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lslavaa – :
Very unisex. Bitter and sharp.
Asmodeiy – :
Blind bought this bottle as well as Lady Vengeance. I saw the reviews saying this perfume is androgynous, but it actually smells quite feminine to me. It’s sweet and powdery, almost like baby powders. I agree with some reviews that the scent is not complex, and that it doesn’t smell super niche. I’ll probably layer it with other perfumes.
petrov32 – :
I went to Sephora to buy Clean Acqua Neroli (see my review of it) early Saturday afternoon and the associate recommended this to me, trying to persuade me to buy it instead of C.A.N. He sprayed both my arms with it and told me it was warmer than C.A.N., oil-based, and hence longer-lasting. I definitely liked the scent; I love neroli and almond and they come through with the amber and lavender. I prefer cool scents to warm ones though, so my mind stayed fixed on buying Clean Acqua Neroli- and I’m glad it did. Although he showered my arms in it, it was gone before I went home for the night. Clean Acqua Neroli lasts much longer as it pleases my nose and reflects my personality much more!
This is definitely a unisex scent; I didn’t even know it was marketed towards women only. It didn’t smell feminine on me at all, and even if it did, I didn’t care! But my love of neroli led me to purchase what I came there for in the first place.
Overall rating: 8/10
Scent: 9/10
Sillage: 7/10
Longevity: 7/10
pole011 – :
I purchased the largest size of this blindly based on reviews. By all accounts and based on notes, I should love this one. I do not. It definitely does not work with my skin. On paper it smells good but on my particular skin it smells like pickles. It smells like a pickle from initial spray and stays that way all the way into drydown.
Since no one else seems to have had this experience, I am going to assume this is happening because it is not the right one for my skin only.
If anyone is interested in the largest available bottle of this sprayed twice, please let me know. I would love to trade it for any number of the Dior Cherie variations. If there is a difference in value, I will pay difference. I am also interested in vintage perfumes like Eternity woman and poison. This bottle was not cheap so i am hoping to move it to a home that loves it but also that the perfume loves you back. Just not for me.
Also….if anyone bought ANY of the new colognes from Mugler and does not like what they bought, that would be a great trade. Same exact value.
enveveFlify – :
Whoever doesn’t afraid the gender marketing thing in scents should try this. It feels unisex in a modern/classic way.
There is the classic colonia vibe (neroli/petitgrain/citruses/lavender) mixed with modern smoothness and delicate mild to faint powder (delicate almonds, musk, orange blossom). I could wear it, very pleasant scent. There’s also a mild soapy vibe.
Its philosophy is similar to Christian Dior Cruise Collection Escale a Parati only Gentlewoman feels a little more modern from this Dior. These scents ARE NOT similar. I used this Dior for example.
Sillage/projection are moderate. Longevity is also average.
artyr8004 – :
Such a pretty neroli! It’s bitter and fresh, not long lasting or a monster silage, but I do enjoy the neroli. It’s mostly the flower aspect at the beginning and ambroxan fresh through its wear time. Nothing to do with the balmy creamy narcotic carnal Serge Lutens neroli, BUT day to day fresh pick me up, chemical, but realistic neroli 🙂 Do not expect the flowers to develop or last long because they don’t. Just be aware of that.
pa090162oak – :
Lavender, neroli and orange blossom. Fresh soap contrasting with an almost leathery musk and ambrosia that seems fleshy and salty.
Honestly, this is much more soapy than I typically like, but I think I’m going to enjoy having it around. It has all the makings of a perfect healing/comfort scent and I love the boyish floral fun.
Wore this again today on a 75 degree day I got in the car and this bloomed beautifully in the heat. I get a definate fig note, similar to the salty fig in Jardin Mediterranean that I love contrasted with a sweet floral orange blossom and creamy almond. This may be a new summer favorite.
EnalayUnwibia – :
I blind bought this because the notes sounded so lovely. And I was right – they are beautiful! It opens with a blast of neroli, and pretty soon a freshly-cut grass note shows up. The pairing of the grass & neroli is unique.. puzzling at first, but I quickly grew to like it. It settles down to clean tonka and almond scent.
However, despite how much I enjoyed this fragrance, the longevity makes it a deal-breaker for me. After an hour, I could barely smell it on my wrist; by hour two, it was gone completely. I don’t feel comfortable reapplying at work because the neroli/grass scent is strong at first, and unusual enough to be controversial – I don’t think everyone would like it. So, I’ll enjoy it as a scent to wear when I am hanging out at home and can easily reapply.
nazar605 – :
I love neroli, its one of my favorite notes in perfumery. This is very nice, straight up unisex Neroli with that fresh/bitter combo I love so much. Its pretty close to Hermes Narcisse Bleu (my staple) but not as flowery and a little more subdued and a little more green grassy smelling. I also have Hermes Neroli, Bottega Veneta Knot and Mugler Cologne, but won’t mind having this one as well. If you are a fan of neroli, you will def like this.
Oblighblothyh – :
Just like lots of reviews before mine state this is very soapy/detergenty and clean in a fresh laundry/”just out of the shower” type of sense. It is truly a gender-neutral/androgynous type of scent. It could be called “unisex” scent instead. But it might be a little too feminine for a guy, and kinda masculine for a woman. A non-binary person with long hair in a tux – perfect ad for the fragrance.
grechich – :
I’ll give it another chance, but this is screechy soap on me today. Gentlewoman was the first one I tried from the discovery set, and I expected to love it. Bergamot, neroli, orange blossom, almond – I love usually these notes. But it smells like a specific cheap bar soap. Irish Spring? Or Zest? Not sure. I’ll have to sniff the boxes of each one next time I go to the pharmacy. I don’t mind soapy perfumes, actually, but I prefer if they smell like *nice* soaps!
Clon777 – :
A strong blast of neroli citrus in the opening, with a beautiful musky almond drydown.
It’s a unique, almost trendy smell. Something an urbanite would wear. Clean, with a hint of softness in the scent. There is definitely a gentleness in the notes, but with an edge.
It’s not the scent of a fairytale princess or a magical garden, but rather the city dweller wearing tight black jeans and white t-shirt with sneakers. Ponytail. And from the back it could be a guy or girl, and their fragrance stays unisex too.
I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I do, but I do. I think it’s because I love almond scents and this is a clean almond fragrance, something different.
ЭдгарПо – :
I am a huge fan of JHAG, I absolutely love Midnight Oud, Citizen Queen, Lady Vengeance and well, most of them.This one is okay.This smells very clean, as in freshly done laundry clean.This reminds me of a laundry detergent but I cannot remember which one.It’s great if you’re into that kind of thing.
aspirine – :
Used the gentle woman sample from the variety today. On me it was kind of heavy and warm almost like an incense smell with some sweetness. I totally get its kinda gender neutral and while it grew on me and my family liked it, I’m hoping for something to love out of that little box!
madg – :
The combination of neroli and almond works wonderfully for me – this is crisp, refreshing, clean, like a spritz of pure spring/summer energy. Just smells heavenly; the notes of almond and maybe a few white flowers round off all the edges and prevent this from ever smelling like a cleaning product to me.
It’s truly genderless as well, to my mind – sweet enough for girly girls to enjoy, but with more than enough dignity and character to work on anyone.
But alas! as with all JHAGs on me … it’s completely gone after 90minutes, tops. If this lasted it would be my signature summer scent. As it doesn’t, it just convinces me more than ever that JHAG simply doesn’t work with my chemistry, no matter how much their wacky fruit-themed experiments intrigue and delight me.
Witaliy56 – :
Maybe it’s the weather (warm and a little humid), maybe it’s my nose, but I’m only getting a sweet floral in Gentlewoman, with a hint of bergamot, and a warm musky amber. To my nose, this isn’t masculine at all. It’s a night garden in a bottle, redolent of the sweet nectars of tobacco flowers, honeysuckle (japonica), moon flowers, and jasmine. Likely the neroli is responsible for these notes. I also smell vanilla, though it’s not in the scent profile. Whatever is going on, this is wonderful on me.
Nowhere do I get citrus–one of my favorites–save for a hint of bergamot, and I have to concentrate to even detect it. I don’t smell soapiness at all, either, and I’m into hour four. The dry down at this point is sweet, musky wood and amber.
I really love this. It would be full-bottle worthy if it didn’t become a skin scent after an hour. If I can successfully employ some of the tips in the recent longevity article, I’ll definitely get one.
kkh101Unlogrere – :
At first it seems like a neutral inoffensive scent, but noooo… It develops into a sharp and annoying bathroom cleanser and it’s surprisingly tenacious. Migraine in a bottle!
Sart – :
Gentlewoman lives up to its billing as a masculine cologne for women. It’s all about sharp citruses (neroli, bitter orange blossom, bergamot) blended with musk. Add in a few sprigs of lavender for that masculine touch and touch of almond to slightly sweeten and you end up with an androgynous, unisex fragrance. It’s not my cup of tea, but if you’re looking for a clean-ish, everyday gender neutral scent, check this one out.
rjcool – :
cologne-like neroli. Nice and fresh, but not ground-breaking. Good summer-scent, but I would go for the budget neroli of Yves Rocher secrets d’essences…
spam.ua – :
Neroli, lavender and almond- androgynous, sexy and very modern and cool! This is clean and work safe, but still interesting and original. I wear it when I’m in a tailored jacket and Oxford shoes. Love it!
Meowk041JeomiWogkig – :
This smells exactly like yellow laundry soap. It’s that yellow bar of soap to do laundry. I’m not saying it reminded me of the smell– I am saying it is EXACTLY that smell. I was so in disbelief I smelled the two side by side. If you grew up poor, that yellow bar soap was used to wash everything– possibly even your hair. I have to admit, this is a tenacious one. I keep scrubbing but can still smell it on my wrist. This might suit some who want to smell clean and laundry-esque. But for me I smell just like this for free when I’m elbow deep in housework– and I usually shower the smell away right after.
Sharker – :
sample #4 from the set and things are not getting better. Yes- this smells like Neroli scented Windex on the dry-down. Sorry.
liongun – :
Powdery, inoffensive scent. Perfectly pleasant and forgettable. It evokes no real response or scent memory for me. Not different enough to be memorable and not worth keeping in rotation as a classic of its type.
Mickle1963 – :
An initially bright and bursting, clean smelling androgynous scent. Mellows out into cool, metallic tones. Continues to melt into something warmer, with the almond coming through and a sweeter citrus. Very stiff upper back and nose to the air, tight and sharp. Fit for winter and late fall. I wore this to my grandfather’s funeral, so now it has a nostalgic soft spot in my heart. 8/10
Cladesheela – :
Smell is bitter with a slightly hint of almond. Very close to the skin – as well as every perfume of theirs.
caspi – :
Smells like soleil blanc but soapier.
server95 – :
On me, this smells like a cheap eau de cologne !
oleoleole99 – :
The lime in this one is too overpowering for me
olga1401 – :
I think I have found the culprit… the mix of neroli and musk ends up smelling like I put bathroom cleanser on myself. This is especially true for gentlewoman. Once my scent bird sample is done I will not be repurchasing. I’ll honestly be using it as a bathroom spray until it’s gone.
Worlding – :
A super nice combination of neroli (which I usually dislike) and fluffy lavender. Quite nice and fresh-smelling. It’s super fresh, clean, and soft. The lavender makes me think this is a right out of the dryer, laundry fresh scent.
Updagemaida – :
Gentle woman is a great gender bender , love those type of perfumes that really have no sex but just smell good, clean and freshly showered , this one is a great white t shirt scent , also a nice formal dress up scent , easily worn by both genders . Anytime ,anywhere.
Starts off common with orange blossom and neroli , like a typical cologne in a way , soapy lavender and the above mentioned citrusy notes. But what’s so special about this fragrance is that those notes lay on a bed of almonds and tonka , musk and JHAG famos ambroxan for the ones that are lucky enough to smell it.
I have been wearing it all day and felt very clean and lovely smelling , I resprayed once through the day and just now I topped it up with “not a perfume “, and I am enjoying this combination very much.
Update , wearing this a lot on days when I just want to smell good and clean. Oh is this ever smooth in its drydown. Smells like you just had a shower even hours after it’s been sprayed. It gets better with each hour.
Amazing fragrance. Compliment getter !!!
kjhgutfijnlkp – :
Soap. Specifically: Zest. This perfume makes me feel zestfully clean. 🙂
tanya_tarsenko – :
Well, Ricci says it is a masculine cologne for women with neroli, almond and musk. He is a man of his word. On my skin, Gentlewoman is a linear, unisex scent with straight up neroli and musk.
The references to TF Neroli Portifino and Bobbi Brown Beach are due to the neroli and orange blossom which are used to achieve the sunscreen scent. Gentlewoman reads very bitterly synthetic to my nose; somewhere between expired vintage sunscreen and the pearly-white cheap soap listed by others reviewers. This cologne is intriguing and I can see this for tomboys or women who appreciate things without so many frills. The scent is easily overwhelmed by strong lotions, so I think layering efforts should be made with sheer fragrances.
I think of Elinor Dashwood when I think of a Gentlewoman. In this sense, I think the scent works. In days before running and easily heated water, if a gentlewoman smelled of soapy bitterness I can see this working.
allen1996 – :
i smell neroli, a hint of almond, bergamot and a soft airy musk in the beginning stages. it’s a little synthetic for my tastes. i love neroli, but i think i like richer more indolic versions than this. i can see the balance of masculine and feminine (in the traditional sense) in this scent, so it’s very unisex in that way. after being on the skin 10 or so minutes i get more lavender and tonka, grounding the scent, which is nice, and it smells more traditionally softly masculine, then it gets pretty soapy.
oleska93 – :
Really nice! Gentlewoman for me is a gentle fragrance, sweet and enveloping! The neroli is the note that dominates the scent. In the middle notes when love comes in almond and orange blossom… the note ambroxan is in the background. Modern and complex parfum.. I tried it only today and now I love it. In my list will surely❣
Sillage: 6./10
Longevity: 7./10
Scent: 8.5/10
Overall: 8.5/10
fler236 – :
This is a lovely fragrant citrus juicy sweet neroli on my skin, very pretty. Too bad it comes off as a rather industrial or clinical scent on my clothes. Any reviewer who describes this as a cleaning product type of smell is correct.
Btw This is a new thing for me. I’ve never really known a scent that performs better when in contact with my skin. It’s rather flattering but it last for less time than most. It would hold better to fabric but what’s the point?
I tried it beside Guerlains Neroli Bianca and Gentlewoman looked like a cad. Go online and find neroli Bianca if you want neroli done right.
shevasrv – :
Big neroli opening over a warm, peppery base. There’s something almost savory and food-like in the base, too. Is that coumarin? This is a fairly dry fragrance, kept from austerity by the smoothness of the base. I agree with other commenters that there’s a definite soapiness to the dry down. I’m not a huge fan of neroli or orange blossom, and I consistenly feel like JHaG is disappointingly simplistic for a niche house. This hasn’t really changed my mind about either. To me, this seems like a rather straightforward neroli based cologne. Personally, I feel like it’s been done better or cheaper but if this kind of fragrance appeals to you then you should give it a try. Simple, classic, and a bit androgynous – literally a “clean” fragrance.
nize – :
I think this smells like a cheap bar of soap by itself, but when it’s worn under midnight oud, the almond comes out in such a gorgeous way that balances both of them perfectly. Do make sure you try layering these two if you have the discovery kit.
ProRock – :
Wanted to hop on here to see reviews as I have been testing the discovery kit. I found neroli portofino shamefully dead on furniture polish. Washed it immediately. I’m not getting anything similar with gentlewoman and if there is some comparison I am missing, I’m very happy because gentlewoman is heavenly. If you don’t like neroli portofino don’t let that scare you from testing at least a spray of this.
wqop – :
This is s great example of why you MUST try a perfume in your own skin!
On first application, it was awful. It smelt like a citussy furniture polish with a floral undertone, but it changed even through initial dry down. I like having a unique and different scent, but Pledge and Mr Sheen aren’t up there
I get it’s masculinity, from dry down but its not overpowering. It’s mostly Neroli to me at first.
I am now so glad I didn’t wash it off right away, after a few hours of wear, it smells divine now. Mostly musk and woodiness a bit of neroli. Apparently other people get more bitter orange blossom and bergamot, but for me it’s definitely more musky and woody, but that’s good imho! I prefer musky and woody scents on me. I keep sniffing to see if I’m missing the citrus scent, but I just don’t get any citrus on me since the initial dry down… and then it was a very synthetic citrus in an unpleasant way.
It’s grown to be very sophisticated, and I can’t help going back to sniff it more.
chak2002 – :
A less fresh and even more synthetic version of Neroli Portofino…
If I were to use the name “Gentlewoman” for a perfume (especially with such a sharp-eyed badass looking model) I’d take out half of the soapiness and add vetiver with a touch of black current leave or even tuberose!
tehnose – :
Gentlewoman is a gentle woman on me.
I notice orange blossom and neroli plus sweet soft lavender wind, nothing sharp to cut you if you get closer. It is a clean, soapy fragrance with just a hint of an almond and the almond is so far away from the one in Hypnotic poison for instance.
I am sure Gentlewoman is close to a perfume I have met before but I cannot remember its name.
Edit: I found out which is the familiar “perfume”. One hour later Gentlewoman turned into an window/glass detergent! What a pity..
berg35 – :
Gentlewoman is growing on me. The bold and slightly sharp citrussy opening contrasts well with the milky, creamy almond drydown. This, in my opinion, suits the name very well: At first it’s classy in a traditionally masculine/cologney sort of way, then it becomes a gentle skin scent. Nice wordplay, JHAG!
It’s inoffensive, yes, but since when is that a bad thing? That said, YMMV, so while some reviewers point out bitter notes and lavender, I simply can’t detect these when I spray Gentlewoman; on my skin it is all sorts of deliciously creamy, woody almond, which makes me want to bite my own arm 😉
As for soapy, I’m starting to further appreciate the subjective associations of language (and smells) with regard to perfume. See, soapy for me means mainly the artificial, sharp rose smell of (cheap? another rather silly adjective in this context as it says much more about the reviewer’s prejudice than the perfume itself) soaps of my childhood, the kind of heady, flowery smell that would always make me sneeze and give me a headache. So while Gentlewoman’s drydown actually does smell like the (fun fact: more expensive) soaps that I use nowadays, I would never describe it as soapy, rather say that they’re both creamy.
tl;dr
Language is polysemous, describing perfume is hard.
dan02631 – :
Juliette Has a Gun has a new fan.
That said, I can’t say I’m a fan of Gentlewoman.
As all of their perfumes, the quality of this is top notch. The longevity is great, the sillage not so much but I guess it was never meant to be a monster.
Now the scent itself is simple and a bit linear, which is not a bad thing in this case, as I assume minimalism and clean elegance were the inspiration. It starts off with bitter neroli tamed with bitter almonds which fades into bitter lavander.
On my skin this is a lavander bomb. A bitter one.
And that’s about it. Nothing fussy, cluttered or chaotic about Gentlewoman. Just blunt class and elegantly executed attitude.
I have to mention the ads, which I am head over heels for.
I appreciate Gentlewoman but I don’t think I would wear it.
suvor.rr – :
One of the very few citrus-category fragrances that work for me. Normally they are too sharp and too short-lived, but this one works exceptionally well. Typically, I like wearing woody-orientals and sweet patchouli-based fragrances, but this take on citrus is just…WOW.
Orange blossom, candied almonds, lavender, and ambroxan. Overall it’s a very sweet fragrance. The lavender is more apparent in the opening, and the candied almond note becomes more pronounced in the dry down along with the ambroxan and subtle woody notes, which gives the fragrance depth. I feel it’s so well done for a skin chemistry like mine, just perfect! There is something about this that makes me want to wear it in rainy weather, as well.
OgwaqqUL – :
This was my scentbird sample pick for august. I love the orange scent in all it’s forms, so it’s not surprising that I like Gentlewoman. The orange blossom presents strongly in the opening, along with the bergamot. Lavender appears next with a grassy coumarin, and I love the way these notes blend. I don’t like the drydown as much as the opening because I don’t care for the almond note, but it’s not overpowering here.
den777.s – :
Tested last time on paper and this time on skin.The hate for Gentlewoman baffles me! To me this shares a very similar style with Thierry Mugler Alien in that both are very sharp soapy fragrances with big sillage. The difference is that in Alien it is the jasmine that’s gone soapy and here it is the orange blossom and lavender. I find the soapy jasmine note in Alien too similar to laundry detergent and it repels me, but here petitgrain and almond add moisture and warmth to make Gentlewoman smell like freshly-ironed clothes. It smells sharp, organized, and prepares you to take on the world. Longevity and projection is like Alien — superb. I really really like it!
Hunter87 – :
This is a very pretty perfume. I was gifted a sample from a friend. I wasn’t expecting to like it due to its simple fragrance pyramid; but it surprised me. It fits the feminine frame with its powdery neroli slash orange blossom touch. Yes, it has that clean essence to it; but I do not find it harsh. I applied it with a light hand, so maybe that’s why.
tqjtscgenmz – :
Fresh citrusy powder! How wonderfully contradictory! No sweetness or fluff, just refreshing and soft, never sharp or bitter.
reza-3000 – :
Right, so i’m a huge fan of the whole Juliette has a gun line…never thought they could do anything to disappoint me…but then I received a sample of Gentlewoman. It smells pretty much like a more soapy version of Neroli Portofino in the opening and morphs into, just as other reviewers said, public toilet soap..I don’t find it pleasant at all…the soap smells cheap and almost sickening…don’t know why I feel so repulsed, might be the lavender in it…I once said I’d love to own the entire line of JHAG…I take it back, everything except of that one.
anton1966666 – :
Awful. Smells like very sharp, cheap hand soap. Very synthetic and abrasive smelling.. I actually recoiled when I smelled the top notes. Do NOT blind buy this one, seriously, sample it first.
Longevity is pretty good, probably because it’s loaded with synthetics. Very little, if any, projection on me though (thank god!)
madg – :
It’s such a weird scent and since I had a chance to first hear the story, then smell the perfume, I imagined it quite different than what it turned out to be. I was expecting more pepper and sharpness, with a subtle warmth that developed throughout the day. What it really does come to is that this perfume, at first, smells of bitter orange peel with a powdery background. It does develop a certain amount of muskiness, but I like it most at its drydown. It becomes very sweet, soft and subtle. It does become a very womanly perfume.
lotarslav – :
This is a hard one to describe, I dont find it masculine, on me it is at first rather feminine, breezy, I detect the neroli, it has a soapy undertone, overall, I liked it , for 25 seconds.then it takes a turn for the worse, and I agree with the former reviewer it has a smell of anti bacterial products..which kind of ruins it for me..the top notes are great, but on me after 20 seconds,it turns unpleasantly soapy, not in a luxurious feminine soapy way..more a cheap, unisex handsoap one finds in the public toilets.
starts nice, falls flat…
Not acceptable when you ask for niche prices
katyakatya – :
Prepare yourself, it’s a sharp opening.
DEFINITELY more gentleman than gentlewoman during the first 30 minutes or so. BITTER orange and very little else. Fortunately for me, this doesn’t last. After about an hour, it’s soapy. A gentle public lavatory soap. You know the kind, white, pearlized, liquid, floral…placed next to hand towels instead of paper towels so you forget you’re in a public john 🙂
Gentlewoman does’t feel like a JHaG fragrance. My nose feels as if I am at the wrong fragrance house, as if I confused the address. Where’s the X-factor I typically find so dear from Romano Ricci offerings?
I can’t tell if I want this fragrance to be softer, but I think I would enjoy it a little deeper, bolder, more rich throughout. Do I need vetiver here? Creamier florals? I need something else. *scratches head*
Now my review might sound like I don’t like Gentlewoman. Not true. I do like it, but I don’t love it….yet 🙂
I’ve not given up on her.