Perfumes That Smell Like War, Gasoline, Ink and a Dinosaur: The Strangest Niche Fragrances in Our Catalogue

Scorched fir, a doused campfire and a civet note under the smoke, for 10 to 12 hours. That is Zoologist Tyrannosaurus Rex, a dinosaur on your wrist.

Our decants of the perfume that smells like war are sold out at this writing. These are the weird ones you can still try today.

From the same house, Zoologist Squid is ink and sea salt. Then a birthday cake with a smoking wick, and a church elegy in tar and dust. Four of the six here are in stock as decants.

The strangest niche perfumes you can pour today, ranked

Our four strangest niche perfumes in stock as decants, in rank order: 1. Zoologist Tyrannosaurus Rex: scorched fir, cade smoke, a civet note. 2. Zoologist Squid: ink, sea salt, incense, an ambergris accord. 3. Toskovat Last Birthday Cake: bitter almond, burnt wick, cocoa, incense. 4. Toskovat Domus Numeni: candle wax, birch tar, dust, oud.

Toskovat Inexcusable Evil and The Antagonist The Void started this list and are sold out at this writing.

Strangest here means strangest on our own shelves. Each one is built around a smell you would not expect in a bottle.

Fire and smoke: Zoologist Tyrannosaurus Rex

Antonio Gardoni first considered plastic toys, the smell most people link to dinosaurs, then chose the Cretaceous. Fir and black pepper open it. Then cade oil, frankincense and a civet note settle underneath; Zoologist uses no animal products in it. On skin it is a black tar pit with its smoke hanging in flat layers. There is no blood note and no meat note in the pyramid; that iron-and-wound register belongs to the war perfume below. 10 to 12 hours, Enormous: nothing else here carries this far. More in the dinosaur deep dive.

Ink: Zoologist Squid

Céline Barel skipped the animal and built the water it hides in. Incense and pink pepper spark first. Then an ink note bleeds into sea salt over opoponax. Underneath sit an ambergris accord, benzoin and a musk accord; Zoologist uses no animal products in it. On skin it is a black harbour at night under one green lamp. The Fragrance Foundation named it Perfume Extraordinaire of the Year in 2020. 8 to 10 hours, Strong. The one to wear when the dinosaur is too much.

Sugar with a lit fuse: Toskovat Last Birthday Cake

This is a birthday, and something in it has gone wrong. Think of a fairground after closing: the carousels still, the sugar stalls shuttered. Bitter almond and a burnt wick sharpen the instant cocoa. Armagnac and Stollen cake soften the centre. Then the sugar burns off into incense, styrax and papyrus, over a note the house calls Chekhov's Gun. 8 to 10 hours, Strong. The gourmand with smoke in it. More in the deep dive.

Tar and dust: Toskovat Domus Numeni

It reworks and intensifies Toskovat's 2024 Take Me To Church, in 300 bottles for the house's three-year anniversary, now sold out at the house. It is an elegy to a lost father figure, and the house gives it one epitaph: Too much truth, Here Lies. Metal and black pepper open it. Candle wax and frankincense fill the middle. Then birch tar, dust and Vietnamese oud, the burial earth. 8 to 10 hours, Strong. More in the deep dive.

War, gasoline and gunpowder: the two that started this list

David-Lev Jipa-Slivinschi, of both Russian and Ukrainian descent, made Toskovat Inexcusable Evil in response to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. He has said he first questioned whether it was ethical to turn the subject into perfume at all. The gunpowder and ozone opening is meant to repel; the iodine that follows stands for the need to treat the wound. Blood and burning flowers hold the heart. Wet concrete and incense close it. The house's own line is Hate all governments & love all people. 8 to 10 hours, Strong. Decants sold out at this writing; full bottle made to order. Full story in the deep dive.

The Antagonist The Void is chapter three of a set written as a story, after The Lover and The Stranger. Gasoline, gunpowder and wood smoke open it. Cannabis, metal and coal follow. Ash, rubber, frankincense and myrrh are what is left. 8 to 10 hours, Strong. Decants sold out at this writing. More in the Void deep dive.

Neither is the thing to buy first. For smoke and tar in stock as decants, take Tyrannosaurus Rex for the cade and Domus Numeni for the birch tar.

How to start: two decants for $32

These four are for the collector who has smelled every oud and every rose and wants a perfume that is an argument. Tyrannosaurus Rex and Squid, 2 ml each, $32 together, are the lowest-priced way in. Add Last Birthday Cake for smoke inside sugar, or Domus Numeni for incense and tar. Hand-poured from genuine sealed bottles, shipped worldwide by DHL, free over $250.

Start with the 2 ml of Tyrannosaurus Rex; one wearing settles the argument.

Frequently asked questions

Which niche perfume smells like war?

Toskovat Inexcusable Evil. It opens on gunpowder and ozone. Iodine and blood follow, over burning flowers. It ends in wet concrete and incense. Its maker built it in response to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Our decants of it are sold out at this writing. In the same smoke-and-metal register, Zoologist Tyrannosaurus Rex (cade smoke) and Toskovat Domus Numeni (birch tar and metal) are in stock as decants.

Which perfume smells like gasoline?

The Antagonist The Void. Gasoline, gunpowder and wood smoke open it. Cannabis, metal and coal follow. It ends in ash, rubber, frankincense and myrrh. Our decants of it are sold out at this writing. The closest in stock as decants are Zoologist Tyrannosaurus Rex (cade oil) and Toskovat Domus Numeni (birch tar).

How long do these perfumes last?

By our Longevity & Sillage Index, Zoologist Tyrannosaurus Rex lasts 10 to 12 hours with Enormous sillage. Squid, Last Birthday Cake and Domus Numeni sit at 8 to 10 hours with Strong sillage, and so do Inexcusable Evil and The Void, both sold out at this writing.

Are they unisex?

Yes. All six are sold without a gender. Smoke, ink, tar and resin read the same on anyone; the only question is how loud you want to be.

Where can I buy decants of these perfumes?

At Gouttes Rares, hand-poured from genuine sealed bottles and shipped worldwide by DHL, free over $250. Tyrannosaurus Rex, Squid and Last Birthday Cake pour from 2 ml, Domus Numeni from 1 ml. Decants of Inexcusable Evil and The Void are sold out at this writing; Inexcusable Evil can still be made to order as a full bottle.