I have to be honest, although this perfume has been around for 15 years, I came to it relatively recently. Described as a scent that’s truly unique, I struggled to wrap my head around exactly what Juliette Has a Gun’s Not A Perfume would smell like, and so, for many years, I skipped past the icy white bottle in favour of scent profiles I already know and love.
This uniqueness, however, makes Not A Perfume the scent stalwart it’s come to be. Even after 15 years, it’s still the fragrance house’s bestselling scent, with one bottle flying off shelves every 70 seconds. With that kind of track record behind it, I’m sure you can imagine how much I ate my words when I finally gave it a spritz.
Juliette Has a Gun Not a Perfume Eau de Parfum
The beauty of Not A Perfume lies in its simplicity. Rather than blending together multiple fragrance notes, like every other fragrance on the market, it includes only on—cetalox—which sits at the top, heart and base of the fragrance. If you’re wondering what cetalox is, don’t worry; you’re not alone. Cetalox is another name for ambroxan (a word you may be more familiar with), which is a synthetic note which offers a similar profile to amber and musk. While in many fragrances, you’ll find ambroxan used to amplify and give depth to other notes, Not A Perfume leans into its singularity and, in turn, has created one of the cleanest fragrances I’ve ever smelt.
So, how do you wear Not A Perfume? As someone who favours musky, powdery scents, I love to wear it on its own. It’s a light fragrance that sits very close to the skin, meaning not everyone will be able to smell it on you; however, in my opinion, there’s something alluring about a soft scent that only you (or those who get close to you) get to enjoy.
Not A Perfume can also be worn to add dimension to other scents. Remember when I mentioned ambroxan was often used to amplify other fragrances? Well, you can wear Not A Perfume in a similar way, layering it with your favourite perfumes to add a musky depth and undertone.
It’s a scent that allows for infinite possibilities, and it’s to this that it owes its enduring popularity. Unique it may be, but I’d argue that it’s its uniqueness which makes Not A Perfume such a joy to wear.