Brainiac

I agree with Melina41, body chemistry plays a big role in this one. It's a strange one that at first spray I did not like much then after it warmed up on me it turned into a calm soothing scent that is hard to describe. It's not super sweet, nor bitter, it's just "calm". The only way I can describe this is with a scenario. It makes me feel like writing when I wear it, perhaps the scent of old musty pages from a book, cold rain on asphalt and soil wafting in from the window, ink on my fingers from writing in my journal. I just don't know...but I like it. This scent makes me feel inspired somehow, in a literary sense. UPDATE: So I wore this for the entire day yesterday, during my 10 hr shift which I am standing and moving around all day in a cold storage type plant. The whole time I kept smelling this wonderful woody, musky (but a cold type of musky) scent, and it smelled strangely familiar to me, until I realized it was me, and I figured out what that familiar scent was, OUD. Yeah. This fragrance is truly a chameleon...it seems to change entirely as the day goes on. On my skin, this lasted quite a long time, well into my 10 hr shift. Granted I did apply a lot cause I wanted to get a full effect for the sake of experience. Silage was between about arms length with movement, and hugged close to the skin most of the time. Enough to surround my head in a wonderful cloud of musky oudiness, like cold fog in a forest but just the fog, yeah this one is so hard to describe. It's an etheral beauty in it's simplicity, one to remember, and in a sea of boring fragrances that tend to smell alike, this one is refreshing to me. I feel so happy to have found this gem and the bonus was it turned into an oud scent on me. Awesomeness! I also love the 90s reminsicent, Mondrian-esque bottle design. It all comes together so well. Unique and beautiful. Well done!

I think the name brainiac very much encapsulates this scent. Affordable yet grown-up, truly unisex, approachable but still a little weird. I get the pepper and citrus notes right away which are not too spicy or too sweet. The citrus eventually fades to make room for the vanilla. It's not a gourmand vanilla by any means, it's just there to ground the fragrance. If you find that feminine sweet floral scents generally turn you off but masculine scents are also too much, this is for you. If you're a nerdy tomboy at heart, this is for you. If you're kinda femme and have a STEM degree, this is for you. I just read that they discontinued it. SOB.

I love the scent but prefer the body mist as it is not as sharp and overly spicy. It is interesting that the notes mentioned are not accurate at all. There is no vanilla, no black pepper in the list of ingredients that I have from Good Chemistry. The notes that make it spicy are cardamom, balsam fir and eucalyptus. There is bergamot, cedarwood and the sweeter note is armois oil aka mugwort. I love the scent and have never found anything close to it. It is unique and very uplifting. As I mentioned the body mist to my nose is less sharp and spicy, it is same scent but more wearable and softer.

I'm so glad I ordered a couple of bottles before it was discontinued. This is my signature scent. The pepper and citrus scents offer a smart, clean contrast to the vanilla. That's the way vanilla ought to be done in my opinion. It can be worn any day in any season. I just love it and I will miss it once I've emptied my bottles.

this is my ultimate budget perfume... i cannot emphasize how lovely it is!! it's got fresh peppery undertones and bright citrus top notes, truly a unisex scent dream. would recommend to anyone and everyone, so wearable and light !

This is an awesome layering fragrance or clean after shower fragrance. I layer this with Lord of Misrule and receive at least one compliment every time; an amazing combo.

I fully agree with the notes and accords listed here this is a very refreshing spicy scent. All the notes come out pretty much evenly in this and blend together in an almost indistinguishable kind of way but the first thing you def smell is the pepper and then a bright citrus with vanilla. I personally cant distinguish the citrus and vanilla bc they pair so well together that it just sort of ends up smelling like a bright slightly sweet citrus instead of two different notes. I have the body spray version of this so for silage it kinda sucks, very close to the skin, would probably have to be sitting next to someone for them to smell it. It does last longer than expected for a body spray, still get some muted whiffs after a few hours, would def rather have the perfume but its hard to find now that its discontinued. I feel like the body spray is more of a keep at your desk for a refresher than an actual scent you wear out, which is fine for me and might be worth picking up to get a feel for the scent before committing to the perfume. Overall a good fresh peppery scent, definitely not a love since the pepper can get a bit too spicy at times if i miss my chest and spray too close to my neck, but a definite like and a good easy everyday wear.

I just couldn't picture what it smelled like before buying it, despite the purple prose that we often indulge in on this wonderful site. I tried it for myself and I got it. I like it, it is indeed unisex. It smells like a limoncello rimmed with black pepper (the citrus and vanilla, with peppercorn). The simplicity of it makes me really like it. I thought I was done with pepper because I am frankly kind of tired of the peppery scents in such as Good Chemistry's Royal Rebel and Katy Perry's IndiVisible, but this one is definitely not the same kind of pepper. It's not a "powdery" or "dark" scent that I feel the two give out, respectively. It is definitely good for daytime wear and could be worn in any season. I don't think it would go very well in fall, but I can't wait to wear in spring and summer. It definitely doesn't smell cheap but also not at all pretentious. It almost reminds me of the insides of the crunchy, bright ripe green leaves of the waxleaf ligustrum we grew up around.

Totally agree with Andor -- this fragrance has a strong Palo Santo smell. I like it. It smells like D&G Light Blue mixed with Palo Santo-- a mix of put-together freshness with something aromatic, woody, and otherwordly. INTO IT. This line is amazing quality for the price point, and the the fragrances definitely smell expensive, unique, and well made.

I sampled a few of the Good Chemistry fragrances at Target. Brainiac is my favorite one so far. This is a very bright and lively fragrance with a lot of pepper and citrus and a hint of vanilla. Very enjoyable!

I’m surprised wood notes aren’t in this one. This is a very fresh fragrance. I think men could wear it as well. It reminds me of CK1.

Brainiac by Good Chemicals is all black pepper and zingy unsweet lime. I repeat, very peppery. if you’re like me and you’re so into pepper-forward scents, you probably won’t love it. At the same time, it’s a clean, fresh, and bright. The vanilla is there, but it’s nearly undetectable with how strong the other notes are. I agree that it smells smart! It doesn’t quite suit me as a bio major though. It’s too sharp and extroverted for my tastes. However, I can definitely picture a math or chemistry type with a zany streak wearing this. Totally a daytime summer fragrance and perfectly unisex. It works for business, but I’d describe it as a bit eccentric and energized, so sport fits too.

I didn’t like this right out of the rollerball (I was reminded of hand sanitizer while it was still wet on my skin), but give it a couple of minutes, and it warms up to be a really nice light fragrance—a little fresh, a little sweet, and a tiny bit spicy. This is what I wear to the office. Also, I know there’s no violet listed as a note, but the spiciness of the peppercorn and the sweetness of the vanilla plus something else going on in there (dare I say floral?) reminds me of those Choward’s violet candy, which are a little bit spicy for some reason. I could never find this quality in an actual violet perfume (they are usually too powdery) so I’m pleasantly surprised. This ticks all the boxes for an everyday office perfume for me—there’s nothing extraordinary about it, but it smells nice, and it’s not completely expected and usual either. I wouldn’t wear this to make an impression, but to feel like I smell nice throughout the day without disturbing my cubicle neighbors, it’s great.

There's nothing spicy about this to me. The impression is soft powdery woody mineraly warm-skin. Very on-trend without being obnoxious. I've been wearing it almost exclusively since buying it over a week ago. It seems to fit all occasions and weather: office, camping, dinner, beach, hot and sunny, cool and cloudy. Those aren't all theory — it's been a busy week! The balancing act of this scent encompasses warm/cool, sweet/bitter, damp/dry, masculine/femnine, natural/alien. After the quick fruity ctrus opening dissipates the effect is beautifully soothing. I'm surprised there's no wood note listed. It reminds me of unlit palo santo sticks (not smokey). The late drydown smells kinda plastic but not in a bad way. Like a clean new car but still sensual and human somehow. Wish the label wasn't so big loud and busy. It looks cheap and immature for a smell that wears fairly refined and sophisticated.

I admit I was drawn in by the name of this perfume, but after I tried it on, I realized it was ideal for summer here in Texas. The citrus isn't overpowering as the vanilla and peppery notes control it. Not sure about the longevity factor, but this seems to really differ according to individual body chemistry. For example, I really like Maison Martin Margiela's Lipstick On perfume and it has some staying power on me, but I see a lot of reviews complaining that it wears off too quickly (especially for the price).

This to me is unisex. The peppery notes mixed with the citrus makes it lean masculine with the vanilla coming in at the very end. It is ok for the office, although sometimes I over spray to be certain I get a full 8hrs.Not great in large quantities but after 30 min with my commute I'm ok. It does not smell to me like light blue or ck (if I'm remembering it correctly).

Very peppery and hot but the citrus lightens and brightens it. Woody on the drydown, a huge pile of logs. I really think the entire Good Chemistry line is worth sampling, they really have something for everyone's taste.