicier opening, helping steer the composition toward its distinctive darkness.
Zoologist’s story
Founded in Toronto by Victor Wong, Zoologist translates animal habitats and characteristics into imaginative perfumes rather than simply reproducing animal odors. Its compositions embrace beauty, strangeness and surprise, using synthetic alternatives to animal-derived musks. Squid contains no animal products.
Squid’s concept
Squid emerged from a collaboration between Zoologist and IFF, with Barel choosing the underwater brief from three animal-inspired concepts. Jules Verne’s submarine imagination informed a composition of salt, incense and ambergris. Wong’s request for greater melancholy deepened the ink accord; Barel also listened to Beethoven while developing that Romantic mood.
Extra info
Squid won The Fragrance Foundation’s 2020 Perfume Extraordinaire of the Year award and was also an Independent-category finalist at the 2020 Art and Olfaction Awards. Its formula contains colorants; fading or changes in color do not affect the fragrance’s smell.
Featured in edits and sample packs
2025 Bestsellers | For HimBenzoin in PerfumeBestsellers of 2024 | For Him