Je Ne Sais Quoi

to echo some of the other reviews this smells super starchy like a green tea mochi. but truly the fragrance version - it doesn't smell 'foody' per say, it definitely feels like a well rounded perfume, but i totally understand comments about its savouriness. The violet leaves and woods ground it without standing out too much, the toasted rice and tea (genmaicha) are pretty dominating but beyond that i find it really well blended. Rice is one of my favourite notes, i have tried several (kenzo amour, a quiet morning, fils de dieu de riz et des agrumes, tea escape) and this is one of my favourites so far, i will definitely be getting a full bottle asap. this is one of the most comforting fragrances i've ever smelled and is amazing to wear to bed - there is nothing sharp or heady in it to my nose which is crucial for sleeping imo. i would suggest people who liked tea escape but not matcha meditation to try this out, its sort of like a fuller more opaque tea escape - they definitely don't stand in for each other but where tea escape is a sort of green tea jasmine jelly, je ne sais quoi is starchy and powdery. both creamy in their own ways. also similar price range as margiela. It also sort of scratches the same green, violetty, savoury powdery itch as grain de poudre by ysl which i love but is very expensive for what it is in my opinion. longevity is good, on my skin i get quite a strong sillage as well. also on a final note the teo cabanel discovery kit is one of the best value ones on the market for niche perfumes - 25 euros for their entire range.

A wonderful abstract genmaicha. I say abstract for it is not one to one realistic genmaicha. I have a bag of it and i compared the perfume and tea side by side. I also brewed the tea. And then added milk to further compare. Sadly, not 1 to 1 BUT, that doesnt change how good this is. This is a deconstruction of genmaicha. Puffy grainy rice note that sometimes goes into biscuit direction (which i like actually) , one of the more realistic green tea notes ive seen in perfumery (theyre always citrusy or sharp or fresh, never like the real tea on its own) and a very nice creamy milky finish. The milkiness is more like a layer on top of all the notes, its not a separate note really. This is indeed powdery, but obviously not an iris or violet kind of powdery. I am quite impressed with how they created that tea accord. AFAIK Theres no way to extract fragrance from tea leaves as of now, so it takes a little time to create a good tea accord. I really really love it. Cozy, warm, gentle, green, nutty, biscuity, milky and smooth. Im typically not an enjoyer of gourmands but im in love with this.

A very unique and delicious gourmand. This smells like a vanillic puffed rice treat, served in a tea house that specializes in matcha lattes, but also serves green tea and warm citrus drinks. It's very sweet, but also quite green and refreshing in the opening, thanks to the violet leaf. The note is dewy and leafy here, not harshly ozonic as it can sometimes be. I read some reviews that said it smelled like popcorn, and while I see where they are coming from, the rice note is distinctive enough to my nose to make me think of puffed rice and not popcorn. There is also something creamy and nutty in this that reminds me of almonds and pistachios, so it amplifies the milky gourmand effect. As the fragrance dries down, it becomes a little darker and woodsier. Vetiver and guaijac wood don't take center stage, but they show up behind the sweet rice treat and tea. Je Ne Sais Quoi is surprisingly strong and loud, don't expect a soft green tea scent like Margiela's Tea Escape. They are two opposite sides of the same wonderful coin, with some similar notes styled quite differently.

Adding this to my repertoire of “the few tea fragrances that don’t kill me”. I got intrigued by the matcha note and ad campaign and this surprisingly doesn’t disappoint. The opening and mid has a lovely starchy tone to present a very composed green note that’s fresh and woody. This very same accord/aroma-chemical is used in Zoologist’s Elephant perfume, so if you’ve sniffed that one you probably will get a sense of what this might feel. I personally find this has zero resemblance to Tea Escape or any other “classic” tea scents that have the very jarring “tea” accord that’s too sharp and artificial. The “mate” and “violet leaf” note description fit this woody green accord well. Dries down white musk with the common Teo Cabanel base (I’d call it a very very bright woody amber base; slightly plasticy but strangely pleasant). The perfume doesn’t develop much throughout but it doesn’t have to. Moderate projection and good longevity (on me). Well done!

Beautiful and very interesting opening, full of dusty rice note then follows into the tea central stage. I, most of the time, have a hard time with tea notes, to my nose many start beautiful and then fall apart into a chemical mess, the good news is, this one doesn't go there, the "bad" news, it doesn't last long either, around 5h on me, which is more then fine for such beautifully crafted scent. It's a somewhat linear scent after the puffy dry rice opening, but a beautiful one indeed, the tea note is green, ethereal and almost spiritual, like the others from this line, it's not a complex scent, but it's very well refine and elegant, for those days you want something lighter and comforting. To my not trained nose I think the tea accord is supported by gaiac wood, musks and clean light vetiver, it natural feel reminds me a bit of the tea accord of Patricia de Nicolai Fig Tea scent, another perfumer I admire.

This is so beautiful. I had my mom bring me a full bottle from France and I love wearing it. The rice note is very strong in the beginning, my mom says it smells like you should eat it rather than wear it. I explained that it's a gourmand. The green tea is like a true genmaicha note rather than the juicier green tea notes you sometimes get, such as in Wulong Cha by Nishane. It's quite starchy and powdery, and medium lactonic. I did not think this was a crowd pleaser, but I got more compliments from strangers on this than I have on anything else in a long time! The performance is beast mode. I put on 5 sprays and I felt like it was almost too strong. People smelled me from across the room, and it was still going strong after 7 hours. The drydown is very lovely too. It's a milky, sweet sandalwood. Definitely a lot of development in this fragrance. I'm so happy I have a bottle!

It’s a warm Sunday afternoon and a matcha Reese’s cup is at home, baking bread. It gives small-town sexy librarian; sweet and warm, fresh and new, but still kind of familiar. When I moisturize with an unscented body oil I get the “lighter” side of this fragrance – the balsam and rice pop out a little more, with a milkier scent and it really works well with my skin chemistry but any type of cream lotion makes this smell straight like I’ve been working 12-hour overnight shifts at the Jif factory. Aside from that the scent lasts a long time (I went shopping, out to drinks, roller skating, and could still smell it on me) and is a really nice “just showered, keeping it simple” type scent. You could even wear this for a little ying ying around the house, stay-in date type thing. And my man is supposed to be coming over in an hour so let me actually go see about that.

This is an unusual one. At first spray it is bright and made me think of celery. It doesn't smell like celery, but it made me think of it. After a few, it turns kind of starchy on my skin. It doesn't smell like perfume, but it wouldn't make sense as a candle or air freshener or any other kind of scented product, to me anyway. But I do want to keep smelling it. It's almost like a non-sweet gourmand. Sometimes, it smells 'green' to me, other times powdery. It's mild and clean. It sits close to the skin, but I can smell it easily all day. When someone leaned in close to tell me something, he said I smelled good. Only people that get close will detect it...it's light and sheer, but definitely there, like a ghost. Je Ne Sais Quoi has grown on me a lot. This is the first Teo Cabanel that I have tried/owned, but I'll have to try some others because I love this one.

Je Ne Sais Quoi opens with a startlingly realistic sensation of lifting the lid off a pot and inhaling the aroma of steamed rice. It feels warm, softly nutty, and lightly sweet, a scent of comfort. I am also reminded of pandan leaves, the savory, grassy vanilla floral quality of them. The rice accord transforms to the more puffed, roasted scent of popped rice in genmaicha green tea. It's fascinating in that it can at once feel milky and then starchy, and the sweetness is tempered by the slightest bitter-astringent grassiness and powdery wood fond. While the first half hour of wear is a real showstopper, the remainder of its development is subdued yet no less beautiful. It gives me the same sort of satisfaction for carbohydrate-as-fragrance as Robert Piguet Zazen or Serge Lutens Jeux de Peau.

i’m getting a scent profile somewhere in between the two reviews below- just cooked rice, yes, the richness of roasted/baked nuts and dried tea leaves, yes- and i love it. ‘je ne sais quoi’ has me drifting around with this ‘creature of abundance’ sensation: in an ideal world, leftovers are plentiful and taste even better the next day! the sillage and longevity are frustratingly poor- i’m finding this to be the case with all the Teo Cabanel scents i’ve tried so far, but accept that their fragrance concept is probably a scent that can only be detected by those who earn the honour of getting close to you. that’s not how i wear fragrance, though, so i’ll just have to counteract that concept by purchasing a 100ml bottle and spraying until i get enough of a scent cloud.

Saw a review for Arielle Shoshana’s Sunday, checked it out, intrigued me but not available in the EU... So I ordered a sample of Je Ne Sais Quoi and after a few wears totally smitten. It has components of well loved scents (The Matcha, This Is Her) but the rice makes it special. It is very smooth with a mostly sweet but a little savoury twist, which makes it unique. Totally get why some people find it too weird but for me it is a big plus, love a scent with a weird edge. Projection is okay, I tend to just do 2-3 sprays, longevity is good, I can smell it all day (8+ hours and it is still present). Also very pleasantly surprised by their packaging, ordered the 30ml online and got a nice box with a sachet for the bottle, feels very luxurious!

After trying a discovery set of all 17 fragrances, this is the one I kept coming back to - my partner has told me to stop sniffing my wrist so much, but this is addictive to me! Photorealistic rice note, as mentioned by another reviewer, is the best way to describe it. If you enjoy opening a steaming rice cooker, this is for you. There is added sweetness and some depth from the matcha, and it dries down to something slightly woodier but still sweet and gourmand. I am obsessed and have bought the 100 ml bottle as my sample is nearly out after weeks of near-daily use. Looking forward to the full size! Slightly sweet for my usual tastes but the gourmand aspects and woods keep it unisex and not cloying.

This scent is just a gorgeous melody. It reminds me of many rainy afternoons at the Cincinnati Museum of Art. There, they have a stunning corridor at the heart of the museum, full of bright greenery, encapsulated by old architecture. I can recall my moments sitting in the museum windows and looking out on that corridor, sipping warm matcha lattes as the rain fell. This fragrance is the comfort of warm matcha heating your body in that calm rain. There's this cozy, nutty accord blended with creamy milk, powdery matcha, and toasted rice. Somehow its green and fresh, yet warm and milky? A masterpiece, to say the least, and truly a year round fragrance pick

The top note of this fragrance is quite challenging; musty, woody, dangerously close to hamstercage. Allow some time to let the green tea come through the initial toasted rice notes. The tea notes are very green, very refreshing and sweetened just a bit with something like vanilla. My most cozy fragrance, and one that I can wear even if I'm feeling unwell. Good lasting power. I love the simplicity of the bottle which is very different from the ornate bottles in the older Cabanel line. I do think they should have made the "French expressions" line smaller because it can be quite confusing for customers to separate the scents from each other.

I really Love it! Was trying hard to find a perfect matcha perfume. To me it’s Matcha meditation, unfortunately I never had the chance to own it before because it’s discontinued. Almost all matcha perfumes smell to green and earthy to me but this one is sweet and very lovely. The most realistic and one of the better matcha is D’annam matcha soft serve but this one is more sweet and lovely. I also tried Kenzo’s perfume but it was too boring and watery for me. This perfume is very light sweet and lovely the only bad part is that it’s not long lasting and it’s really close to skin so I am still debating with myself if I should buy it or not.

I'm obsessed with this one. So creamy and green, and the perfect balance between sweet and savory. The nutty rice opening fades into an almost umami matcha + mate blend. I'm enjoying the sweetness coming from the violet as opposed to the more gourmand route other matcha fragrances have taken. The woody drydown is incredible, no notes. I'm a sucker for anything balsam. Almost the perfect skin scent, just wished it lasted longer. It lasts for ages on my clothes though, and I've sprayed it on linens a few times too. It would be incredible as a home scent.

If I’m being honest this perfume fully reminds me of fruit loops soaking in milk. It’s the way the milk smells when you get to the bottom of the bowl after it’s absorbed all the starchy and fruity goodness from the cereal. I mean that in a good way. I really like it. I definitely pick up on the rice notes and the tea is done in a way that’s very sweet and not bitter. The sandalwood adds creaminess. I crave this scent on a cozy, rainy day when I can stay inside wrapped in a blanket, smelling like a sweet matcha drink.

This is everything I wanted Sunday by Arielle Shoshana to be (that it wasn't due to an extremely unpleasant plasticky note). I have smelled many rice perfumes and here it is the strongest by a mile, and it actually lasts for a long, long time, doesn't disappear after initial opening. Rich, starchy aroma of boiling rice... you know, when you were too late to decrease the heat to low, and your pot is overflowing? Amazing. I also smell green tea and violet that give it a subtle green edge. Gorgeous scent.

Absolutely beautiful! A masterfully well done tea scent. Opens with warm hazelnutty undertones paired with toasty rice. As the scent develops you get a rich, robust, and aromatic maté note paired with powdery ceremonial matcha and a hint of fresh violet leaves. The dry down maintains the rich tea aromas paired with dry and warm woods. Just perfect. If you thought Arielle Shoshanna’s Sunday felt flat or bland, this is a similar scent profile but much more refined and complex.

As a massive genmaicha fan - this is certainly not hyperreal genmaicha tea. But putting that expectation aside, Je Ne Sais Qoi is still absolutely delightful. A milky and soft hug of a fragrance with rice and green tea floating around it’s centre. Underneath is a sneaky twist of something floral. It reminds me of a cute plush toy won from a UFO machine, or of a cheery bubble tea shop. Would recommend for something a little cozy and different.