Molecule 02

This is a ghost perfume. That's the best way to describe it. I first came across it at this store I frequently visit. It's a beautiful, edgy and cool store that does a very good job with their selection of products and it has this alluring vibe to it. And it smells like heaven. When I asked on of the sales assistants what it was, she just smiled like she was expecting that question and told me that most likely I was either smelling Molecule 01 or 02. She sprayed each one on my wrists and told me to give it some time, as the characteristics of both of them were rather different. So I did and off I went. I have to say I didn't care for the 01. But the faint whiffs I got from the 02 were compelling enough to get me to try it again. That time I sprayed it on my coat, in the hopes of getting a better feeling of it. To my disappointment I couldn't smell anything at all. I told myself to stop thinking about it and went on with my day. A week later I was walking past my doorway where my coat rack is. All of a sudden I got a huge whiff of something so beautiful and haunting. I sniffed and sniffed because I had to find out what it was. It took me a while but finally I tracked it down. It was my coat with 02 on it. I had to bury my head in my coat because I just loved it so much. And for months after that, I could smell it on my coat. I went down to that store and got the big bottle. It has to be noted that this perfume has a life of it's own and whoever buys it needs to be ok with that, otherwise you'll get frustrated. Like I said before, this is a ghost in a bottle. This beautiful, sheer, soft and silky ghost that only comes out to play when it suits it, not you. Sometimes I spray it on and get nothing but faint alcohol in the beginning. Sometimes I can smell it right away and all day. Sometimes I've sprayed it on and think it's one of the no show days, only to be complimented by someone hours later. Sometimes I've sprayed it on a sweater and smell nothing but then a month later I can very much smell it and then I can smell it for weeks on that sweater, even after washing it. It really has a mind of its own. Ambroxan is a funny little molecule. It's salty but sweet, silk like and it doesn't project like a perfume, but rather leaves an aura around you. I've seen quite a few reviews where people state that's it's a masculine fragrance, and some even say it would not suit women. I find that to be quite bizarre as in no way does this suit a man better than a woman, unless people are expecting women to smell "traditionally feminine" like sweet, fruity and flowery. Which to me is very limiting and boring. I like my range, thank you very much. So please don't let those reviews discourage you from trying it out, because you should always wear what you love instead of going by other people's opinions. Same goes for men. My boyfriend borrows my 02 regularly and it's beautiful and sexy on him as well. All in all, in my opinion this suits both men and women. Just keep in mind that this is expensive and caters to it's own mood. Some might not feel it's worth the price because of that, and I get that. But if you're ok with that, then go on and enjoy!

I was unsure how this fragrance would work for me, I have previously sampled JHAG Not a Perfume and the Superdose flanker and was completely anosmic to both of them. When I was able to get a smaple of Molecule 02, I expected a similar experience, since it is the same molecule. Boy was I wrong. I could smell it immediately and I love what I smelled. The opening is a clean, fresh, dry wood. I picture driftwood when I smell it. As it dries on my skin it becomes a bit sweeter and morphs into a crisp, clean skin, musk in the deeper drydown. The performance is excellent. For the first few hours the projection is moderate, reaching around arms length maybe just a bit more. After that first few hours it stays within my personal bubble and I get wafts of it throughout the day and someone standing close will get the same. Only towards the end of the wear does it turn into a skin scent. I could still smell it close to my skin 12 hours later though it stopped projecting around 8-10 hours. I find it fascinating that Molecule 02 is so strong on me but when I tried Juliette Has a Gun Not a Perfume and Superdose, they smelled like nothing. And they are both using the same molecule. I wonder if the difference is Escentric Molecules uses a larger "dose" of the molecule or just a different version of the same molecule. Either way, I think they are similarly priced, so this is a much better option. I would caution anyone to sample before purchasing though. Many people find themselves completely anosmic to molecule scents and being able to smell the molecule in one fragrance doesn't seem to be reliable in predicting being able to smell it in another. Molecule 02 is a pretty unisex fragrance that might lean just a hint masculine in the opening, but settles into solidly unisex. Because it smells so fresh and clean it can easily be worn any time and occasion. Now that I have smelled it I can see why many say it is perefect for layering. I can give a boost to clean and woody notes in a fragrance without really interfering with the other notes. I only have a sample of Molecule 02 at the moment. My positive experience with this fragrance has made me interested in trying Molecule 01 (the seemingly more popular of the two), to see which would be the better fit for me. I see buying a full bottle of at least one of then in the near future.

I own this fragrance since 2018, rebought it even, it just works for me. Back then, in my early 20s, this was my signature scent. All I can tell you is, this scent was the center of attention so many times, girls loved it, other guys wanted to smell same way. Best part? They could not, even when they used "the molecule". It just mixed with my skin chemistry so well. One time back then, I was passing through a large building on campus, in a rush, when this girl classmate called me on my phone and said to stop and wait for her. I wondered how she even knew I was just there, on the same way, with same destination, a few halls ahead of her. Later I asked her and she just told me "your scent". Nowadays I still love my "molecule", I put it on after shower or I wear it to bed, but no overspraying as this is as strong as it gets, just one spray on my chest, otherwise I go noseblind instantly. Other suitable use is to layer it under fragrances to enhance their peformance. Anything fresh-ish will work. The scent itself as it presents on myself is ambery, salty, like a clean polished medicinal wood, a bit animalic aswell. Undescribably clean and manly. So guys I appeal to you, atleast test this. Just try it on, for yourself, and don't forget to only apply 1 spray after shower for test phase. Otherwise you risk not smelling it. If I overspray this scent I go noseblind, but it revisits me from time to time through the day and strikes me each time. This thing just comes to you, when you least expect it, in the best way possible. An ambroxan masterpiece.

I am so glad I tried Molecule 02! I got this sample in the Lucky Scent female perfume kit. Previously, I have sampled Not a Perfume in the store and could not smell anything. Due to that prior experience, I was a bit worried that I am nose blind to ambroxan. Maybe the department store was the wrong place to try an ambroxan forward fragrance--because oh boy I can absolutely smell Molecule 02 loud and clear! Molecule 02 is a comforting smell. It's like having the cozy dry down of a favorite perfume without having to go through any of the stages. This simplicity might be a turn off for some--I know that conceptually it was for me at first. But having worn Molecule 02 for a week, I do think it's full bottle worthy. This is the scent I will wear when I don't want to be too loud or draw any attention, but I still want to smell attractive and pleasant. As others have said, this perfume is excellent for layering or for work environments that are sensitive to anyone wearing fragrance. Be careful not to overspray this scent. Human noses tend to become nose blind to ambroxan quickly. Depending on your sensitivity, you may not be able to smell ambroxan after a short period of time. Don't worry-- others can still smell this perfume! This being said, I can smell Molecule 02 for many hours after I have sprayed just a bit. I consider myself lucky here! Buy a sample before you get a bottle unless you are familiar with Ambroxan. (Review is based on a 2ml-3ml sample with a spray top atomizer.)

Be prepared for nose blindness. I can't smell anything for a maximum of 30 seconds after spraying Molecule 02. 😅 I began to question with my magnificent skepticism whether this was a scam. 🕵️😅😎 I began to apply my genius solution techniques. A wonderful idea came to my mind that no one else would have thought of. I sprayed this on a friend's arm. About an hour later I tried to smell it. I was able to smell a vaguely skin-like scent after an hour. God, when I think of myself with this genius: I deserve so much more than what you give me 😅😅 I came across a person who used Molecule 02 without layering it with another perfume. He said that he wore it all the time in Kaliningrad and received many compliments. With my genius learning ability, I tried wearing this. I put psychological pressure on two close friends to compliment my scent. My poor friends, unable to resist my insistence, had to compliment me, but they didn't smell anything. 😤😤 When I layered Molecule 02 with my weaker performing perfumes, although I did not see any difference in terms of scent spread, the scent longevity increased by at least 2 hours on all of them. I bet it never occurred to anyone to layer this. Take advantage of my genius observation skills and spray Molecule 02 😎

This is my first-ever review on Fragrantica, the main reason I created an account here is to review this fragrance. To start off, I wanted to say that this is a ghost fragrance as previously described by others, by that I mean you might not smell it initially, but throughout the day you might pick up occasional whiffs of it. These occasional whiffs of the fragrance are absolutely stunning, I find it difficult to describe the scent since I can't quite pick up on individual parts and compare it to anything since it is so unique. I work in an environment where you are very close together in an enclosed space for hours at a time and the fact that this is a ghost fragrance it makes it inoffensive. This is the first ever fragrance I got complimented on not once but multiple times, and keep in mind I have a wide array of fragrances in my collection to choose from. I initially smelt it as a tester then decided to pull the trigger and purchase a 30ml bottle to start off to see if I would enjoy and appreciate this fragrance. Fast forward a few months, two 30ml bottles down, and just recently bought a 100ml bottle since I am absolutely enthralled by this scent. Hands down my favorite fragrance of all time. This scent is signature scent-worthy.

I tried all 10 of the Molecules series and this is the only one I liked enough to buy again. It's funny because at first I could not smell it at all! I thought "What a disappointment, a molecule that doesn't smell like anything". But I kept applying it because I read that sometimes your nose has to learn to recognize a particular scent. And then I finally got it! Now I can easily pick up ambroxan in other perfumes, it is a very characteristic and pleasant note. It's hard to describe, as it's quite multifaceted - it smells simultaneously subtly floral, feminine and like the sea. Not anything particular about the sea, more of the overall feel - fresh air, moisture, slightly salty. I like wearing it by itself when I want something clean and not overly complicated. It's hard to get tired of, so would be a good one if you wanted to take a break from perfume. And of course, layering it with other fragrances opens up endless possibilities. I like Molecule 02 with Le Labo Baie 19 for added freshness, together they smell like clear spring water (yes, that's a thing!). It also goes well with Baccarat Rouge 540, which I find too sweet on its own. I believe ambroxan is one of the base notes so it makes sense that it would work well together.

@Compositeur Amber from trees is not used in perfumery, "amber" is a man-made fantasy note created with vanillas and spices. So yes, this absolutely doesn't smell of amber lol. The accords here should probably be mineralic, sweet and metallic. And no, natural ambergris does not smell fresh at all. It smells animalic, often like foul breath, sometimes fecal depending on the quality. I have a 3% tincture sample of the highest pure white quality, which doesn't have any fecal/halitosis undertones. It's still an intimidating musky animalic smell with no freshness whatsoever. There's no resemblance between it and Ambroxan, even though Ambroxan is the main active odorant in refined ambergris. It takes the back seat, just like in perfume compositions. If you're smelling something bitter or harsh in modern perfumes, it's way more likely a superamber like Norlimbanol. These molecules are aggressively potent, can smell like chemicals, and will absolutely overpower if you're sensitive to them. I've yet to meet a person, even my asthmatic co-worker, who is sensitive to Ambroxan worn solo. But that co-worker sure is sensitive to my superamber sledgehammers like Aventus for Her.

@Enrium Spot on, Ambroxan gets such a bad reputation from being listed as a chemical-sounding note! I've yet to meet a single person who finds Ambroxan offensive. Not even my asthmatic co-worker is bothered by it. The amber notes that offend people in fragrances (most notoriously Not a Perfume Superdose) are actually superamber molecules like Norlimbanol, Z11, Grisalva and Ysamber K. These can be used in various ways to make fragrances last longer, give long-lasting fresh effects and boost wood accords. Some of the strongest tools in perfumery. Unfortunately a significant minority smells them as rubbing alcohol or wet dog. The most highly voted fragrances in our community never seem to use these superambers. Creed Aventus, BR540 and LV Imagination (all Ambroxan bombs) don't have superambers. Aventus for Her prominently uses superambers for longevity, and is very poorly rated in comparison. Many complain that it smells of rubbing alcohol. Always consider the fragrance a superamber bomb when reviews mention rubbing alcohol.

In the beginning of my fragrance journey, I had this idea where I thought I loved Ambroxan. But quickly noticed I was just trying to love it because of the hype these "skin scent" fragrances were having lately... Well, one day I bathe on Juliette has a Gun "Not a Perfume", which honestly smells very similar to this fragrance and my husband was completely grossed out. He said what was that stinky animalic smell on me, and I told him all about Ambroxan (and how it tried to simulate what would many describe as *whale vomit*). He hated it. After that day, he can detect Ambroxan note whenever something has it, and all of a sudden, I also notice it too. Whether it is ISO E Super or Abroxan or any of those chemical molecules that smell all similar to each other, any time I try something that has any of these notes, automatically I can only smell that an no other notes on the perfume. If there is Ambroxan, it will dominate over anything else to my nose. I ended up selling this. I cannot stand any of these fragrances anymore.

This is undescribable smell, fascinating that brings me back to something i dont know what it is. This is amazing. I dont know why i just got this, been wanting to buy it for years but never got the courage to overpass the negative comments and i haven't ran into a shop that have testers believe it or not. Just wow beautiful scent. And i agree with every bit of experience @iamnomi Update Edit: After using Molecule 02 for a while, I noticed that the scent I enjoyed the most started to fade. At first, I trained my nose to detect it, and I succeeded, but after a few days, my nose adjusted and I couldn’t pick it up anymore. The soft, ambery side of the fragrance is still noticeable, but that fizzy, oceanic, electric scent, which I honestly thought was the best scent I’ve ever experienced, seems to have disappeared over time. I will stop using the perfume for a while hoping when i use it again i will start to notice the hidden scent it again.

Ok, this is my story with this perfume. Recently, I was on a girls' trip and all of the time I was smelling this lovely, fresh, really cool summery scent all around us. It seemed to come from one of the girls, so I asked her if she was wearing perfume, and she said yes, Molecule 02. It literally filled the whole evening with this amazing smell, even though another friend said she couldn't smell the fragrance on her skin. Then, I bought a sample and oh my! It is just SO good 😍 I apply two sprays in the morning on my neck before I leave for work, and I smell it all day on me! Somehow, it's not my skin that smells of it, but I still seem to be carrying the scent with me everywhere I go. It lingers on my clothes also the next day. The scent is somehow fresh, in a way straight out of shower, but not soapy or so. Perhaps straight out of shower and applied a perfume? I believe I will be purchasing a whole bottle.

So funny how differently this behaves on others skin! After hearing reviews of this being the “creamy” and subtle one of the bunch I pulled the trigger. I’ve been searching for subtle, clean and comforting scent profiles lately and this does it in the best way. It’s as versatile as it gets and wearable in any scenario as far as I’m concerned. As far as determining how this may smell to others, if you’re a fan of ambroxan and know how it plays on your skin, I’d say it’s worth blind buying. Ambroxan on me is sweet and airy, only harsh if I spray too close to the skin. This is the perfect fragrance to mist and walk through (multiple times) with subtle enough projection that you won’t feel like you’re setting off a bomb walking into a room. Creamy, lightly sweet and subtly skin-like salty notes float around me when I wear this. Pure gold, imo.

Molecule 02 (New package) I blind buy Molecule 02 with curiosity rather is this truly remind of Ambroxan repeatedly mention trillion time in Dior Sauvage. No this is nothing resemblance of Dior Sauvage. However I find this note quite similar to Mineral Undertone in CK2 I have used many years ago. It might be some aspect of Ambroxan, I am truly not sure. It is also has mind marine property, salty (no, it is not Sea-salt note in Eden Roc, but more like salt breeze in Jo Wood Sage / Sea Salt) with little sweet and clean ambient, cooling and addictive, I think in that CK2, it refers as pebbled which absolutely referable. I score this slightly this than Molecule 01 but they both will surely have in my little collection. One thing I can be happy is I own the fragrance with aspect I like the most in CK2. Score 9/10

Not exactly a review, but FYI. Yesterday morning I was in a hurry, didn't know what to wear, but I knew it was going to be a hot day, so I quickly applied a few spritzes of Molecule 02. It was just one of those days that I couldn't really smell it on myself, I only got a couple of faint whiffs throughout the day. So more than 12 hours later, really late at night, I'm having a few beers with some friends, and my friend suddenly goes: "Man, you always smell SO good, what is that you're wearing right now? I've got to know!" She had been sitting across the table, a few meters away from me the whole time. I was surprised she could pick it up from that distance, especially since it had been so long since I put it on! This goes to show that Molecule 02 is doing its job, even if you're not aware of it!

a lot more natural and harder to place as a perfume than not a perfume, which can be a positive or a negative. molecule 2 takes about an hour on the skin to develop its scent, and the scent seems very skin enhancing and barely projects at all, which is exactly what a lot of people want from it. for me not a perfume has a distinct synthetic smell, but also projects a little further, at a lower price point. not a perfume also remains fairly linear on me, where molecule 2 evolves from slightly astringent to musky to slightly pine-woody on my skin. so it's really about what you want as the individual wearer. i'll probably be adding both to my collection at some point, molecule 2 first, but both aren't high priority based on their low projection.

It's a clean skin scent. Like when you take a shower but with a neutral soap and a neutral shampoo, you get out of the shower, and that clean smell and your skin is what this perfume smells like. I love it to go to sleep. I find it relaxing. I've heard some people say that they don't notice it after several hours, but that people around them do notice this perfume. If this happens to you, it's probably because you suffer from anosmia (olfactory fatigue), nothing abnormal, nor anything dangerous. The ambroxan note causes, in some people (not all), anosmia. This makes you believe that the perfume no longer projects or has disappeared from your skin, but other people can smell the perfume that you no longer smell.

If you have molecule 01 for layering or to use on its own you are going to need molecule 02. Why do I say this because not everything mixes with molecule 1 and not everything mixes with molecule 2. Molecule 2 it is a fresh mineral scent you can layer it with most fresh and aquatic fragrances. I don’t use this one on its own it is mostly for layering, molecule 01 gets more individual use. Not because this is a worse one compared to molecule 1 but because I want that molecule 02 to raise the punch on my freshies and aquatics so I rather use it that way. I like these molecule simple scents they help improve scent and performance. I will always keep molecule 1 and molecule 2 in my collection.

This is a wonderful skin scent. I didn't know what to expect based on the reviews here but was pleasantly surprised. At first spray, it was slightly sweet and musky. Then, I immediately went noseblind to it. But, after about 45 minutes, I could smell it again and it radiated from me in the most delightful way. Still sweet and musky but with a bit of woodsiness to it. I can't smell it wherever I directly spray it but it definitely gives me a scent bubble. The longevity is also great and I can still smell it on my laundry days later. My new easy grab as it seems inoffensive and suitable for warmer days (and, where I live, there are plenty of them).

This has got to be the sexiest scent I’ve ever smelled in my entire life. And by sexy, I don’t mean in the typical, sultry way. It's subtle, almost imperceptible, yet it triggers something deep in your brain the moment you catch a trace. It’s like those signs from the universe you start noticing over and over again once you’ve seen the first. It smells like pillows which is strange, I know but think about how pillows feel: soothing, relaxing, arousing, bare, intimate. That’s what this fragrance is. It’s the most angelic, weird, complex, human, pure, sinful, deceptive smell ever. And the blood rushing through my veins? It loves it.