Heritage
A house, in its own words
The Zoologist story begins with a hotel room. Victor Wong, a self-described perfume enthusiast and active participant in fragrance communities, experienced fine toiletries during a stay that sent him spiraling into the world of niche perfumery. What started as a casual hobby soon became an obsession. In 2013, Wong founded Zoologist Perfumes from Toronto, initially juggling the brand alongside a regular day job. The business was personal from the start. Wong handled nearly everything himself, from formulation briefs to customer conversations, and even shared photos of his cat on social media. The brand gained momentum steadily, fueled by fragrance influencer communities and word of mouth. By 2020, seven years in, Zoologist had released 21 fragrances with more in the pipeline. The pandemic era proved transformative; niche fragrance influencers on TikTok and Instagram propelled the brand into rapid growth. Production scaled from a basement operation to roughly 20,000 bottles annually. Today, Zoologist remains headquartered in Toronto, though the brand ships globally to dozens of countries. Wong continues as founder and creative director, maintaining hands-on involvement across the business while collaborating with a rotating roster of independent perfumers. Zoologist operates on a simple premise: animals make extraordinary perfume. The brand takes inspiration from the behaviors, habitats, and distinct identities of creatures, translating them into olfactory narratives that are sometimes beautiful, sometimes unsettling, and always memorable. This philosophy rejects the safe and the predictable. Each fragrance in the collection occupies its own territory, from the delicate aquatic notes of Squid to the primal intensity of T-Rex. The brand embraces provocation. Consumer reactions range from declaring certain scents completely unwearable to praising them as pinnacle examples of niche craftsmanship. That polarizing quality is not an accident. Zoologist values creative honesty over commercial appeal. The brand also commits to ethical perfumery, replacing natural animal-derived musks entirely with synthetic alternatives. This stance lets wearers enjoy the richness of animalic notes without harm. For Wong, Zoologist is a love letter to the natural world and its creatures, filtered through the lens of artistic perfumery.