Koalas. What's not to love? Actually, a lot. Once you do a little bit of research, you find they are disgusting creatures. However, I still think they are cute, and I like eucalyptus, so I ordered a sample of Koala, excited about the green-means-go mentality for creativity that Zoologist usually showcases. Koala bursts forth with a strong opening of eucalyptus and honey and incence. Eucalyptus can be more terpenic/mentholated, or lemony, or piney, or woody, or herbal, or pepperminty, but here it is not overwhelmingly medicinal, and the honey quality of the mild eucalyptus brings out the sweeter notes of honey, vanilla, and incense. It's a nice accord, but maybe a little too sweet for what I find to be a more masculine fragrance. Along with that accord, spices like cinnamon and cardamom add texture to the herbal eucalyptus. I feel there may be some pepper and anise as well, but it's not obvious.
There is a scratchiness to this that could be my sensitivity to one of the synthetics, but it feels like the slight annoyance you can get with wearing a thick, scratchy wool sweater turtleneck: itchiness and a feeling of being trapped. Vetiver could be the culprit, but if you've been trapped in an elevator where someone has doused themselves in fragrance, out on the prowl, you know this familiar scent and feeling.
The somewhat interesting, albeit synthetic, opening quickly fades after half an hour to an amber/fuzzy musky vetiver cloud that reminds me of men's shower gels or aftershaves. We're not talking Axe, OK, but more of the creative Old Spice blends; a step up in quality, but still something you have smelled before. Although there is a little bit of oakmoss in Koala, I wish the perfumer would have focused on more of the green aspect of eucalyptus, brought out more black tea, and made this less sweet. Even without the vanilla and honey, this could have been made more unisex. The sweetness in here reminds me a little bit of the incense and vanilla in Squid, but in Squid it felt more at home.
This does last through multiple scrubbings, so there is that, for those of you that need that type of performance.
Overall, I am disappointed in Koala, but I can see how many would see this as "not offensive," "easy to wear." It's because it's not entirely original.