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7.7 / 10 153 Ratings
A popular limited perfume by Juliette Has A Gun for women and men, released in 2013. The scent is floral-spicy. It is still in production.
Pronunciation Compare Limited
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Main accords

Floral
Spicy
Oriental
Woody
Sweet

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
Calabrian bergamotCalabrian bergamot
Heart Notes Heart Notes
Ylang-ylang absoluteYlang-ylang absolute Amber absoluteAmber absolute Tuberose absoluteTuberose absolute Orris absoluteOrris absolute Orris concreteOrris concrete LabdanumLabdanum PapyrusPapyrus SaffronSaffron PatchouliPatchouli
Base Notes Base Notes
Bourbon vanilla absoluteBourbon vanilla absolute SandalwoodSandalwood AmbroxanAmbroxan
Ratings
Scent
7.7153 Ratings
Longevity
8.0121 Ratings
Sillage
7.1121 Ratings
Bottle
8.0123 Ratings
Value for money
6.233 Ratings
Submitted by Michael · last update on 06/19/2025.
Source-backed & verified
Interesting Facts
Only 999 bottles were manufactured.
The fragrance is part of the Luxury Collection collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
Prodigieux - Le Parfum by Nuxe
Prodigieux - Le Parfum
Richard James Savile Row by Richard James
Richard James Savile Row
Dolce Acqua by Profumum Roma
Dolce Acqua
Extreme Amber by Louis Varel
Extreme Amber

Reviews

7 in-depth fragrance descriptions
Drseid

828 Reviews
Drseid
Drseid
Helpful Review 4  
Puzzling Name, Great Result...
Oil Fiction opens with a refined, slightly soapy smooth floral tuberose and iris tandem with a jasmine and banana-like Ylang-ylang undertone. As the composition moves to its early heart the tuberose remains in full-force with the jasmine and banana-like Ylang-ylang yellow florals growing in strength to reach co-star status with gentle saffron spice providing support. As the composition continues through its heart a subtle papyrus-derived woody undertone appears relatively briefly before disappearing about thirty minutes later. During the late dry-down, the composition turns slightly woody, powdery and amber-like, as vanilla joins ambroxan from the base with the remnants of the tuberose hanging around through the finish. Projection is average and longevity outstanding at over 20 hours on skin.

Oil Fiction took a bit of time to warm to due to expectations its name conjures that the resulting composition doesn't deliver. In truth, I have no idea what Juliette Has a Gun was thinking in naming it such; because I get no associations with oil whatsoever. After one gets past the puzzling name choice, evaluating the composition on its fragrance profile alone, it is easy to quickly identify Oil Fiction's charms. Speaking of those charms, the composition does an outstanding job of utilizing tuberose in a highly refined, slightly subdued way while deftly coupling it with Ylang-ylang to the point that even someone who is not particularly a tuberose fan can still enjoy it. The end result conjures up the spirit of Dia Man from Amouage, Arsene Lupin (Dandy) from Guerlain, and most closely the hybrid of the two, Savile Row by Richard James. It was indeed Savile Row that immediately came to mind after the top notes quickly burned off, but while Oil Fiction is similar in style and shares a lot of Savile Row's amazing refinement, it is less woody and less bright than Savile Row while adding in a slight detergent-like soapy aspect. One final aspect worth mentioning is Oil Fiction does a bit of a disappearing act during the late dry-down about 8 or 9 hours in. At this point the composition turns slightly powdery, appearing like it is beginning to fade, but several hours later the tuberose makes a reappearance, still hanging around well after the wearer may believe it gone. All-in-all Oil Fiction proves an extremely well-made composition that quickly won this writer over. Its name may have nothing to do with its fragrance profile, but as a huge fan of Dia Man, Arsene Lupin and Savile Row, Oil fiction is another stellar option in the general space those greats occupy. The bottom line is the name of the $285 per 75ml Oil Fiction may puzzle many, but the composition itself shines brightly, earning it an "excellent" 4 stars out of 5 and a solid recommendation. While my love for the composition and its beautiful bottle is resolute, at Oil Fiction's relatively high price point Savile Row proves a much higher value proposition with its slightly superior smelling composition and significantly lower price per ml. As such, it would be wise to give both a sniff before proceeding with a purchase.
1 Comment
10Scent
Mareike

13 Reviews
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Mareike
Mareike
Top Review 49  
I like it, he doesn't
WHAT I SMELL:
Bitter-fresh bergamot spritz, nostalgic makeup-like iris root powder, interwoven with steamy amber waves and slightly quirky tuberose stuff, soapy saffron sprinkles, clean laundry and fresh paper, delicious vanilla and then again thick, oily dripping tuberose. And then it starts over, no, it runs backwards, up and down, a confusing, hypnotic dance, a rollercoaster ride, a kaleidoscope, a carousel... I smell an incredibly complex, beautiful, mysterious fragrance with an exciting progression and immense longevity, which I can actually also imagine quite well on men's skin...
- ha! Speaking of men.

WHAT MY FRIEND SMELLS:
"Those pink chewing gums that are rolled up like a snail. What were they called again?"
11 Comments
Clarissa

67 Reviews
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Clarissa
Clarissa
Top Review 15  
Arabian Nights and the Days After
A beauty with glowing eyes enters the ballroom, she is completely draped in gold and wears a small veil over her face, so that one can only see her beautiful, kohl-rimmed black eyes.
Her feet are bare and nestled in delicate, sparkling sandals, and countless golden bangles jingle on her arms.

She steps onto the dance floor alone and sways gracefully to the rhythm of the oriental music, she is completely one with it and seemingly unaware of the people who watch her in fascination.
Every time she spins around while dancing, she releases an unfathomable fragrance that slightly intoxicates the elegantly dressed ladies and gentlemen standing nearby.

For a brief moment, she exudes the freshness of juicy bergamot, only to then draw behind her the concentrated sensuality of amber, softly underlined by powdery iris and slightly bitter saffron, like a sparkling, delicate veil.
With this olfactory delight, a lush yet restrained tuberose intertwines with the exotic beauty of ylang-ylang, before they merge forever with delicious vanilla.

Eyes open, it was just a dream.......!
The beautiful Oriental woman wears in real life a classic pantsuit or a tailored little costume and is a true businesswoman, but she also enjoys wearing a fragrance during the day that emphasizes her feminine elegance and makes her feel completely like a woman.

Oil Fiction is elegant and sensual, but never cloying or intrusive, as it has a consistently underlying, slightly fresh note that makes it absolutely suitable for daytime wear.
You don’t have to be a glowing-eyed desert daughter to wear it, as it strikes the perfect balance between East and West, for all the warmth and preciousness it exudes, I simultaneously perceive it as a fragrance with a classic aura.
I have found it to be an elegant party companion in the evening and a beautiful fragrance dress during the day, with which I feel very secure.

Everything is possible with Oil Fiction, if you fall head over heels in love with it, as I have, and for me, oriental-scented fragrances are usually not the first choice.....!
8 Comments
Smellsnice

35 Reviews
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Smellsnice
Smellsnice
Very helpful Review 13  
So Beautiful
This fragrance is truly dreamlike.
I am surprised that it is from 2013, as it could just as well be from the 1980s with its presence.
It starts off briefly fresh with bergamot, but then immediately turns up the volume.
I primarily smell iris and labdanum, spiced up by the amber.
And it continues, the fragrance develops its facets on my skin quickly and quite loudly.
Patchouli, tuberose, and ylang-ylang are now joining in. It becomes quite sweet on me, but still beautifully spicy.
It gets increasingly difficult to filter out individual notes. Towards the base, I catch a whiff of vanilla, and the sandalwood gives the fragrance an extra polish.
Really a knockout scent for women, of which I am not one.
For this fragrance, my clothing style is too sporty, my makeup too subtle, and overall.
However, I can well imagine that women who enjoy noticeable scents will love this fragrance.
You will definitely be noticed with this scent, so it's better to start with a cautious application.
I cannot and do not want to imagine this fragrance on a gentleman, as it is far too feminine.
Longevity and sillage are top-notch on me, definitely worth testing.
4 Comments
DonJuanDeCat

2047 Reviews
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DonJuanDeCat
DonJuanDeCat
7  
Oily Oud?
I recently stood in front of a shelf with Juliette Has a Gun fragrances. Despite my panic about testing women's fragrances in public, I was able to do so without any problems this time, as a dear friend accompanied me. Well, in truth, she led me to the fragrance because the "Oil" in the name reminded her of Steampunk, since I had once told her that I am currently working on a Steampunk novel.

So what can we conclude from this?

1.) She is nice. Because she listened to me and even remembered when we talked about Steampunk.

2.) She has no idea what Steampunk is, as I am just getting into the subject myself, and she thought of Steampunk only because of the oil, without knowing what it actually is. However, with the "mechanical thingy" in Steampunk, she isn't entirely wrong about the oil!

Anyway. So I HAD to test the fragrance, not least because it was limited to 999 pieces... and also because she was already holding the bottle, as she often does, aimed at me like a weapon...

The fragrance:
So,... this is strange. I perceive the fragrance quite differently than the notes listed in the fragrance pyramid. For me, the scent starts deep and dark with a very intense (but also slightly sour) Oud scent. It's not as off-putting as Oud can sometimes be, but to me, it smells extremely of Oud. I can't detect any bergamot.
Then comes a note that I couldn't identify exactly,... when I wanted to get a hint, my dear companion told me it could either be tuberose or ylang-ylang (but what does she know? He he... oh dear, I hope she doesn't read this, or she'll hit me!).
The problem is: I remember tuberose quite differently and don't really know how tuberoses actually smell. And ylang-ylang isn't exactly a scent I would recognize immediately either.
Nevertheless, I categorize the fragrance as tuberose, as it reminded me a little of Tom Ford - Orchid Soleil (but only a tiny bit) and since there are also tuberoses in it. Anyway, the scent remains heavy, somewhat smoky, before it takes a dark-sweet direction with the amber. The iris finally makes the fragrance softer and a bit powdery, even though you can't really smell the iris itself. It pulls the strings from the background :D
Later, much later, in the base, the vanilla comes through, but it is comparatively a bit weak and doesn't quite match the dark sweetness of the amber, which is why it may seem slightly weak. Even though it does become more intense later on, it always remains a step behind the amber. I could be wrong, but I have the feeling that towards the end, I still smell a bergamot.

The sillage and longevity:
The sillage is incredibly strong at the beginning. And the fragrance doesn't weaken quickly, which is good for anyone wanting to fill an entire room. It will definitely be noticed by someone.
The longevity is, as you can surely guess, also great, so the fragrance lasts several hours. I get more than 12 hours out of it.

The bottle:
I had to look twice here. First, I only read the name, then I wondered what the brand was when the Steampunk-ignorant friend showed me the bottle. I would have never thought of Juliette Has a Gun, as I was too used to cylindrical bottles and had no idea that this brand also has an exclusive fragrance line.
In any case, the bottle is rectangular with thick edges and a base. The fragrance liquid is brownish and highlights the golden lettering well, with the name of the fragrance printed directly on the front. The cap is chrome-plated and slightly trapezoidal. All in all, quite well and elegantly made.

Honestly... I don't think the fragrance is that special, especially considering it was only produced 999 times and is sold as an exclusive scent. It's not bad, yes... but also not that good, especially since it even lacks the "wow" effect for a fragrance in this price range.

Above all, I find that it has an oud character, especially at the beginning, where the fragrance also appears smoky. Later it becomes a bit sour, but always retains its strong presence, which is a big plus.

The fragrance belongs in winter due to its intensity, or rather, it works better on colder days and could then be used either as a daytime fragrance or for going out.

And as for Steampunk: No, the fragrance does not smell like oil, machines, switches, or mechanics in general. My companion had no idea and is silly... he he...
... oh dear... I forgot again that she will read this too...
4 Comments
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Statements

26 short views on the fragrance
1
This smells just like the original Chanel Coco (from the late 1980s/90s). Coco has been slightly reformulated, so this was a happy surprise.
0 Comments
1
I put it on sale here at the souk at first but for some time I find it good, it smells like vintage soap. Very well done
0 Comments
1
Ylang, tuberose and labdanum give a classic touch, Ambroxan adds (some sharp) freshness, but also modern notes.
0 Comments
16
5
Intense soap scent, beautiful soap... expensive soap... Is the pyramid accurate?
Did I mention the soap already??
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5 Comments
12
3
Well-groomed .. high-quality .. warm .. very complex .. definitely worth a try. An extraordinary tuberose scent .. truly a masterpiece!
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3 Comments
12
3
Very complex mix of many flowers and a heavy base, which provides a good balance to the white flowers. Too overwhelming for me.
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3 Comments
9
16
Briefly refreshed start
Floral notes
Slightly sharp tuberose
Concrete with oriental spices
Not oily
Touched 999 times...
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16 Comments
9
8
First zesty, then bubblegum tuberose competing with sharp Ambroxan soap; the other notes don’t stand a chance. LASTS like Pattex.
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8 Comments
9
7
Oily describes it pretty well ...
at least at the start.
Then it gets soapy ... very soapy!
*Tuberose soap monster*
If you like soap ... give it a try! :)
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7 Comments
8
4
Gum - Tuberose
With powdery citrus and animalic notes,
Like in public....
Later, there's artificial Ambroxan
I don't want to smell like this.
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4 Comments
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Images

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