Molecule 01

SOTD Review - Molecule 01 by Escentric Molecules Molecule 01 has been a staple in my perfume wardrobe for 15 years. I still remember vividly the first time I smelt it. A colleague was wearing it and walked into my office and my nose froze in shock and awe and my brain tingled! “What are you wearing?!?!” .. “Oh, You can smell it?”, was her reply. She removed the bottle from her handbag, handed it to me to let me spray it on myself and she then went onto tell me it’s origin story and how I could only buy it on t’internet. I was hooked!!! Addicted!! I couldn’t stop sniffing myself all day, my brain doing somersaults trying to get to the bottom of this scent, these notes!! I purchased a bottle that night as soon as I got home, and yes, I could still smell it on me. I’ve learnt over the years that my nose loves synthetics; ambroxan, iso e super etc. I’m aware that how our unique olfactory systems process synthetics means that people experience the fragrance differently, some not at all... so here is how it’s smells to me; This is gorgeous! Brain tingling, clean, fresh and woody, with a bright yet gentle sweet floral. It’s cool and sparkling but is also velvety, powdery and with a slight hint of amber to it. The bright floral is quite forward to me, but a floral note I can’t explain, which makes my brain tingle and my nose love it more. It’s almost like a violet and bluebell hybrid mixed with violet leaf. But it runs apparel with the fresh woodiness. It’s neither white, green nor blue. It’s difficult to explain, as they aren’t separate notes, rather a complex, olfactory singularity. It’s amazing! They say that Molecule 01 interacts with your skin and smells different on other people. I honestly don’t get this. And I do get perfumes that smell beautiful on other people and yet settle into my skin unpleasantly. But here, how I describe Molecule 01 is exactly how I smell it on other people, the same, always, all the time. The projection and silage is high to my nose. It’s not over powering, this can been worn anywhere, but it’s definite and distinct. When I walk into a room, or if someone walks past me on the street wearing it, I can immediately smell and identify it. I can smell it all day! The only slight difference I get to the scent profile is dependent on the weather. In warmer months the floral is more forward, when it’s cold in the winter the woodiness is more forward but the floral is still there. It was ground breaking at its time of release. And since then there have been many others in the same vein as a singular or forward synthetic (JHAG Not Perfume). But Molecule 01 was love at first whiff for me. There’s a strong scent association of happy memories there also - my colleague and I unknowingly bought each other a bottle of Molecule 01 that Christmas after she introduced it to me. Our respective other half’s had also bought us bottles!! It was an Iso E Super Crimbo! It was ‘our’ perfume. If I had one negative thing to say about it, it would be the bottle, especially for the price point. I really don’t like it. The shape, the feel, the horrible ‘chemistry’ graphics. When my colleague pulled it out of her handbag and handed it to me, I thought it was some dupe perfume, amateur, badly made and without thought or feeling. It’s creatively vacant and doesn’t really didn’t match the amazingness my nose and brain experiences. It deserves better. I just love this perfume so much. If I was asked to paint a picture to describe it, I would say wearing Molecule 01 is like standing naked under a cool, refreshing waterfall in a lush green forest, with the odd scattered, fallen, decaying tree, as a breeze carries the scent of the forest floor filled with other worldly white, blue and purple luminous flowers towards your nose ...on another planet, in another universe.

First of all, I want to start off by saying that this is NOT just Iso E Super and alcohol. All these reviewers saying "make your own for way cheaper" have no idea what they're talking about. This actually contains Iso Gamma Super which is not commercially available and is ONLY sold to Escentric Molecules. So although you can create a similar version using Iso E super, it won't be the same as molecule 01 both in smell and performance. Also, if you really do want to make it at home I suggest using timbersilk as that is closer to Iso Gamma Super than Iso E super is. Anyway, onto the review. I blind-bought this thinking I was going to be one of the people who didn't smell anything. I knew that a lot of people get OF from it instantly and I bought it because I live in Dubai where the heat goes over 130 F during the summers. I've heard that this is an insane performer in the heat so I ordered a bottle for an amazing price as most fragrances can be found pretty cheap in Dubai. I bought it for $73 and all I can say is wow I'm lucky. Thinking I wasn't gonna be able to smell it, I sprayed it on and was instantly hit with a gorgeous synthetic smell. While I do agree that it smells sort of woody, the scent reminds me a lot of satin for some reason. It's so clean and smooth and intentionally synthetic and overall just a wonderful smell. I sprayed this about 3 hours ago and it is still projecting like crazy. The projection is constant and doesn't die down. However, the "hide and seek" effect with it is definitely real. I get hit with a sudden strong smell of it every now and then and I absolutely fall in love. I'm pretty sure the hide and seek thing only happens to the wearer and that other people are constantly smelling it as I keep getting complimented by my family members (who usually hate a lot of my fragrances). I also went out in 122 F today for about an hour and I came back and the smell had not faded one single bit. This is definitely not your typical perfume. Molecule 01 is to your skin what laundry detergent is to clothes. It makes you smell clean and fresh with a really intriguing smell. (Note: I am not comparing the scent to the smell of laundry detergent, it's just an analogy.) Overall, I'm in love with this and I will definitely be rebuying once it runs out.

One of my most favourite fragrances. I first smelled this at work when a client returned their bottle and the nozzle wasn’t on properly so it got all over my hands and sleeves I thought it’s a nice fragrance but didn’t give it much thought. Every single time I would wear this jacket the smell which remained on my sleeves would put me in a really good mood I would get a rush of excitement every time so I asked my family to get me it for Christmas because I love it so much. Fast forward to Christmas time I’m so excited for my new 100ml bottle I was fantasising about smelling like it for the longest time only to get absolutely heartbroken when I sprayed it and realised it smelled like nothing. I was so confused why I’m suddenly nose blind to it and so disappointed that my family spent so much money on it I didn’t know how to tell them I’m sorry... I was absolutely devastated so I put it away in hopes of the scent maturing over time but also because I didn’t want to get reminded about my biggest heartbreak. So I forget about it for almost a year i truly forgot about it until I find the box in my wardrobe somewhere while cleaning and out of boredom I give it another try, i couldn’t believe my nose when I sprayed it, i even started tearing up because there it was! the same scent I fell in love with a year ago at work, that scent that got me through long days, the scent that always brought a smile to my face. I was so happy it felt like I’m levitating, long story short I went through the entire bottle within a few months it was the only perfume I wore and learnt all the tricks about it, I find that layering it with black opium turns it magical. Imo It smells very conceptual almost like nothing but everything at the same time, it smells like denim and something robotic like futuristic it’s very hard to describe but it’s different for everybody. In conclusion please don’t give up on this scent if you’re trying it for the first time yes it might smell different to everyone else but to me it smells like pure ecstasy

This is a really interesting fragrance. I got this in 2012 and I still have the same bottle with a small amount left in. When it opens, sometimes I am anosmic and all I get is a strong blast of alcohol. Usually this disspates and I can then start to detect the scent itself. It can disappear and reappear which is me going occasionally anosmic to it but it always pops back up, and I know it is long lasting because people comment on this long after applying so it has both good longevity and sillage. It also lasts (literally!) forever on clothing. I can just about smell this on the neck of a coat I haven't worn in years, it's that impressive! It's smells almost sharp and woody, like cedar or pencil shavings. It's very clean. Like someone could just smell this yummy after being freshly washed. Sort of like the inside of a wooden drawer, it's musky and almost dusty. There is a deep richness that I find quite addictive and intoxicating. I can notice this in other perfumes, such as Narciso in the white cube. It's nice to layer with other fragrances (like Narciso) but I usually wear it on it's own. It's very unisex, and interestingly I always reliably receive comments when I wear this. It isn't always compliments, but often people are curious and comment to say that's so interesting, or that they could smell this from a good distance away, or ask what I am wearing. It's never in a displeased way but I do think it is interesting enough for people to know it's a bit out of the ordinary and not your typical perfume. I haven't worn this in a long time so this was my experience in 2012-2015 ish, so I think with the rise of "molecule" type fragrances it may not be so out there anymore, who knows! Also interestingly, this bottle is so old that the liquid has gone a bit sticky and can feel almost tacky on my skin. It's not causing any irritation to my skin so I'll keep wearing it until I finish the bottle and consider replacing it as it's quite nostalgic for me and I enjoy having it in my collection.

This is more of a science experiment than it is a perfume. And I’m perfectly fine with that. I’m not entirely certain I’m buying the “single ingredient” statement. The slightly spicy cedar wood character of iso e super is certainly present, but I also quite frequently get a musky aroma that wavers back and forth very gently between slightly floral and slightly animalic. There’s a slight cashmeran quality to it as well. The final “dry down” - if there is such a thing with Molecule 01 - most frequently seems to go to darker woods that are generally absent the pepperiness that came with the cedar wood type aroma at the start, veering almost in a leathery direction. As noted by the brand and many reviewers, all of whom are completely correct, the behavior of Molecule 01 is quite odd. It does have a habit of pulling a magician’s disappearing/reappearing act with your nose. At one moment, neither you or anyone around you can smell it, in another moment you cannot smell it but someone else can, in another moment you can but someone else cannot, and still in other moments everyone and you can smell it. Some may find this annoying, but for me it is quite fun - in addition to this, it can be variable as to which notes you will pick up in given moments, which, like the projection, do not seem to follow much of a pattern. So here’s my verdict: Many people do not like Molecule 01 for completely valid reasons that I fully understand; it is also entirely possible that this perfume simply does not work for them. It is such a mercurial wearing experience that I can completely believe someone when they say they have a negative or completely “absent” experience. For me, fortunately, it seems to work - whatever “work” means in the context of Molecule 01’s performance. It’s fascinating, fun, keeps me on my toes with nearly every wearing, and yet it smells pleasant in a quiet and demur way at any moment regardless of what it is doing (apart from when it is not able to be detected at all, that is).