Description
The new non-perfume is arriving from the house of Juliette Has a Gun in September 2010. Juliette Has a Gun Not a Perfume in not really a perfume but fragrant AMBROX in a flacon.
C16 H28 O is formula of Ambroxan, the only key ingredient in this non-perfume. Ambrox was born in the 1950es in Firmenich as substitute for grey amber which was very expensive for a common use in compositions. Ambrox is typically used as one of base notes of compositions, while it has a leading role in this non-perfume.
Juliette Has A Gun Not a Perfume is a provocative declaration which does not follow the rules of modern perfumery. Not a Perfume is based on contradictions, since its composition is created of molecules and is the only fragrance without allergens.
Not a Perfume is available in characteristic flacons of 50 and 100ml.
gekk – :
This reminds me of an old romantic song by the Temptations called “ Just My Imagination,” because anything you smell is JUST YOUR IMAGINATION .
I wonder if Jacque Guerlain or Francois Coty are in Heaven looking down and laughing at the gimmicks ?
I tried this and got ZILCH . Zilch . Zilch!! And the sales rep said “ we have had others tell us they smell nothing “. ( Understatement !)
The only thing positive about this fragrance is that it does not have any of the following common notes: pralines, honey, licorice, marshmallow , ad nauseum.
Do I sound critical ? At least I am honest , and not elevating poor products that do not perform and belong on my pancakes .
The word insipid means “tasteless “ . This can’t even be classified as tasteless because it is JUST YOUR IMAGINATION. Hold on to your purses ladies .
Joyaka – :
A very soft & mild woody scent. Almost creamy. Reminds me a lot of Lalique’s Encre Noire.
Juliette Has A Gun lists “cetalox” as the solo ingredient, which is also known as ambroxan.
Despite ambroxan being the main ingredient in Dior Sauvage, which I don’t like much, Not A Perfume smells completely different & I really like the smell.
Safe for blind purchase as it’s inoffensive but this perfume, while wearable solo, is probably better to be layered with another perfume(s).
sergiodeolivera – :
That bottle looks dated as. They should just make it matte white and get rid of the circling vines
Nice for summer, stuffy rooms, no shower days and anytime you don;t want to overwhelm. Safe but sophisticated. I used to wear Philosophy Clean scents for that until I picked up on how strong they were.
Of all of the single ingredient style “indescribable mystery smell” perfumes, this one is the only one that works for me.
bendercool222 – :
I seriously thought this perfume was unisex. I got a sample and I like it a lot so I decided to buy it but then I was perplexed when I saw the description. I’m smelling Not a Perfume right now and there’s nothing to me that screams FEMININE! Perhaps it’s because of the weird molecules thing, who knows.
The only difference that I noted is that the first time I test it, it was a clean, soft musk. Very pristine. This time I’m getting the rubbing alcohol image, almost like a dirty ambergris.
So I guess lucky me I didn’t rush to buy it. I’ll sleep on it and see.
Zverek88 – :
I got a sample of this recently and my first impression was a good one. I immediately smelled 3 separate noted: citrus,woodsy notes and musk. Reminded me very much of a softer and airier version of d and g’s light blue. (And from the few reviews I read it seems im not alone in this.) Unfortunately the scent seemed to disappear very quickly. I would have to put my nose to my wrist to get the faintest of a smell. Its so soft and gentle that I can understand why some people have difficulty smelling it. I guess I can understand why this might be appealing to some, but when I wear perfume I’m not usally looking for subtle. I want to be reminded I’m wearing it. And even though I put on a generous amount it just didnt have enough presence for me. So for me this is a pass.
лёха 86199186 – :
While shopping with girlfriends in Sephora I spotted this perfume (?) and sprayed some on a tester. It was soft…sweet…amberish. Lovely.
My friend leaned over and sniffed. “I don’t smell anything.”
“It’s light, but it’s sweet and pretty!” I said.
She sniffed again. “Nope.”
I grabbed my other girlfriend and urged her to smell the tester. “Ooh, that’s nice!” She said. “It’s all lemony and fresh.”
What is going on here? Perfume is subjective, true, but how can this non-perfume smell so differently to each of us? I bought the Juliette Has a Gun Discovery Kit and started with Not a Perfume. It lasted for hours and never changed, but it was much stronger on my skin than on the tester. So strong that I could taste it like some other reviewers. After I did some research I decided I might have to get a bottle, if for no other reason than to increase the longevity of some of my weaker perfumes. I will be experimenting with this beauty! Strong like for me.
88VladLen88 – :
A clean laundry scent that flies so under the radar that people will attribute your smelling good to you having just showered.
Smells like a baby brother to D & G’s Light Blue (which I own and enjoy). They share a similar DNA of top notes: light lemon, aquatic, unisex, the just laundered freshness of a newly ironed, crisp white shirt. I would have called it Baby Blue.
I wear this on days when I’m not in the mood for a strong perfume.
latuza – :
Light and a bit sweet.
anar_selef – :
One note.
Gorgeous for layering.
Works well in my collection for layering my fragrance. Makes me feel like a nose in the making.
sven130389 – :
I can’t smell anything and yet my husband says he can smell florals and musk on me. I got this as I am a nurse and I wanted a perfume that won’t offend anyone and I read this is good fragrance for that. But if my husband can smell something then I guess it must be working!!
Edit: I meant to say powder not musk. But update, it smells like baby powder with faint floral. Definitely good for wearing at where I work!
zotov606 – :
Wood, wet leather, the smell of a hot iron, and dirty hair. These are the associations I make with this scent. I believe due to the one note of this, it is going to play different for everyone. For me personally it’s something I would want to wash off, not put on. I have smelled this note before, and there is no doubt it sours on my skin. Sorry, for me it is a pass.
tohanv – :
There is something about this that I almost like, I get it and I think it does what it intends to do. But to me, there is a ‘human’ smell to it that is off-putting. It smells like skin, like being near to a person – I suppose that’s it. It smells like ‘someone’ but not me and I don’t want to smell someone else that closely.
Ezhik – :
This is an awesome scent for the those who can’t wear perfume. Nurses, doctors, personnel trainers. Speaking of such this would be great to wear to the gym! IT It just a clean skin scent on me. I’m wearing this to the gym!
sedeBreestwaw – :
When first sprayed, I definitely smell the similarity to light blue. Then after a minute the scent is completely gone for me! BUT throughout the day it will occassionally waft around me and the smell is so fresh and clean, and a bit floral. I do love it, I just wish I could smell it on me constantly, but again that is not the point of this perfume. I do smell similarities to Glossier you as well, but Glossier you I can smell on myself all day.
s–d.ru – :
Yep, it smells like ambroxan.
I suppose if that’s what the perfumer was going for then they succeeded with a 10/10.
Single note fragrances like this and Escentric Molecules just aren’t my thing. Cheers if this works for you, but I don’t get it.
Gunian – :
Interesting idea, I get some nice, clean smell on my skin, nothing special though. But.. 135$ on Sephora? Pass.
slavun3698 – :
This is a nice clone of Molecule 02.
Smells great, a linear scent that is nice and simple.
Not a must-have, but a nice weapon to have in the armory.
I used six sprays…both wrist, back & front of my neck, chest, and front of my shirt.
Will I buy this again? No.
What’s the strength of this? EDP.
Does this fragrance enter BEAST MODE, good, just okay or weak sauce at best? Good.
Can you use it as a unisex scent? Yes.
Am I willing to trade this fragrance? Yes.
Should You Skip It, Sample It First or Blind Buy It? Sample it first.
Is it the old, new formulation? New.
What’s its availability; in production, limited edition or discontinued? In production.
SKU Number: 3760022730329 (Sample)
Batch Number: Unknown (Production Date: Unknown)
Age: 21+
From: Boscovs
Size: 3ML
Scent: 5/5 (Lovely).
Value: 5/5 (free).
Sillage: 5/5 (Five feet).
Longevity: 5/5 (Eight hours plus).
Creativity: 5/5 (Manly).
Projection: 5/5 (Two hours & a half).
Versatility: 5/5 (Anytime & Anywhere).
Compliments: 3.25/5 (Okay).
Until next time, I’ll catch you on the flipside.
tsarapkabel – :
I got a sample of this and I like it, somewhat. It’s not a groundbreaking scent it smells like just like whatever “fresh” smells to you. On me it smells like G of the Sea by Gwen Stefani kinda salty and ocean like but still fresh. I suggest you try before you buy.
antonmay3 – :
@Ohkit you made me laugh so hard, I was thinking the exact same thing as I’m testing “Not a Perfume” right now. I can’t smell anything, maybe a little bit of some kind of scented water, like when you put a lemon or cucumber in a glass of water.
…I think this is a Yanny for me… well, more of a “YAWN-y” 😛
Thanks Juliette Has a Gun for sending me a big sample of tap water!
kawenskas – :
Ohhh this is cute! Very fitting name, doesn’t smell like perfume. You know what it smells like? Little girl’s clothing. Or a girl’s bed. Just tidy, clean schoolgirls clothes, rooms, beds. Smells like the room of my fifth grade summer camp in the mountains.
Certainly not worthy of the price tag for an extremely weak skin scent though, this should be a body spray costing no more than $20.
The_filins – :
I can’t smell anything at all, it’s basically odorless water. Is this some kind of joke or is it an illusion just like the blue/gold dress or Laurel/yanny but in olfactory form?
andrixx – :
An actual fragrance nightmare. I’ve smelled this on several women I know and found it intriguing and actually quite feminine and seductive, but on me it reminded me abysmally of the fragrance I despise the most—Le Labo’s Santal. Both fragrances made me physically ill and I couldn’t wait to get home and scrub it off. My nose is often inconveniently sensitive, so maybe to others this smelled “fresh” or “light”, but to me it was monstrously musky and strangely cloying.
wds612Bessinepome – :
I agree softer and sweeter and turns a lot more noses. It has people begging for an explanation. They want to be part of the family..
roosetiedge – :
Smells exactly like CK2 Calvin Klein
RuuTeff – :
Just Eso .. very similar to Molecule 2
Absolutely nothing common wih le labo ambrette9
You can feel nothing on the beginning just later maybe hour and more you will feel it and it will remain on your clothes days..
boom2 – :
I have Molecule 02 and to me they’re very similar. So similar to the point where I’m not sure I can tell them appart. Perhaps Molecule 02 is slightly dryer?
rfkbnf – :
On skin: Eh. Nondescript vaguely amber scent, extremely close to the skin.
Cherry-nk – :
I tested this for a few days after being given a generous spray sample at the brand’s Paris store (Café Juliette, in Place des Vosges, 4th arrondissement).
Cetalox is a trademark name currently held by Swiss company Firmenich and the synthetic ambergris used here – and is identical to Ambroxan, a trademark name previously held by German company Henkel but as of 2017, belongs to Japanese cosmetics company KAO. Ambroxan was used to great effect in Escentric Molecule’s Molecule 02.
While the molecular structure of each component is identical, the scent profile can be different depending on a number of factors, including the quality of the raw materials used to synthesize it, and the dosage of the material used in the finished product – much in the same way that two loaves of bread can have the same ingredients but taste entirely different, based on quality of ingredients and the skill of the baker. 🙂
Comparing the two, Not a Perfume is both softer and muskier/animalic than Molecule 02, which may render it more wearable. I also detect more of a salty edge to Not a Perfume.
Molecule 02 somehow leans more traditionally masculine (if such designations are important to you), like a woody amber on steroids, and tends to disappear and reappear quite a bit during its wear, depending on the temperature and humidity of your surroundings. It seems to require heat to bloom and be sensed.
Not a Perfume hums along rather consistently once the alcohol dissipates and is detectable on skin and clothing for more than 12 hours. I could still detect it after a long, hot shower. I own full bottles of both and prefer Not A Perfume by a long-shot.
If you’ve tested either and can’t smell them at all, you’re simply anosmic to them which I suppose is better than the hyper-sensitivity a small percent of the fragrance community experiences.
alifko – :
J’ai testé ce parfum avec une amie et le résultat fut très surprenant : toutes les deux avons eu une odeur différente sur notre poignet. Un parfum intéressant et surtout surprenant qui mérite d’être essayé! Mais je dois dire que la tenue n’est pas vraiment au rendez-vous car au bout de 2 /3 heures, je ne sentais déjà plus ces odeurs.
blackn – :
I must admit I was very excited to try a perfume created by Juliet Has A Gun after having seen so much hype on the internet.
This was my first encounter and I am left disappointed. This perfume smells generic and I am getting echos of the uber-generic D&G Light Blue.
Initially I thought it may just smell like that in the bottle, but once on my skin I got a whole lot of nothing.
Will try others from JHAG, but so far, I am not very impressed.
fvk018InsuffBooni – :
I’m confused because it lives up to its name
I’m getting absolutely nothing even if I sniff harder or spritz it on my skin, it’s like my nose is blind to its smell.
Pig – :
tried this in the summer. This could not stand up to the heat on me at all. It disappeared almost immediately and I was left with some really weird light chemical type scent. If I sprayed it on my clothes I got the smell of laundry detergent from it.
I tried it today when it was cold out and i could smell it on my skin for a good 6 hours and I’m sure you can still smell it on my clothes (about 12 hours now).
To me it’s a very masculine scent. I was so desperate to smell something girly by the end of the day. Personally I’m not a fan at all.
эля1983 – :
I find the whole idea of this so unappealing – I don’t want to wear a perfume that is not a perfume, but just a single aromachemical bottled up, decorated with a logo that looks like a wall decal and sold for 95 €. Even for a shower fresh scent I’d rather use something with a nice blend of notes and a little more creativity.
Not a perfume opens very harsh and chemical, almost like a cleaning product, but dries down quickly. On me it smells like freshly washed skin amplified with a weird sweet and woodsy undertone. It smells okay, but not really good to me, and it’s very linear after the initial blast.
I guess this is very skin-dependent and works better for others. Maybe it’s useful when you work in a scent-free place (the horror) but still feel the need to spray something on in the morning, I guess no one would ever notice this is not just shower gel.
Fosihas – :
This smells like a woman stepping out of the shower. Clean. I love it! My husband always comments on it when I wear it. It is perfect for wearing to places where a strong perfume would not be appropriate.
Poll – :
What a strange perfume…you know when you try perfumes in a boutique and the lady gives you a card sprayed with the perfume you liked and she writes down the name on it…put it in your purse and forget it for about…until you open your purse again…well…that is the best description I can give you! Very faint and no musk…it was not a happy ending with my skin chemistry.
fbq429elipseskism – :
Unlike other JHAG perfumes I have (Vengeance extreme, Another Oud, Lady Vengeance, Citizen Queen), this one left me without any reaction. Positive or negative. Absolutely stupid perfume. I mean… “perfume”. It was a fast, blind shopping in KaDeWe in Berlin… struggling to empty the shit since 2011.
adupslula – :
I bought a sample of this one because it is quite expensive so did not want to risk it. But I fell in love with it! It is a very unusual fragrance and to my surprise, I smeel wood in it 😀 I was in the office and colleagues were asking me what am I wearing. They really liked it. To me it seems like spending a day in a sawmill 😀 I know, weird, but I love the smell of the wood so for me it is a lovely scent 🙂
Gail35 – :
One whiff and I just walked into a forest and experienced every single nuance all at once.
That, to me, is Romano’s “Not a Perfume”.
Pancho – :
Fake perfume?
It musky, light fragrance and close to skin.
One of those perfumes that reacts different on people.
I was able to finish the bottle but it’s definitely one time purchase for me.
f33448 – :
Not a wow fragrance in my opinion. I’d describe it as nice. It’s very unoffensive and I don’t see how anyone could ever absolutely hate it. It smells clean with a perfumey background if that makes sense. It’s winter now so I wonder how this would wear in warmer weather. I think heat might transform this into something a little more special. If I were to smell this on someone else I might just think it was their shampoo or fabric softner as again, to me it’s clean. Another positive is it does have good lasting power. Definitely a very easily wearable fragrance but not special enough for me to puchase a full bottle.
sasa555 – :
Why not just buy ambroxan from a perfume supplier and dump it into perfumer’s alcohol? That’s all this is. To make it yourself would cost about sixteen dollars. And the bottle is ugly. It looks like it was designed for bath and body works in 2006.
Smeameknimi – :
I love it! I will always keep a bottle. Its extremely long lasting on me and will cling strongly to my hair. Sillage is perfect and i smell it all day. Not a perfume is warm , sweet, slightly woody, unique smelling imo. I swear i smell amberette seed (not listed in the notes) but amberette seed is one of the strongest notes on my skin. I have people tell me how amazing i smell when i wear this. It’s great for layering. If you love to layer than you need to get a bottle of this! It extends the longevity of other perfumes and gives sillage a boost. It smells incredible with Estee Lauder sensuous among lots of others! I do not think it smells like light blue.
gagiu80 – :
That’s such a beautiful perfume!
vova.pe4enin – :
Ok, to get this out of the way, I don’t like the brand name Juliette Has a Gun, but I really like Not a Perfume! I received a sample in a giveaway and thought I’d give it a whirl. I have discovered that I do like ambroxan. It does call to mind cedar, but not in a hamster cage or hope chest kind of way. It also reminds me a little of pine trees so Not a Perfume gives me the feeling of walking in a forest. I have been looking for a scent like this, but unfortunately pine and fir notes are insanely amplified on my skin and I usually feel like I’m wearing a car freshener. Not so with this. It is a soft, fresh skin scent. It’s light enough for the office and perfect for making you feel like maybe you’re doing your work in the great outdoors instead of indoors stuck behind a desk. PS I also got a compliment on it from a client, which is amazing because I’m an undersprayer and no one ever seems to even notice that I’m wearing fragrance. I guess it has more sillage than I realized.
ingener77 – :
Not sure if I make sense, but it smells like Fresh water to me, like a very clean fresh water stream i am in. Not at all like Molecule 02 for my nose (I wonder why). But then Molecule 02 smells like Molecule 01’s even lighter version to me.
It sticks around for very long and comes in whiffs. i am not sure if others can smell it or its just stuck in my nose. I will try Escentric 02 to see if there are any similarities.
For me its not at all D&G Light blue which tends to turn into foul smell after few hours on me. Its very close to JHaG’s Anyway (Anyway carries other notes too besides that fresh water note).
Made me interested in single note perfumes but still is my favourite.
popo29 – :
can we make our own perfume just using Cetalox alone?
Petertkachuk – :
“Well, ‘Cetalox’ (racemic) is not exactly ‘(–)-Ambrox(an)’ (optically active and thus more powerful), but OK, the constitutional formula would be the same, and ‘Not A Perfume’ should smell very close to ‘Molecule02’, and we know how that smells.
But when by chance we caught a whiff of ‘Not A Perfume’, it seemed more complex, …possessing even a citric-jasminic Hedione-like top, very musky actually, not only ambergris, and even somewhat woody. And when we injected ‘Not A Perfume’ into the GC indeed there was not just a single peak, 100% Cetalox, but just 7.5% of the expensive Cetalox. …” It contains huge amount of iso E super, ethylene brassylate, isopropyl myristate, habanolide, hedione, boisambrene forte, ambrettolide, must keton, BHT, DEP.
dealers – :
Notino sent me a sample of this with my order of Tuscan Leather.
A man’s perspective? This is a feminine spin on the typical men’s citrus cologne, like Dior Homme Cologne for instance. The projection isn’t strong, but once you get a whiff, it tends to hang out in the back of your nose for quite a while.
A single note scent? With that single note being ambroxan? No way. There’s definitely more to this one. Not MUCH more, but more, none the less. I get a portion of a grapefruit-like citrus note and a portion of synthetic tuberose. Not the full scent of grapefruit or tuberose, just parts of the scents that make up grapefruit and tuberose, if that makes any sense. I like tuberose, so that’s a plus for me. But, the main ingredient is ambroxan especially in the dry down, which reminds me of a more feminine Dior Sauvage.
I’ll be wearing this sample 🙂
FidoDido – :
Hello all — I love the science and idea of Not a Perfume, and think the JHAG line is great overall! I love reading about Not A Perfume’s single-note presence. Seeing as I am not big on either D&G Light Blue and Prada Candy, I’m not going to chase this one down, but I want to quickly point one thing out.
While being a single-molecule fragrance does make Not A Perfume hypo-allergenic, which is awesome, marketing that claims it’s “entirely allergen free” is misleading. Several ingredients are still involved in the perfume – it must at least be diluted in ethanol or another solvent – pure, concentrated ambroxide isn’t safe for human eyes, skin, or respiration. Some kind of thickening agent(s) must be used in the shower gel to make it viscous. And an individual may still be allergic to any of those ingredients, or to ambroxide itself.
So – I hope you try it and love it, but please continue to treat it with caution and care around others just like you would with any other perfume.
xoxo someone with allergy/immunology issues!
maiers – :
I got sample o this one, So…at first. i thought…Ahhh, nice, but too “weak”, i have stronger scents, like for her by Narsiso, But then, i felt like i want to smell my wrist over and over, i still thought that the perfume were too light. Then, i finished my sample, and felt like i want more, and more. There is something addicting about this unique fragrance, Soo sexy, soft, like a noseorgazm 🙂 i ordered a full size today, IN LOVE.
shertik_999 – :
I was interested to try this one. Molecule 02 was meh on me so I was sure this will be the same old thing, “light blue” type of scent. But no. It’s like “light blue” with sugar powder. It didn’t last long though.
ryryry – :
I bought this last winter, loved it briefly, wore it a few times and then forgot all about it. Well, today we are having a heat wave and I was looking for something clean to wear…so I pulled out Not A Perfume. Wow! I feel like this was made for hot weather! I kept getting a whiff of something clean and fresh (not citrus) but not at all “perfumey.” HA…I get it now…but honestly, I didn’t totally appreciate this fragrance until today. My love is renewed. 🙂
123wert – :
I received a large rollerball of this in a beauty box. I really love it! It is so subtle that I can almost not smell a thing when sniffing it from the bottle. Roll it on your skin and within ten minutes you will almost “sense” that it “blooms” or opens from the warmth of your body. It is slightly musky, soft, glowing and “warm”. SO difficult to describe since on me it is a cross between a skin scent and the smell of clean skin that has dried from a shower but still has the light smell of a amber body wash lingering. If you smell it from the container at a store and decide you can’t smell anything, I would encourage you to give it a whirl on the skin. I was pleasantly surprised. This is certainly a scent I will keep in my layering arsenal and is perfect for throwing in a makeup bag or in your car to keep for “on the go” touch ups.
kilot.xva – :
My sister bought me this and I was so surprised to love it the way I do. Nobody has even tried to buy me a scent before, and my sister wears very full and girly scents – and yet she killed it with this choice. Not A Perfume is so sexy and yet so daytime appropriate. Usually I’m disappointed by a low sillage, but this stuff lasts and lasts and lasts, which makes it ok that only I and anyone who I allow within my *very* personal space can smell it. Honestly, that low sillage is what makes it so sexy. That and of course the musk. I don’t get much amber, tbh – I think it just brings a bit of warmth to the light, slightly floral musk.
Diamisaunda – :
I absolutely adore NAP!!!! So much so that I don’t have the right words to do a full review.
It’s clean, fresh and warm at the same time . LOVE!!! You have to try it for yourself so see if it works for you .
RUSLAN16 – :
My review from makeupalley.com: Not a Perfume is really interesting because it is so “one note,” which is a concept that we’ve kinda been conditioned to believe isn’t a great thing when it comes to fragrance. We criticize media and even other people as being “one note,” stuck on just one idea or concept as if it is a universally bad thing. It seems like a lot of modern fragrances can have very dominant notes, but they’re still expected to be complex and evocative and layered, even if that means sacrificing originality or inventiveness. Not a Perfume is definitely thumbing its nose (pun intended) at that concept, because it is just one simple thing: the synthetic note ambroxan, also known as cetalox. Ambroxan smells like ambergris without actually being whale hairballs (technically it is from sea creatures that they eat and cannot digest, but then they cough it up or whatever, so the analogy works.) It really does just smell like one thing, but that one thing is FANTASTIC, and it lasts and lasts. Sometimes it is tiresome to wait through the drydown period and the warming up on your body period and the “wait, were the base notes here for just five seconds?” period of perfume phases to smell something you like. We have all tried perfumes that are either great at first but then have icky hearts or bases or perfumes that are too sharp and jarring initially that dry down to wonderful scents after minutes or hours. Not a Perfume has none of that pretense; it is just itself from first sniff to last. It may be a single note, but it is still intoxicating and it tells a beautiful story with its simplicity. It is daring and sensual without being overwrought, it is feminine without being floral, and it is enchanting in spite of being so seemingly plain. When I wear this, it lasts for hours on my skin, and the sillage is pretty moderate (it isn’t shy, but it won’t knock the other people in the elevator out either.) Every time I catch a whiff it makes me happy because it is pretty without being overly delicate and a little cheeky without being comical. I think it strikes a perfect balance between science and perfumery, and that makes me absolutely adore it. I am shocked by the negative reviews here, especially given the fact that it has better-than-average reviews on both Fragrantica and Sephora. Scent is personal, of course, and my personality is one that I like to go outside the box, which of course this perfume achieves wonderfully. There’s no overworked (and often overdone) florals and resins and musks and fruits and gourmands to get in the way of something that smells so good that people are willing to wear the smell of garbage from a whale’s stomach on their skin—or at least the synthetic version anyway*. (According to my research, and in spite of what Bob’s Burgers would have me believe, most ambergris used in perfumes these days is actually synthetic in the form of ambroxan or other similar compounds. The real deal may in fact smell good enough to put actual sea-barf on one’s skin, but I can’t really be all that sure I have ever smelled the real thing. Also, I do genuinely love ambergris/synthetic ambergris in perfumes, so take a lot of what I say here with a grain of salt since I mean it in a tongue-in-cheek way.)
шурик 112 D – :
Tried this for the first time today at the mall. This smells exactly like the inside of an Abercrombie & Fitch store. I sprayed it on my arm 3 hours ago and it is still going strong. This is something I would like to wear if it was cheaper. I think this is a great office scent! Smells clean and it’s unisex in my opinion!
Mixalis.xD – :
I am completely nose blind to this perfume. The same with Molecule.
Just water for my nose. Sad.
melao – :
Got this in the JHAG discovery kit. I sometimes want minimalism in a scent, so this one-note-wonder intrigued me. It still does, and I’ve been wearing it five hours, and has become very faint. But I didn’t use much as I was testing.
Initial impression: alcohol. Potent. Nostril-burning. That lasted about two minutes.
Since then, it’s settled into a warm, sweet, powdery amber. It’s on the verge of being too powdery but doesn’t get there. My sinuses are thankful. I don’t get a laundry vibe at all. Sillage is low to moderate; I catch pleasant whiffs of it whenever I move. I find it light and lovely, and as others have noted, it is reminiscent of the dry down of many other frags before it. I actually like that aspect since I sometimes want an uncomplicated fragrance. This one is what it is. Linear.
I did, however, experience an oddity between hours one and two. If I put my nose right at my arm, the warm, sweet, powdery amber was still there, but then something bizarre hit me: it’s metallic, and I could actually taste it. Aluminum, maybe? Not iron. But definitely icky! The metallic tang eventually went away, and fortunately, I never did sense it other than right at my skin.
Bottom line: I’ll wear it occasionally because I do like it, but not beyond the small bottle I have. For me, it’s not worth the king’s ransom of a full bottle. I’m definitely not in love with it, but I can understand why others are. I can also understand why others dislike it. It’s simple but odd. As always, the world of scent is highly subjective.
VefJemocemo – :
It is a nice scent, really abstract and snuggly. However, JHAG’s claim that it’s allergen free is bogus. I sprayed this on in my bedroom and my roommates started complaining about it all the way from the other side of the house!
roayl96 – :
I got this as part of the JHAG discovery set at Sephora. I had high hopes for this one, expecting a “my skin but better” type of perfume, but to me it shares a striking similarity to D&G Light Blue, minus the citrus. I strongly dislike Light Blue, so it’s no surprise that I didn’t like Not A Perfume, either. I’ll be giving my sample to my Light Blue loving coworker.
vitah2008 – :
This smells very much like D&G Light Blue without the fruity zing. Very clean, refreshing, energizing. Like you just got out of the shower. If you want an inexpensive dupe of LB and this, try Moschino I Love Love. EXACT same scent.
xrumeras – :
Am I the only one… feeling Lacoste in it?
grandvoyager – :
My experience was very similar to Gainsburg Fan: this faded incredibly rapidly on my skin. I find it gentle and pleasant, and very like Johnson’s Baby Powder. I don’t get any amber or woods at all. Three hours after spritzing, it has almost disappeared.
Fanerkorano – :
It’s a nice gentle amber and I can see it wearing well in an office environment or other situations where fragrance is best left “low key”, but that’s not me, haha.
It also fades almost immediately on me, I spray it and then it’s as if it never existed at all, just a faint trace of ‘sweet’. I like it, I’d