This scent has incredible longevity on my skin, lasting through a whole day and up to the next afternoon. River Otter has such a smooth, creamy fragrance and manages to smell sweet without being cloying. It is definitely a softer fragrance, but the patchouli and wood notes add some nice depth to level out the maple fudge. Overall, it’s genuinely comfort in a bottle! Plus, who doesn’t love otters?

I started with a sample of this because historically patchouli has never really gotten along with my nose... but now I'm ordering a backup bottle of it because it is SO DANG GOOD. It's not overtly foodie, just the maple's sweetness on top of everything. It's so well balanced. It has great throw and gets even better when I'm a touch hot and starting to sweat. That's probably the least likely time to want snuggles but boy do I feel sleek and sexy (for sure snuggling later). It's a deliciously warm and cozy scent that's not overtly foodie. Definitely would recommend!

But I did! Do not be worried if you are like me and don't enjoy gourmand scents. The maple in this scent is not foody; this is a comforting, warm, and cozy scent that gives me the mental image (besides otter cuddles) of being hugged by a friend who has just finished making Werther's candy in her old school wooden kitchen. On the drydown the maple blends with the wooden notes for a simple but warm vibe. If you want a snuggle in perfume form, this is for you.

I mean, when do I not feel like a nice long snuggle? Bought this sample because I love maple and decided to be brave about the patchouli. Fortunately it is in fact very balanced and I like it a lot. The maple fudge is sweet and distinctly maple, and it's just floating along with smooth woody freshness and brightly herbal, almost minty, patchouli. This is such a Nui Cobalt feeling scent; it's my favorite kind of thing from them. Throw is pretty good and the sandalwood winds up melding beautifully to my skin. Surprisingly, River Otter turns out to possibly be my very favorite of the Critters I tried this year!

Wet in the bottle, I get warm amber and patchouli, and as soon as I put it on the skin, there's a sweet maple that starts to come out and meld with the amber and patchouli to make this golden, sweet, earthy combination that I've come to recognize as a Nui Cobalt fragrance. The teak doesn't come across as sharp, and there is a nice woody base there from the sandalwood and Peru balsam, but it's not particularly a "woody" scent at all. I knew I would like this one, it truly does feel like a warm snuggle from your favorite person.