Which Juliette Has a Gun sample to try first
Juliette Has a Gun writes its formulas short, in one note per level or even a single ingredient. Eight samples in order of ratings, and a map of the musks and vanillas.
Juliette Has a Gun imagines Shakespeare’s Juliet in the twenty-first century, with a gun as a metaphor for perfume as a weapon of seduction. Romano Ricci, great-grandson of Nina Ricci, created the Paris house around 2006 and steers it as artistic director. He writes his formulas short: often one note per level, and in one case a single ingredient from top to base. Names read like moods, drinks or one-liners, from Moscow Mule to Ode to Dullness. Minimal perfumes behave differently on every skin, so a Juliette Has a Gun sample worn for a few days tells you more than any description.
Juliette Has a Gun: eight samples, ordered by ratings
We ordered the samples on our list by the number of ratings each perfume has collected on Parfumo, as gathered by NicheGems. Rating counts show how widely a perfume is discussed, not how good it is. Notes are given as the house records them, mostly one per level.
Not a Perfume (2010) is built only on cetalox, listed at the top, the heart and the base alike. It is a woody-musky skin scent and the house’s best-known idea.
Vanilla Vibes (2019) twists natural vanilla absolute with sea salt over musk, so the sweetness turns mineral.
Lady Vengeance (2006, Francis Kurkdjian) is one of the original rose perfumes: lavender essence, Bulgarian rose absolute and vanilla absolute.
Mmmm... (2016) is a floral gourmand of neroli, orange blossom absolute and patchouli.
Pear Inc. (2021) is a fruity musk: green pear, ambroxan and musks.
Musc Invisible (2020) is the light, soapy one, with jasmine absolute, cotton flower and white musk.
Lust for Sun (2023) is the long one: bergamot, coconut and freesia, then gardenia, monoi, orange blossom and ylang ylang, and ambroxan, musks and vanilla.
Ode to Dullness (2023) finds poetry in the ordinary: badiane and freesia, cashmere flower and sandalwood, then musks and tonka bean.
Miami Shake (2025, with Mylène Alran of Givaudan) is the creamy strawberry gourmand, with wild strawberry, whipped cream and an ice cream cone note over vanilla absolute and creamy musk. Not a Perfume Superdose (2019) is the one-ingredient idea turned up, which makes the clearest comparison inside the house.
The Juliette Has a Gun note map
Musk closes six of the ten, with white musk in Musc Invisible and a creamy musk in Miami Shake, so the musk article of the journal fits this house well. Vanilla runs through Vanilla Vibes, Lady Vengeance, Lust for Sun and Miami Shake. Orange blossom links Mmmm..., Lust for Sun and Miami Shake, jasmine opens Musc Invisible, and tonka and sandalwood sit in Ode to Dullness. The musk samples guide explains why skin changes musks so much, and the vanilla samples guide places Vanilla Vibes among other houses.
A first order of Not a Perfume, Vanilla Vibes and Lady Vengeance covers a molecule, a sweet-salty vanilla and a rose. If you like the one-ingredient idea, add Superdose and wear the two on separate days to compare strengths. How to test perfume on skin gives a simple routine.
From Juliette Has a Gun sample to bottle
If one holds up over several wearings, the bottle is the next step. Our vial is filled by FragranceGems from the original bottle and labelled by us; Juliette Has a Gun is not involved and it is not a brand sample. The first perfume in full size is at Juliette Has a Gun Not a Perfume. The sample set page shows how to combine vials, and the FAQ covers filling and labels.
FAQ
Which Juliette Has a Gun sample should I try first?
Not a Perfume. It has the most Parfumo ratings of the ten on our list, and it is built on a single ingredient, cetalox, so it is the clearest way to see how the house’s minimal style behaves on your skin.
What is the difference between Not a Perfume and Not a Perfume Superdose?
Both use the same one-ingredient construction. Superdose is the intense take, at a concentration the brand puts at 20 per cent. We hold both, and each sample is labelled with its name.
Why do minimal perfumes need a sample?
With one note per level, skin chemistry has little to hide behind, so the same perfume can read cleaner, warmer or sweeter from one person to another. A few days of wear tell you more than a description.
