This is Not GABA is back:Hormone Paris and the art of calm

It was sold out for a long time, now it is back on the shelf: This is Not GABA by Hormone Paris. A perfume that smells of mandarin, passion fruit and freesia and is named after the most important brake pedal in your brain. What is in the bottle, what is not, and why that missing ingredient is the whole point: read on.

What is This is Not GABA by Hormone Paris?

This is Not GABA is a perfume by Hormone Paris, a brand founded in Paris in 2020. The house asks an unusual question when you choose a fragrance: not "How do I want to smell?" but "How do I want to feel?". Each fragrance is named after a substance from body chemistry that stands for a certain mood, and every name starts with a wink: This is Not.

GABA belongs to the Neuro Compounds collection. Hormone Paris itself assigns it to the mood "Calming". The box carries three English words that sound more like a holiday plan: Relaxation, Tranquility, Slowing Down. That is the idea the fragrance interprets, not a medical promise. A perfume is a perfume, and that is exactly how you should buy it: because you like the way it smells.

What does This is Not GABA smell like?

This is Not GABA smells fresh, fruity and softly floral, with a calm, warm base. The official notes from Hormone Paris are quickly listed; the interplay is where it gets interesting.

On skin, GABA feels modern and clear. The opening is the fruit sorbet, after a quarter of an hour the flowers take over, and by the afternoon a soft shimmer of moss and amber remains. The brand describes the fragrance family as amber, floral and fresh. Fragrantica lists citrus, fruity, tropical and floral as the main accords. Both fit: it is a scent that starts in a good mood and ends relaxed.

Does This is Not GABA really contain GABA or hormones?

No. No Hormone Paris fragrance contains hormones, neurotransmitters or any other biological active ingredients. The brand says so openly: the fragrance is an artistic interpretation, the substance is not in the bottle. That is exactly why every name starts with "This is Not".

If this makes you think of art history, you are not wrong. In 1929 René Magritte painted a pipe and wrote underneath "Ceci n'est pas une pipe", "This is not a pipe". And he was right: it was a picture of a pipe. Hormone Paris plays a similar game, whether on purpose or not: this is not GABA, this is a fragrance that tells the story of calm.

What actually is inside, the brand discloses under the heading "Radical Transparency": the full ingredient list, quantified allergens and safety data. According to Hormone Paris the alcohol content is 79 % vol, and the ingredient list includes linalool, linalyl acetate, limonene and lemon peel oil. The brand also refers to studies on fragrance materials such as lavender, jasmine and musk, and stresses in the same breath that lab results say nothing about what you experience when wearing a perfume. That kind of honesty is rare in the industry.

What is GABA, actually?

GABA stands for gamma-aminobutyric acid. Strictly speaking, GABA is not a hormone at all but a neurotransmitter, a messenger between nerve cells. In fact it is the most important inhibitory one in the central nervous system. If the brain were a car, GABA would be the brake.

The molecule is astonishingly small: its formula is C₄H₉NO₂, its molar mass around 103 g/mol. Four carbon atoms, that is all the brake needs. And here comes the best part: the body makes GABA in a single step from glutamate, the most important excitatory messenger. The enzyme glutamate decarboxylase removes a carboxyl group, and the accelerator turns into the brake. Chemically speaking, the two are siblings.

Why do scents trigger emotions at all?

Because the sense of smell takes a shortcut. Signals from the eyes, ears and skin first pass through the thalamus, a kind of relay station, before they reach the cerebral cortex. Smell signals skip this detour and go straight to areas of the limbic system, which includes the amygdala and the hippocampus, the regions for emotions and memories. That is why a whiff of sun cream can take you back to a beach from twenty years ago within seconds.

The whole idea of Hormone Paris is built on this: a fragrance can nudge a mood, just like a song or a photo. What it sparks in you depends on your memories, not on a formula. With GABA the invitation reads: mandarins instead of emails.

What makes This is Not GABA special?

First, the concentration: GABA is a parfum, the concentrated form, not a light eau de toilette. If you want to understand the difference in detail, read Eau de Toilette, Eau de Parfum or Extrait?. 100 ml of parfum for € 200 is a rare combination in niche perfumery.

Second, the character. GABA is neither classically sweet nor classically floral, but clean, diffusive and contemporary. It suits situations in which a scent should feel polished without taking over the room: the office, the train, the plane, the first meeting with the in-laws. In spring and summer it is in its element; in autumn it wears like a light jumper on a golden October day.

And third: it is back. GABA was sold out with us for a long time; now it has returned, while supplies last.

Which other fragrances does Hormone Paris make?

GABA has siblings, all with the same logic in their names. With us you will find, among others, these parfums from the "This is Not" line:

On top of that there are the Melatonin All Over Bodysprays. You will find the full range in the Hormone Paris collection. If you would like to give a fragrance as a gift and are unsure which one, our guide Giving perfume as a gift: how to find the right scent will help.

Frequently asked questions about This is Not GABA

Smell first, then fall in love

A fragrance about calm deserves to be tried in peace. With every bottle of 30 ml or more we include a 2 ml sample of the same fragrance; from an order value of € 90, four more 2 ml samples of your choice, subject to availability (note your preferred scents in the order comment). Note This is Not Endorphin or This is Not Oxytocin there, for example, and you will get to know the siblings right away. From an order value of € 200, standard shipping to Austria and Germany is free.

Or visit us in our boutique in Bregenz and explore the whole Hormone Paris collection with your nose. Just do not wait too long: GABA has been sold out for a long time before.

Prices according to the 4D Outfitters web shop, as of 26 October 2026. The prices shown are updated automatically from the shop.

Your 4D Outfitters team, Bregenz

Sources: product data 4D Outfitters · Hormone Paris – This is Not GABA · Hormone Paris – Transparency · Fragrantica – This is Not GABA · Wikipedia – GABA · Wikipedia – Muscimol · Harada et al. 2018, Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience · Wikipedia – The Treachery of Images