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.

I tested “Milk and matcha / Un été” at the same time with “Je ne sais quoi” of Téo Cabanel. The first is very light on tea with zesty citrus vanilla and the second one is milky (rice) green tea matcha. I prefer the confort the Teo Cabanel more interesting. Milk and matcha is nice cosy but a little too simple for me. Mono No Aware of Barutti is almost a dupe but more powdery (and very weird sometime is sniff pickles...)

If I could make all of the clothes that come out of my dryer smell like this, then I’d be a happy lady. It has such a deliciously cozy fragrance profile with the rice and matcha mixing to send off an almost Fruity Pebbles like note. However, this is definitely a skin scent. I do enjoy comforting fragrances like this to wear during sleep, and I’d perhaps consider investing in a full bottle for only that purpose.

A beautiful, warm, cozy matcha. I wouldn't describe it as a green fragrance, like some reviews say. There is no sharpness or freshness to it. It's a well rounded, savoury sweet, incredibly well balanced fragrance. Sillage and longevity are moderate. I stay in my own matcha bubble throughout the day and it puts me in such a good mood.

A "different" and original perfume, fresh with gourmand accents. It opens with a strong note of rice, after a few minutes I can hear the very pronounced tea! A perfume that certainly stands out, for those who love genuine, simple things and always feel at ease. I like! Sillage: 6.5/10 Longevity: 6.5/10 Scent: 8.5/10 Overall: 8.5/10

I stated on 23rd April last year in the sub-thread, 'Weird smells you love' under the 'Aromatherapy and Scents of Nature' section that I love the smell of freshly cooked rice. This fragrance captures the exact scent in a bottle! I bought this blindly, hoping for the best and I am floored. They did good on this one.

It’s a savory gourmand scent that’s very cozy, I love it! It’s a nice addition if you like rice note and matcha note. At first spray I get pandan rice smell and then a slight bitter but comforting scent from mate and green tea (a bit, more mate). It gives starchy aspect to it and creamy. Very unique!

i truly can't get enough of this perfume. the puffed rice note was what initially drew me in, but the matcha mixed with it makes it absolutely delicious. it's warm in a way that makes you feel like you could sink your teeth into it. it's comforting and sweet without being cloying or typical.

I absolutely ADORE this fragrance! It was an immediate love for me. The rice and tea notes are beautiful with a creamy lactonic feeling base. I wish it lasted longer on my skin, but I will be keeping this in my collection and just drenching my clothes in it. I am obsessed!

A beautiful and comforting rice, tea, and soft woods fragrance. Like nothing else I've smelled. Sillage is low but longevity is impressive. I will be wanting a full bottle of this once my sample is gone, but shipping costs from France to the U.S. are so high.

Imagine a quality packet of genmaicha powder whisked into chilled soy milk. Its nutty, powdery essence speaks of quiet mornings and introspection, with a whisper of wood to ground its soft beauty. Came in search of a rice scent and found diamond!

This starts out very rice forward and then mellows to a cozy matcha latte. Soft and laconic with a bit of green matcha. LOVE IT. My one complaint is that the fragrance doesn't last long and reapplication is needed throughout the day.

So lovely and unique. I mostly get rice, sandalwood and tea. On my skin it reads lactonic and sweet with a non-bitter green edge. Unisex but a bit feminine leaning. Works year round. Medium sillage and longevity.

Best basmati rice fragrance to date! So nutty and photorealistic rice with a hint of florals underneath. Comforting and earthy. Longivity is by far the best of all rice fragrances I have tested.

OMG. i'm in LOVE..... initial scent is literally freshy cooked rice, with a sweet note that almost reminds me of sticky rice. i i can also detect a matcha note. love love love!!!

First spray, this is the most realistic rice and matcha tea I've ever encountered. Wow! Powdery, delicious and quite unique, I truly have never smelled anything quite like this.

If it is close to hamster cage it is the best smelling hamster cage in the world. If you like rice notes, this is incredible. Very different, original, rice and tea scent.

I've never smelled anything like it! Je Ne Sais Quoi is incredible, and very strange. I can't stop sniffing my wrist. Sweet, milky, green, comfortable. I'm hooked!

Absolutely amazing smell if you the idea of a milky roasted rice and tea appeals to you. Love at first smell for me, super comforting and delicious.

Does anyone who own a bag of genmaicha think this smells realistic? Pls dm me because im thinking of blind buying but i do hope its photorealistic

O B S E S S E D // so comforting and rice pudding like, while also managing to be fresh at the same time somehow. Really something special.

It’s the only interesting perfume I found in the last 4 or 5 years. Completely unusual, cozy and funny. I just can’t get enough of it

Pistachio ice cream!! This fragrance is so charming

Herbal Matcha Sticky Rice. That’s it.

First Impressions (sample spray): Smells like beans according to my second opinion. I have to agree with that statement. To me, it smells like raw pinto beans that you get from opening a bean pack. I think in theory smelling like matcha does sound calming, but in reality it doesn't work for me. Real matcha to me often has a hint herbal fish like smell. Conversely, I like how the perfumist instead of going for that real matcha smell they went with a powdery milky side of matcha. I'm not mad at this, and I'll continue to wear my sample till I finish it. This was voted last for my second opinion. Summary: Smells like: not straight up matcha, the smell of brewing matcha with warm milk. It’s reminiscent of the smell of pinto beans. Family of: N/A (kind of like coffee break b/c that didn’t smell like coffee to me). Silage: moderate Edit 6: The beginning I really enjoy, the middle and end does not smell like matcha to me. Instead it smells like a powdery rice skin scent that remind me of dirty rice perfume. Verdict: Pass- I think if you grew up drinking matcha, this may be the one for you. I can see this being for someone else who wants to smell comforting. As for me, I want to smell more out there. I also think that it isn’t seductive nor is it captivating me for several reasons. 1. because most ppl in America would not know what matcha even is, or smells like. 2) it’s a bit two photorealistic, and leaves nothing to the imagination.

This fragrance (Teo Cabanel Je ne sais quoi) actually smells like rice! Distinctive pandan top note characteristic of jasmine or basmati rice. Definitely a greenness present and some kind of nut butter. Just went to go sniff some matcha in my kitchen, and the matcha powder also has a strong nuttiness underneath the grassy quality. Je ne sais quoi is missing some of that grassiness that would allow it to be a true green tea. This fragrance also has some kind of aldehydic top note element that gives it a sharp, soapy quality that kind of hurts my nose. Makes me imagine eating rice with just a little bit of soap in it... Takes it down from a love to a like. I find this scent soapy, savory, and powdery. Not particularly sweet. Lasts surprisingly long on clothes for such a fresh scent. Tested J-scent Roasted Green Tea the other day, and I much prefer Je ne sais quoi. Roasted Green Tea dried down to a peppermint-vanilla ice cream scent that I really did not enjoy, whereas this one stays more savory, probably due to lack of vanilla. As a result, Je ne sais quoi stays closer to a traditional low-sweetness East Asian dessert profile. Reminds me of jasmine rice, sesame powder mochi ... and soap.

I’ve been in search of the perfect rice perfume, and after hearing many great things about Je Ne Sais Quoi by Teo Cabanel, I decided to pick up a sample. This perfume has one of the strongest opening rice notes I’ve experienced, so it does scratch that rice itch. However, it smells more like uncooked brown basmati rice rather than the steamed white rice, which I prefer. It is also by far the most savory perfume I’ve ever smelled. It’s very grassy and smells dry. Looking at the notes, every element is dried except for the violet leaf. I get a strong tea note, but perhaps more of the mate for me? Something reads a bit smoky on my skin. This fragrance reminds me of Le Labo’s Thé Noir 29, which also shares a prominent note of vetiver and includes tobacco, adding to the smoky quality. Je Ne Sais Quoi is truly a unisex fragrance and extremely unique. However, just like Thé Noir 29, I can’t seem to imagine an occasion to wear it. Although it’s not exactly for me, I can appreciate it. I would recommend getting your nose on this as I could imagine a rice or tea fan possibly appreciating it.

Je Ne Sais Quoi, or, ‘I Don’t Know What’, is a fitting name for this fragrance, because I don’t know what the hell rice is supposed to smell like. What a ridiculous fantasy note for something that barely has any distinguishable scent. That aside, what I am smelling is actually rather pleasant. It’s a very dry scent, thanks to the copious amounts of tea at the heart which is soft and pillowy, powdery and slightly earthy with a soft sweet touch underneath it. It comes off almost papery, like a thick piece of paper which has been dusted with crushed candied almonds and tea. The counter all of this is a delicate shimmering violet leaf giving the scent some much needed lift. I must say as tea fragrances go, this one is actually quite good - and the value is great too. I wouldn’t say I love it, simply due to the fact I’m not a big lover of tea fragrances, but I will enjoy wearing my sample of this.

This scent is very weird, it doesn't remind me of anything; I love it. The rice note is quite prominent and that got me hooked. Very nutty too and also there is a green aspect to it, while not being aromatic. It is sweet but at the same time very savory. I detect the purple flowers as they give this fragrance the powdery feel. It changes all the time. You can feel a creamy sandalwood (no pickles) at the base. I don't get any matcha per se, only green indistinctive notes being very powdery; I got this for the rice note. Projection is moderate but half of my sample applied to my neck lasted the sleep test. I ordered a 30 ml days ago as I find that rice note very realistic and addictive. I wouldn't wear this in hot weather. EDIT: now spraying with my FB I must say longevity is quite good as it passes the "sleep test". And Riso by Jijide stares the same ultra realistic rice opening.

In the opening, I smell perfumy Genmai Cha from the rice, green tea and mate notes, and I find this phase very interesting. The savory aspect of this perfume is pretty nice. J-Scent’s Roasted Green Tea is also savory but with peanut and coconut notes. I like the top notes of Je Ne Sais Quoi better than Roasted Green Tea—peanut kinda throws me off. The woods in the base notes quickly emerge and gives a teeny hint of pickle smell—weird—but I still get rice and tea. The dry-down is not as nice as Roasted Green Tea, and it is a bummer. I will need to spray on clothes since my skin may amplify quirky aspects of sandalwood and guaiac wood. Update: 05/28/2025 I sprayed on clothes, and the weird dry-down is no longer there. I think my skin chemistry reacted making it a bit sour. My partner really likes this, saying it’s so different, not like the usual perfumes.

Really interesting fragrance. I was looking for a tea fragrance and couldn't help but be intrigued by the premise of the genmaicha theme of Je Ne Sais Quoi. Although that said, it's not really a tea fragrance at all with how subtle that note actually is but it's great nevertheless. There is a very distinct nuttiness to the roasted rice accord here, to the point that the opening essentially feels like a huge blast of almond or hazelnut milk. A more apt comparison might be horchata without the overt cinnamon spice which is made with rice milk across Mexico and the Americas. The sweet-savoury gourmand feel of the fragrance is mostly in that quick opening but the dry-down focuses mostly on the balance between the ozonic violet leaf and assorted dusty herbal notes in the composition, on top of the woods. Supreme comfort.