Ani X
From $8
Squid
Extrait de Parfum · 2019
$22
Room for several wears. Glass spray, about 20 to 30 sprays.
Ships within 2 business days. Free US shipping from $75.
Hand-filled from an original bottle into a Cabinet Noir vial, under our own label. Cabinet Noir is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Zoologist.
The composition
Squid opens with pink pepper and a sharp, salty spray, then an inky accord settles in beside dry incense. Underneath, benzoin and opoponax build a soft, sweet resin that the brine never quite leaves, and an ambergris accord adds a warm, mineral depth.
It is a marine fragrance with no breeze in it: darker, warmer and stranger than the blue aquatics most people know. Reach for it when you want something unusual that still feels polished, on a cool evening or a slow day indoors.
What wearers say
- Wearers praise how unusual it is: a dark, salty marine scent with ink and incense that feels closer to the deep sea than a beach.
- Many describe a sharp, peppery and briny opening that softens into a sweet, resinous amber within the first hour.
- The main complaint is the sweetness, which some find cloying, and an off note in the drydown that a minority read as animalic; reactions split sharply.
- Most report it as long lasting with moderate projection, though a few find it stays close to the skin.
- It is worn year round, with summer evenings and nights named most often.
Summarized by Cabinet Noir from public reviews on Fragrantica and Parfumo, checked 19 October 2026.
Compared with
- SeahorseZoologist
- Seahorse is the brighter, more openly marine of the two Zoologist sea scents. Squid trades the sea air for ink, incense and a sweet resin base, so it reads darker and warmer.
- Akro InkAkro
- Both build a scent around ink. Akro Ink stays smoky and woody, while Squid sets its ink against salt and a sweet amber, which gives it a marine feel Akro Ink does not have.
Lot 054
The number on your vial matches the bottle it was filled from. Provenance
Shipping and returns
US ground shipping, $9 or free from $75. Ships within 2 business days. Decants are final sale; we replace or refund any that arrive damaged. Details
The notes
Opening
Top
- Pink Pepper
- Solar Salicylate
- Incense
Development
Heart
- Black Ink Accord
- Salty Accord
- Opoponax
Drydown
Base
- Ambergris
- Benzoin
- Musk
Questions about Squid
Is Zoologist Squid an extrait?
Yes. Zoologist makes Squid at a 20 percent concentration, which is extrait strength, and sells it in one full bottle size alongside a travel spray and samples.
Does Zoologist Squid contain real ambergris or ink?
No. Zoologist lists the ambergris and musk in Squid as synthetic and says the fragrance uses no animal products. The ink and salt notes are accords built by the perfumer, Céline Barel.
Does Zoologist Squid smell fishy?
Most wearers describe Squid as salty, inky and resinous rather than fishy, with a sweet amber drydown. A smaller group picks up a sour or animalic edge, so it is worth trying a sample before a full bottle.
Is Squid discontinued?
No. Zoologist still makes Squid; it was on sale new as of October 2026.
If you like this
