Molecule 01 + Cistus

I don't typically type up reviews, nor do I really care for them. Fragrances are subjective; what I might like, someone else might despise. Despite what I just said, I MUST talk about this fragrance. In between the lines is me giving context to this review, you can skip it as it isn't too important. Only really relevant to the timeline of my discovery of M01 + Cistus. --------------------------------- For context: As someone who was born and raised in the Middle East, I grew up smelling fragrances of all sorts. Perfumes with different takes on Oud's, Floral's, Gourmand's, Fruit's, Amber's, Musk's; you name it, I've smelt it before. With that being said I also grew up smelling different iterations of Molecule 01. I always found M01(in general) quite interesting; my earliest memory of it being when I visited London in 2011. My mom had purchased it, and I had immediately associated that scent with the comfort and joy of home. Throughout the years it had also become one of my scents that I used, whether on its own or for layering with other fragrances. Such a versatile yet luxurious scent that anyone could pull off without trying. It's truly one of the only fragrances that is unique in its own respect without the tradeoff of it being polarizing. I mean, its just Iso E Super right? NOPE! I was in a Bloomingdales when a sales representative approached me and asked me if I had ever heard of the brand Eccentric Molecules. Immediately I shook my head and said of course. I also told him I was a huge fan of M01 and M01 + Iris (which I previously owned). Thats when he asked me if I had smelt their newest release in M01 + Cistus. The moment he sprayed it on my wrist, it felt like Pandora's Box had been opened for me. ------------------------------------ For the actual review of M01 + Cistus: Everything that I loved in M01; the velvety, silky, powdery woodiness, suddenly had an added kiss of amber. It sounds super straight forward until you smell it. It's truly impossible to describe. Its not overpowering, yet it's definitely radiant. I wore it today with Amouage Purpose 50, and oh my goodness. The spicy frankincense-esque soapiness of Purpose 50 combined with the subtle velvety resinous woods of M01 + Cistus invoked this mind boggling itch I cant get rid of for the life of me. Don't get it wrong, this fragrance is truly beautiful on its own. However when matched with a fragrance thats complex and with what some people might consider "abrasive", will transcend what you might have thought was possible with layering. It's a transformative experience. Suitable for both men and woman, younger or older. It's an inviting experience, and reminds me of smelling M01 for the first time.

This is a genuinely fascinating scent that you need to spend your time with to understand. First off the Fragrantica notes are doing you dirty here because if you're expecting a burst of ambery labdanum you're in the wrong place. As the name on the bottle does quite clearly state for those of you paying attention, the focus here is cistus. This is the scrubby, green aromatic bush that labdanum comes from, not the resin itself. The opening is peppery, green and a bit herby, and that confounds me. I say this because it gives me Xerjoff Zefiro vibes in the opening (which I did not enjoy when I tried it last year, if you read my review) but here the vibe is vastly more pleasant. This is all the more odd because there is no cistus in Zefiro, nor any labdanum for that matter. But the aromatics have a similar vibe to the artemisia, white wine and elemi resin in that towering Italian powerhouse. It makes me want to circle back to Zefiro now as I feel as though maybe my nose has matured and I'd enjoy it a bit more. It is fair to say you need to love green aromatics to love this one and followers of my reviews on here and elsewhere may be aware I've been on a bit of a green aromatic thing this summer after admittedly not being a fan of them previously. Molecules 01 & Cistus is an extremely well-blended fragrance that is intended to be layered and I do think the cistus is extremely well judged. In particular the way the Iso E Super, this house's hallmark note, comes in to soften, soothe and shift the whole thing in the base is really charming and endearing. I've long felt Escentric Molecules is a house for proper fragrance fans, dare I say fragrance nerds like me, and it certainly is fascinating to see and experience their inimitable style of perfumery on my skin. If taking in the experience of what happens when Iso E Super starts changing notes on your skin in real time at a molecular level interests you (and let's be honest, it is pretty cool) then this is a great example of that. Three Word Summary: Aromatic Cistus Shifted Layering suggestion: The one that leaps to mind is Le Labo's iconic Santal 33. I'd also recommend (the ridiculously underrated and sadly overlooked) Super Cedar by Byredo as a base layer here - I tried it last weekend and it is fantastic. Outfit suggestion: this is something I'd wear around the house when I'm experimenting with layering combos and messing around with samples when I should be doing something more productive. So an ancient Megadeth t-shirt with holes in and some UnderArmour gym shorts? Uh huh. Scent - 8/10 Sillage - 8/10 Drydown - 8/10 Bottle/packaging - 7/10 Performance - 6/10 37/50

If you see that the composition consists of just two notes and scoff, think again. There is SO MUCH more to this scent than what you'd expect. (Also, it annoys me that Fragrantica lists the main note as labdanum when “cistus” is literally in the name of the perfume. Huge difference between cistus and labdanum. Cistus is the flower itself whereas labdanum is the resin it produces.) Anyway, a staff member at my favorite niche perfume shop showed me this one on a whim. I hadn’t expected to fall in love with it because I usually do better picking out my own scents, but wow, this is really lovely. The initial spray is a blast of attention-grabbing yet naturalistic bright green terpenes. In time, this vivid olfactory explosion settles into a chewy, sweet, and sexy animalic smell that's slightly reminiscent of wood varnish. I could see this working in any temperature and look forward to trying it out in cooler weather. It’s wonderful in the heat. Lasts an eternity. I am obsessed.

Very very interesting creation from something so simple. Semi indolic white pepper in an onsen, with some type of tea being poured over it? There's a spiciness very similar to white pepper to me, but it's almost foggy, almost sweaty or cloudy. It's accompanied by this soft, almost warm smell, that I sort of associate with tea leaves, like some Chinese green tea or something. Overall very very comforting smell, like a warm breeze.

funny that this is least winter-rated, I think this suits winter so well... Looking forward 2 seeing how it performs in spring/summer. I've been very into whittling in this last quarter of the year and I very much enjoy wearing this to my evening whittling group. So woody and clean, smells like incense used for religious purposes with no soot or ash

This is a very beautiful skin scent. Molecule 01+ Cistus has a warm, balsamic, subtly sweet, musky, clean feel, perfect for cozy times. Unisex and all season appropriate, but very soft, minimalistic and intimate. It’s beautiful though! I think I need more than just the travel size of this...

The classic iso e super with a really nice amber touch that make it feel full rather than a single note The amber here is crisp, clean, and slightly masculine, its not the warm and skin-like amber I was expecting, but I am really liking it Would absolutely be a great signature scent for some

If you were looking for that deep earthy rich scent that some of very expensive boutiques have - this is the exact one! Crazy rare and cool

This is beautiful...I have nothing more to say really. Thank you once again Geza 🙂🙏

I find it sexy, a bit like Absolute Aphrodisiac by Initio.

Well that was probably as close as I'll ever be to be able to shout FIRST when writing a perfume review here it Fragrantica, not that it matters. I saw the reveal as for this on Instagram Friday, 13 days ago, ordered it from a perfume shop in GERMANY I've never heard about on Sunday (since the official site of Escentric Molecules still doesn't offer shopping to Sweden) and it arrived to Sweden on Thursday. Insanely quick. And so for the scent itself after using it for a full week? Well. It's not a favourite among my (complete) EM roster. It's supposed to be only Labdanum and Iso-e-super, but the smell reminds me of the sweet smell part that I DON'T like very much about the otherwise excellent H01, the silly Harrods exclusive EM did, from some time back. It could be that I went noseblind to it as the week progressed and that I'll experience it stronger again when I've gone through the motions of all the other perfumes before landing on it again, but I guess I feel the labdanum smell a couple of hours and then the iso-e-super a couple hours more, at this point? All in all, slightly disappointed, I like it, don't love it, especially since it was marketed as a smoky scent and the M+ series did such an AMAZING smokiness with M+ Guaiac Wood, but this one definitely left me wanting more. Compliments to the box design however, as the extra slide-on case is now removed from the SIDE and the main box gets plucked out easily that way instead of the wobbly and case-and-bottle-threatening push downwards or upwards as in the first six M+ servings.

Cistus Labdanum is one of my favorite ingredients in perfume. I love how sweet and rich and warm and crisp it smells. Pair it with one of the most enigmatic ingredients of the last 20 years, and BOOM! We have this masterpiece. This scent smells so golden-hued and fresh, yet there’s this skanky animalic facet that really pops on my skin after sitting for a couple hours. I find this scent rather subtle for a Cistus Labdanum fragrance, since they tend to be rather dense and full-bodied. But in classic EM fashion, Geza turned this grandiose ingredient into a whisper of itself. Fits right in to the canon Geza Schoen has concocted. I cannot wait to layer this with all of my fragrances. I wish my skin just exuded this scent 24/7.

Incredibly naturalistic, bright and bitter in the best way. The initial spray is like plucking some sticky, spicy sap right off of a tree in a forest. The scent is rich and ancient. The drydown is less spicy, but still highly resinous and with a beautiful smoky wood alongside it. Although totally different, the bright and natural straightforwardness reminds me of another favorite, La Liturgie des Heures by Jovoy. This is an incredibly special scent.

This is a crisp, woody clear-head scent with a subtle resinous twist. It opens clean and feels slightly citrus-leaning, then settles into a cool, smooth woody skin scent that stays calm and composed throughout. On my skin it wears well but remains fairly linear. Very classy, and perfect for a bit work day understated polish.

This is so interesting because at first sniff I thought this was an immediate "no", however, I can't stop myself from smelling it. I'm getting faint smoke and wood, but I don't know how else to describe it. There is something comforting about the aroma. I think I like it, and am now wanting to try more from this brand.

This is really interesting to me , it’s kind of a woodsy sweet leaning , kind of an almost dense (resin?) mixture. I’d say it is a bit more complex than other molecule 01 +s. The longevity is better than I expected.

Dry peppery wood and the dried salt on skin from chopping it. MANimalistic vibes. This must be what the guy that chops logs on TikTok smells like.

Resembles 95% to Hala from Lattafa, minus the sweetness. It smells citrusy, spicy frankincense, sooting and calming spa-like aroma. I love it

The initial spray is quite aggressively cool citrus for me (bergamot or citron), but even within half an hour, it's an odd combo of slightly soapy and woodshop -- dust, glue, varnish and all. I think the citrus is what's happening with the labdanum and iso e, and it's becoming more subtly sweet with time. Get some resin-y incense during drydown on my skin. A skin scent on me, almost no sillage and I can barely smell it on myself despite application on ears and inner elbows unless nose to skin. I think someone talented at layering could get this to shine, but as an inoffensive day scent in hot weather, I think this has some mileage for me.

The opening and mid smell great. Resinous, balsamic, and slightly powdery. It smells rich but not heavy or cloying. The dry down is less appealing for me personally bc it smells animalic and sort of sweaty or even (excuse me) pissy. Idk where does this come from. Is it an overdose of cumin?!

To me this smells exactly like wood shop class at school, sawdust and synthetic glue from plywood & MDF in the air. Still quite refreshing and pleasant in a way, definitely unique. Personally, I don't know when I would wear it, but I'm glad I tried it, very interesting concoction.

Steve from luckyscent was right this is super similar to ourrzazate from CDG. I find the CDG better in every regard. It’s iso e heavy as well but is much round with a less syrupy drydown. Tbh I’m not so much a fan of this, it’s melancholic, cold and a bit boring

Frankincense incense, with a touch of wood varnish. Close to the skin. This scent is challenging me!

straight up resinous. simplistic and refined, not much to say about this one

To me the citrus like element of this comes across as rather pissy which is a shame because the rest of the scent is quite nice. I’ll leave it in the cabinet maybe I’ll like it more in the fall

Those notes are what I was hoping for @missdalum. But unfortunately they are just not there. I sprayed this on one arm yesterday and on the other arm sprayed my M+ Patchouli. The Cistus version is completely gone can't even smell a hint of it but the Patchouli version is still there as a skin scent but still prominent. The Patchouli version is definitely stronger but it does dry down into a sweeter patchouli not exactly woody. I think mixing the Patchouli version with the original Molecule 01 would give what we were hoping Cistus would be. I was hoping the M+Cistus was going to be more of an incense smoky wood vibe but it has none of that to my nose. Was really hoping to get that church incense type of smell with this one along with that great woody smell of Iso E Super. It is definitely not. ☹️ I remember sampling the Guaic wood version and I remember not liking it mainly because I don't really care for that type of wood smell.

As someone who appreciates the woody note of M01 but finds the iso e super overload way too screechy and bitter, I thought I’d try this. I love labdanum-based fragrances especially in the winter. I’d hoped it would be a richer, amber version of M01 but it really lacks the warmth that labdanum usually provides. The incense-y note definitely balances some of M01’s austerity but it still has that linearity you get with most of the EM line. Good for adding a smoky base when layering but one-dimensional worn on its own. To me it is a distant, less complex relative of SL L’orpheline. Has the same melancholic aura. Nice, I don’t necessarily regret my blind buy but needs a bit of creative layering with other fragrances for it to actually do something.

If you look at the "Reminds me of" section and you see Attaquer le Soleil there and wonder if +Cistus is redundant if you already have the ELdO offering, then I just wanna say no, it's not redundant. They're quite similar though as both feature an unhealthy dose of rock rose. Attaquer le Soleil feels raw. Pungent, in your face, it's almost metallic or even bloody if you smell it up close. I like it but I find it hard to wear and hard to love. +Cistus is calmer, perfectly balanced with the Iso E Super but it's more than a weaker version of Attaquer le Soleil. It's ethereal rather of raw. Woodier rather than metallic. And very easy to love.

I completely agree with @Decisional. This is a lot sweeter than I expected. I don't get any smoke but there is a lot of mineral facets. This is a very strange smell and it's a somewhat familiar smell that I can't put my finger on. I've walked into buildings that had this odor and I have to say it's not very pleasant. I don't hate it but I don't love it. This would have been a lot better if they would have used the more resinous part of the rockrose plant...the labdanum resin for a smoky incense accord. I have the M+Patchouli and it has somewhat of the same sweetness however the patchouli version is more woody.

Frozen smoke, ghost trails, crystallized vapor, memory of fire. Cedar's bare branches, skeletal wood, stripped trees, winter forests. Lemon peel frozen mid-curl, preserved brightness, acid blade on ice, bone-white, moonlit. Amber trapped sap frilled and shivery-bitter, colorless, and pale. Glacial cold, silver sheen, mirror surface, morning rime coating everything. Muted, hushed, dulled edges, sound absorbed by snow. Edmund Dulac's Snow Queen on her icy throne, layers of ice and shadow, laminated, frigid, still. Remote majesty, solemn dignity, the ceremony and sorrow of ceaseless winter.

First I was thinking: why does EM need yet another scent like this. Boring! In the opening it reminds me of Escentric 04 a bit. But only once I got to the dry down and smelled this on me ours later, I realized why EM would want this in their scent menu: it's a play on sweet-salty. This actually makes me think of Ganymede. Isn't sweet-salty one of the newest trends in the perfume world? I might be mistaken. They should stop expanding the M+ line. I think Geza Schoen makes really good creations of more than 2 ingredients so it would be cool to see more complex from him.

I completely agree with completely agreeing with previous reviewers. This is definitely not what I had expected, and I’m glad I didn’t blind buy. I was hoping for an aromatic blend with hints of amber, leather, and woods with a resinous almost balsamic warmth. But the cistus here leans more floral , giving the scent a sharper edge. There is a leathery undertone, but it lacks the aged, soft, and slightly worn vibe I was hoping for. Sadly, for me , this is much too bright. Perhaps I’ll try out M+Guaiac Wood or M+Patchouli instead.

I don't get any real development in this perfume. Dry, woody, non-descript incense, a smidgen of bergamot, a hint of sweetness from a subdued labdanum. Very much reminds me of CDG incense series Ouarzazate. I like it, but it's a bit austere. Would be good to layer with a vanilla or darker musk perfume.

I'm getting a very strong incense not on first spray. Like almost identical to what you'd smell in a church. Not exactly what I was expecting. Dry down is a bit lackluster

It smells like when you wait on line at pirates of the Caribbean. It's resinous old wood with a hint of salt

Labdanum is old church, resin, balsam, smoke and tree. Iso does not come through until late in the party.

I completely agree with @DiskoDee