To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
intimnayaepilya – :
I’m torn between two scenarios on this perfume.
One is warm and pseudo-nostalgic, full of pencil shavings, open air, and green limbs on the playground for recess.
The other is the dark, empty school building, smelling of ozone and cleaned-but-abandoned carpeted hallways with empty wooden shelves where backpacks once were.
This one should have been named “Teacher’s Brat.” Overlooked and exploring places the other kids couldn’t go. Maybe that was more the imagery that was meant to be invoked. Observed, but only by the inanimate. The things left behind while everyone else is on Summer break.
kalenik – :
I don’t think the concept matches the product, since I don’t find The Bug ’’unsettling’’ at all. What I smell is childish, happy and bright, and it actually uplifts me. Childish – if I was restricted to one word. Genetically mutated cinnamon from Mars. I could imagine The Bug as the fragrance to a baby hair shampoo. The Bug could be ideal in the heat wave.
Sadly, however, there’s only an opening, then, after about 20 minutes it’s gone. Also, interestingly enough, it gives me rashes, however I’m absolutely not inclined to any kind of allergies whatsoever. If you get mad over no longevity, this is not for you. Also, don’t expect the otherwise usual* naturalness here.
*with Gorilla perfumes.
Cardinal – :
Does galbanum smell like celery? Because The Bug on me is strong and heady, like a pop in the nose, of celery and labdanum—which I nostagically love because of growing up with a neighborhood park filled with labdanum bushes. Heavily resinous and green, so it’s very much not for everyone, yet I love it.
LokyFroryrilt – :
I ordered this months ago, took one sniff and promptly declared that I didn’t like it. I was going through my stash and decided to give it a true chance.
I happened to wear this along with All Good Things by Lush as well, just one on each arm. I found them strangely similar in under current.
I don’t find The Bug to be anywhere near as disconcerting as others have experienced.
On initial application, I sense three distinct characteristics:
A strong sweetness
A soft powdery note
A thread of smoky incense
This brings to the surface a memory of hair permeated with the scent of a long extinguished campfire, skin cleansed in cool water with a clean, sweet soap, watching the dawn rise on the side of a mountain.
I definitely smell the elemi with just the faintest line of sandalwood. I found the galbanum but the black pepper seemed to only pull through for a few seconds on me. I think the notes are pretty accurate here, they’re just an odd combination.
It’s a strong scent, but has a very close spillage on me. While I think this works for me, I can see how many would dislike it. These Lush perfumes seem to have a common note of some smoky incense, namely this one, All Hood Things and Breath of God. They all do smell distinct however.
LRomen – :
Ooof! Banana Moon soap on steroids. Holy banana Batman! I love it!
Takes me back to living in Newcastle, the first town I lived in that had a Lush shop back in the day.
I find this pretty sweet opening. It’s been maligned as bitter but not on my skin. My skin clearly loves this. Not a scent I would wear romantically but I do like it a lot. I don’t get the pepper at all. It’s a chill and drink tea kinda perfume.
topfail23 – :
This is an interesting one. I first smelt this in a Lush store and immediately put it back down as it knocked me back a bit. I came home to read some reviews on here and took the plunge to buy a bottle from ebay (rather than pay full price just in case) and can completely vouch for how it smells like a completely different perfume on the skin.
At first it’s quite strong, earthy and spicy to me but it’s after about 10 minutes that it starts to get interesting. It mellows down into something woody and warm – not sure if I get cumin but it’s not in the notes above.
It’s something that I keep coming back to. It’s intriguing – i can get why it’s described as unnerving or having the feeling of paranoia. I keep going back to it – i don’t know why but there’s just something about it that makes me want to keep re-applying and sniffing my arm all day.
Edit. This stays very close to the skin after about an hour but i still cant stop sniffing my wrist.
red33 – :
The Bug reminds me of Youth Dew/Opium/Tabu: It’s not exactly like them, but it shares that vintage charm, earthy notes and warm, spicy kind of depth. Lots of resins and wood here. I also smell some subtle floral notes, jasmine and ylang ylang, although they’re not listed.
The sticker on the rectangular bottle is unique and very Lush, but the story behind the name doesn’t really fit the luxurious vintage feel of this scent.
Compared to other Lush fragrances, the Bug is closest to Icon, which was also warm, earthy, spicy and dark. This is an unapologetically heady, sensual fragrance from a different era. Amazing that Lush dares to create stuff like this today.
omaro65 – :
The Bug fails both as an enjoyable scent and as a conceptual one. For something that’s supposedly inspired by paranoia, surveillance, and technology, this is surprisingly green. What we have here is simply a vile, beaming blast of dirty water from the toxic avenger’s mop.
This repulsive potion is much more jungle than urban, though they make it sound like the olfactory equivalent of Orwell’s 1984. But the biggest flaw of this fragrance is its aggressive sweetness. This stuff is like liquid pixie sticks, and it really gives the fragrance a very immature feel. I really wish this wasn’t my introduction into gorilla perfumes because I’m left with a bad impression to say the least.
jidkii – :
Definitely cutting edge and wonderful !
Don’t be put off by the medicinal smell when you sniff the tester bottle directly.
Here’s what to do. Apply 5 or 6 drops from the store pipette bottle tester to the inner elbow/forearm, then rub the perfume oil into the other forearm. Wait for about 15 minutes for the magic to start. Although not listed here, this fragrance contains the dirtiest/ sexiest cumin note I have ever come across.
This is sex in a bottle, but you must try it my way !
pologov307 – :
Every time i wear this all i can think of is big, leather-bound books in a huge ornate library, along with a herb garden outside. Such a breath of fresh air as a fragrance!
jony653 – :
This goes on smelling very bitter and herbal, yet at the same time there’s an odd sweetness to it, the sweet element made me think of Sweet Tarts. Then it gets a rather funky compost scent, and then it suddenly changes tack and becomes creamy and resinous. At this point it reminded me a little of Lolita Lempicka’s Si Lolita, which has the same ‘creaminess’ which I believe is down to the elemi resin. It goes on to develop a civet scent which reminded me of Guerlain Shalimar (which on me, in the current formulation, is very animalic) I’m actually trying one on each wrist and they are quite similar, though The Bug has kept something bitter and herbal and Shalimar is a much smoother scent. I don’t think anyone would confuse the two but with both of them side by side I can see why Bug brought Shalimar to mind. The Bug gets a warm tonka sandalwood dry down, the two notes almost blend into one.
I actually really like this, though I can definitely see how the opening could scare people away. When I think of perfume the first things that come to mind are resins and sandalwood. Wearing this I can picture some ancient Mesopotamian king with a coiffured beard and fringed robes sitting in a shady garden, anointed with precious resins. It’s a scent that’s exotic and distant yet warm and beautiful and it really does feel ‘ancient’. I urge people to try this and try not to judge it based on the opening. It wears long but doesn’t project a tonne, and every time I’ve put it on since buying it I’ve felt compelled to keep inhaling it.
Trecer – :
This is my favorite fragrance from the new line. It is definitely different and I can’t quite put my finger on it. At first, it kinda smells like a squished lightning bug. No, don’t wrinkle your nose, stay with me here. And if you don’t know what I mean, you should mourn your lost childhood. It evokes a very odd nostalgia. It dries out into a sweet green with a spicy bite and a slightly creamy background. It’s not strong, but noticeable. A few minutes go by and I think “Mmm, what’s that smell? Oh, it’s me!” and take a whiff of my wrist again.
3a3 – :
Skank, not bug. Skank.
A “protest perfume,” indeed. I would strongly protest if my wife were to find within her a sudden desire to smell like this.
Here’s what Bug smells like: When I was a twelve year old living in Los Angeles in 1968, my best friend Jimmy lived just off of Sunset Boulevard more or less behind the Egyptian Theater. He lived in a rather shabby apartment with his mother and grandmother. Next door to him was an even shabbier apartment building recently vacated by some hippies. They left the door open one day and we went inside to explore.
Within was old dog food, newspapers flung about, a cigarette and full ashtray smell, 1950’s Mad magazines, patchouli oil, discarded tee shirts and the flotsam and jetsam of drug use. The place smelled like Lush Bug. It was such an objectionable odor that we didn’t even take the old Mad magazines.
Yeah, it’s different. But so was Lou Reed’s “Metal Machine Music” – who listens to it? Yeah, it’s avant garde. But so is Yoko Ono – how many multi-CD sets of her music does anyone own?
kilgon – :
I just bought it and it truly does smell avantgarde. It smells niche. Something like wiring, sweet, musky yet citrusy. Goes on the oriental site at the end. Like a Turkish bath or so. Must buy!
wsqdqielan – :
This smells so bitter in the bottle, as do many of the Lush perfumes I’ve smelled. Once on skin, it takes about 5 mins to settle in, and then you will be able to actually tell if it will work for you or not. I ended up buying this because it’s different than many other fragrances out there, more like an oil or incense.
женя шквара – :
Wow… it opens with such a strong blast of galbanum and nothing else that I thought I would not like it, but after the first five or so minutes, the elemi resin takes the lead, together with the sandalwood. Very interesting one, indeed. One must try these new Gorilla frags on skin – otherwise you will only get the very-very bitter galbanum.
Сокол – :
This is probably the weirdest of the new batch of Gorilla perfumes. I’m not entirely sure how wearable it would be, and I only smelled from the bottle, but it actually reminded me of burned electrical wiring — a sort of sulphuric, smoky effect.
If you thought Breath of God was nuts, wait until you try this. Highly experimental and avant-garde, but I’d need to revisit it to truly assess if it’s worth a purchase or not.