# Zoologist — Macaque Fuji Apple Edition

> A 2021 limited-edition reinterpretation of Macaque by a different perfumer, Mackenzie Reilly (Amouage Ashore/Meander; Masque Milano Lost Alice), it abandons Sarah McCartney's green-galbanum original a

## Essence

A 2021 limited-edition reinterpretation of Macaque by a different perfumer, Mackenzie Reilly (Amouage Ashore/Meander; Masque Milano Lost Alice), it abandons Sarah McCartney's green-galbanum original almost entirely. Instead it pairs a ripe, juicy Fuji-apple top with juniper berries over a hinoki-wood, myrrh and frankincense (olibanum) incense heart, landing in a warm, resinous, mossy-woody base. The result is a fruity-incense "apple-civet-woods" composition - austere yet sweet, often described as candle-like or "apple picking in the fall." It and the Yuzu Edition were released together as the surviving way to experience a Macaque after the original's discontinuation.

## Scent Profile

The opening (first 10 - 20 min) leads with apple - a sweeter, "yellow-apple"-style Fuji (despite the cultivar being reddish), juicy, round and slightly sour-skinned - alongside fresh juniper berries and an immediate lift of olibanum. The apple is divisive: admirers call it "probably the best apple note I've smelled in a perfume," while detractors find it artificial, "shampoo-y," or "apple-cinnamon floor cleaner." Several wearers note the apple is fleeting, present only for the first minutes before the incense takes over, and a couple argue the name oversells it - "Juniper Edition" would be more apt at the very start. The heart (1 - 3 hours) is a strong ambery-resinous accord with prominent hinoki wood, myrrh and a hydrocarbon-resin facet; warm, fresh, green and resinous at once. There is "a lot of that rich, high-quality synthetic animalic base familiar from other Zoologists like Camel or Civet" mixed with the apple - giving one critical read of it as "apple-civet-woods," dirtier and "a little bit dangerous" versus the cleaner Cow. The drydown (3+ hours) is mossy oakmoss and creamy New-Caledonia sandalwood with lingering herbal/resinous accords; some get little sandalwood and more dry frankincense. Perceptible: apple (early), juniper, olibanum/frankincense, hinoki, myrrh, oakmoss. Submerged/divisive: sandalwood creaminess (faint for many), and an animalic "monkey musk"/"urine" facet a minority dislikes. Signature accord: juicy Fuji apple over hinoki-frankincense incense. Fairly linear after the first hour; both 2021 editions dry down very similarly. One detailed wearer review noted it "smells more like the original [Macaque] the longer it sits on skin," calling it "a more perfect rendition" in lasting power and cohesiveness.

## Performance

Performance reads moderate and close-wearing, like its siblings. Sillage is mellow: one detailed wearer review noted the "initial cloud evaporates nigh immediately," with "remaining aura of lightly sweetened fizzy spice... Visible an arm's length away from the wearer for the first hour, fades out over the second, and completely settles on skin by the third." Longevity is better than projection - the resinous incense base lingers for hours and some report all-day persistence; wearer accounts put it in the several-hours-to-all-day range with quiet projection. Decent sillage by a few accounts, but most call projection small/office-safe. Several note it "shines in hot weather," amplifying the fruit and resins (one wearer specifically said it performs best "on a very hot weather"). Best strategy: apply generously given the soft projection; it rewards skin contact and time, blooming into its more original-Macaque-like drydown.

## Wearing Context

Best in fall and warm weather - one critic explicitly framed it as a scent for apple picking in the fall, while wearers also report it shining in summer heat. Daytime, casual, contemplative; office-friendly thanks to modest projection. It shines for incense-and-fruit lovers and those wanting a warmer, sweeter, more wearable take on the Macaque concept than the green original. It falls flat for anyone seeking a literal crunchy apple (reviewers point to other scents for that), for those who read the apple as cleaner/floor-cleaner synthetic, or who catch the animalic "zoo cage" facet. Fully unisex but leans slightly masculine per several wearers. A recurring practical critique: it can feel more like a high-end room candle than a perfume.

## Comparisons & DNA

Its most important deltas are to its own siblings. Versus the original 2016 Macaque: completely different - gone is McCartney's bitter galbanum-green; this is fruity-incense-woody, and ironically grows more "like the original" in the drydown than the original itself, according to one detailed wearer review. Versus the Yuzu Edition (its twin, released together): they "share many notes" and dry down nearly "identical," but the Fuji is sweeter, fruitier, rounder and less sharp up top, where Yuzu is brighter, more citrus-forward and more overtly incensey. One critic drew the clearest line: "Where the Yuzu edition is bright citrus, then increasingly incensey in the drydown, the Fuji Apple edition is more of an apple-civet-woods composition," framing it as the kind of animalic fruit-woods Cow might have been. Within Zoologist, wearers connect all three Macaques' animalic base to "BK Rouge DNA" (Burberry Brit Rouge-style musk) and compare to Camel and Civet. Preference between the two 2021 editions splits wearers almost evenly. No designer/clone alternatives exist. Lineage: a 2021 flanker-but-really-sibling of Macaque, sharing the temple-forest concept and Reilly's incense/pine modification.

## Reception

Praise: the realistic, satisfying apple; the warm incense-resin balance; cohesiveness and improved wearability over the original. Criticism: the apple can read artificial/cleaner ("Febreze," "Fabuloso," "apple-cinnamon floor cleaner"); some find it boring, linear, or redundant next to the Yuzu; a minority catches an animalic urine/zoo facet; and several question the about $175 value. Polarization axes: apple realism, the animalic base, and Fuji-vs-Yuzu preference. Blind buy? Sample first - it's pricey, limited, and the apple/animalic combination is divisive - but it's a strong pick for incense-fruit fans who liked the Macaque concept but not the green original.

## Versions & Reformulation

This is itself a 2021 reinterpretation, not a reformulation - a separate Mackenzie Reilly composition on the Macaque theme, distinct from the discontinued McCartney original. It launched as a 20% extrait (the brand also cites 25% extrait for the Macaque editions in some listings) in a 60 ml deluxe bottle, with 10 ml travel sprays and 1.5 ml samples. It was released alongside the Yuzu Edition as a pair and was, for roughly a year, a Japan-boutique exclusive (a retailer) before broader distribution - Behnke's readers lamented its initial Japan-only availability, and wearer notes standard distribution outside Japan beginning around November 2022. The juice itself has no known sub-reformulations.

## Acquisition Notes

The cataloged full-bottle reference is 200 USD / 60 ml. This version has historical or edition-specific availability, so confirm the exact name, perfumer, and release year before buying. Samples or small formats are the sensible first step when available, especially for discontinued or similarly named Zoologist editions. Buy through official or authorized channels when possible.

## Notable Facts & Lore

- Reilly sent two mods - one with Fuji apple and one with yuzu - and Wong loved both, so rather than choose, the house released both as twin editions, reframing the concept as macaques and their human temple-neighbors sharing a mountain.
- Reilly's concept ties the perfume back to macaques, mountain temples, and the human rituals around them.
- The pair is a rare case of a discontinued original being replaced not by a reformulation but by two simultaneous reinterpretations from a new perfumer - a small piece of Zoologist lore that still confuses buyers, since all three share the Macaque name and portrait.