Molecule 04

Like others here, I've also had some unexpected results with Molecule 04. Results such as absolutely insane and monstrous longevity. To give an example, when I was first testing out this fragrance I sprayed my right arm (not on pulse points, just on the top of the middle of my arm). For me this works well in giving me an idea of the overall strength and smell of a fragrance, and makes it easy to periodically sniff without worry of it rubbing off (like it would on a pulse point such as the wrist). Well when testing out M04 I sprayed my right arm after work one day to give it a try. Throughout the night I got an idea of what M04 was all about, and I was impressed with the strength, even though it isn't exactly a thick and heavy fragrance. I was getting solid smells of it throughout the night wafting in the air naturally without having to bury my nose into my skin to get a smell, which for me is a good indicator of a long-lasting and strong fragrance. The next day I got up and showered as usual and went to work, but during the entire day I kept getting whiffs of M04, figuring this was just some kind of lingering scent memory I ignored it. But towards the end of my shift (full shift, 8 hour) I noticed that the smell of M04, that I thought I was imagining, had somehow managed to completely saturate the right sleeve on my long-sleeve shirt. No joke, my entire sleeve absolutely reeked of the stuff as if I had just sprayed it on. Note that at this point not only had I showered and scrubbed my arm, but the time from the initial test spray had been around 18-20 hours. Amazed at what I had witnessed I moved on with my week at work. Now fast forward to the next week. All my shirts have been washed (and each shirt, including the one I mentioned, only get worn once a week). It was about mid-week and I decided to wear the same shirt again... and I am not kidding you, that entire day I was getting solid whiffs of M04. And once again, I smelled my sleeve and it was clearly the smell of M04, as the sleeve was still somehow absolutely saturated with the scent. Except this time I hadn't even been testing out M04 (it had been days since I last smelled it), but the stuff is so insanely potent that it somehow managed to cling to the shirt sleeve and make it through a wash.... and the shirt wasn't even sprayed directly or indirectly, it simply picked up the scent off my showered skin many hours after initial application. The sheer strength of M04 is quite mind boggling, it's like it is some kind of living bacteria/fungus or something that requires specialized chemicals to kill (think athletes foot kind of determination, you can't just get rid of it by washing your feet, you need anti-fungal products). Also note that in my time testing M04, my room is completely saturated in the smell of synthetic sandalwood. The smell has been lingering for weeks now (going on a month now), and every time I walk in the room, I get the distinct smell of M04. And I am the type who always has windows open and fans running to bring in fresh air, but despite that, when coming home to a closed room after work, the scent of M04 hits me every time I walk in the door. It's absolutely mind boggling how much this stuff lingers. As for the smell, well, you kind have to smell it to know the scent. It's a nice light woodsy scent (almost slightly green/clean) at first, then settles into a deeper woodsy animalic scent. be warned, as it is a dirty/skanky woody style of smell, very similar to the scent profile of Oud/Aoud in many ways. It's a slightly dirty smell, but at the same time masculine and alluring (ie very much like Oud in that regard). I really can't imagine women wearing this one, it's just too animalic/skanky when it gets into its "settling" stage, and as I described in this review, that stage can last for many weeks on clothes/room. It's a strange scent either way. Very neat because of how ridiculously strong/long-lasting it is (deceptively so, since it really doesn't seem like the kind of smell that would linger on forever), but you really need to exercise caution when using it. It seems to be at it's strongest when used by itself, but when mixing directly with other fragrances it completely changes into something else. It's a very odd synthetic chemical.

Must admit to being inordinately fond of Molecule 04. Even tried making my own. Javanol is extremely potent and in Molecule 4 the dilution is perfect - resulting in a wearable woody fragrance that creates an aura around the wearer with awesome longevity. Geza Schoen's Molecule 01 (starring Iso E Super) was famously described as "more an effect than a fragrance" and the same can be said of Molecule 04. When layered it works beautifully to enhance all kinds of fragrances: woods, florals (especially rose) and amber. Sandalwood is integral to modern perfumery, which turned it into a precious natural commodity. The perfume industry’s reliance on sandalwood, coupled with fluctuating prices and availability triggered efforts to find alternatives, botanical and synthetic. The quest to synthesise a realistic sandalwood molecule was (and still is) a kind of arms race in research and development - especially between the "Big Four" of the fragrance industry (Firmenich, IFF, Givaudan and Symrise) resulting in a plethora of sandalwood molecules, (eg Firsantol, Polysantol, Hindinol, Bacdanol, Brahmanol, Ebanol, Indisan, Mysoral, Sandranol, Sandalore, Santaliff, etc etc). The latest and perhaps most revolutionary innovation in fragrance chemistry is "Dreamwood", a proprietary Firmenich Mysore Sandalwood molecule, 100% natural, created through “white biotechnology” - from sugar, of all things - and the first synthetic sandalwood (“synthetic” in this case meaning man-made and not found in nature) to function as an alternative to, and total replacement for, Indian Sandalwood essential oil. Remarkably, Dreamwood even shares the anti-bacterial properties of sandalwood oil. But I digress ... Created by Givaudan in 1996, Javanol is not a sandalwood analogue (or substitute) however it effectively replicates the most characteristic effects of sandalwood: "... Javanol turned out to be the best fit for the receptors in your nose that code for sandalwood. The more perfectly the sandalwood ‘foot’ fits the receptor’s ‘shoe’, the more intense the smell will be. The person who discovered Javanol back in ’96 was Jerzy Bajgrowicz, a chemist working at Givaudan. One of the things he did was to substitute the double bond in a part of the molecule called the ‘spacer’ with a cyclopropane ring. This three-membered ring maintains the electronic properties and rigidity of the double bond but improves on the hydrophobicity, so making Javanol a near-perfect fit for the sandalwood receptor pockets in the nose" (Scentspiracy.com) Javanol is a large molecule that can cause rapid olfactory fatigue, meaning that Molecule 04 persists long after its wearer can no longer detect it, and as with Iso E Super (which an estimated 20% of humans cannot smell) how we respond to it seems to depend on our genetic predisposition. In other words not everyone can smell Molecule 04, but those of us who can usually enjoy it. As others have commented, Molecule 04 is very potent and can be polarising. Most people - especially those of us partial to sandalwood - love it. Applied with restraint and moderation the effect can be magical. Molecule 04 can be seductive and intoxicating, but also meditative. Molecule 04 creates a sublime woody aura around the wearer (what some call a “fragrance bubble”) and a scent trail as you move. Often people seem to notice it as soon as you enter a room and the response tends to be extremely favourable. (it is not uncommon to get stopped by random people - last week while looking at espresso machines in a department store was asked what I was wearing three times in the space of maybe half an hour) Making your own version of Molecule 04 isn't exactly complicated - you can get everything you need from Perfumer's Apprentice. Edit: My current favourite molecule is Timbersilk, a gamma isomer like Iso E Super, which works beautifully with Molecule 04.

I have a substantial decant and I wish it were larger 😍 At first, I was sunk, because it took me 5 minutes to smell it on my skin. I quite literally pouted to myself, and became frustrated with my anosmia. I cannot smell Molecule 01 more than appx 25% of the time, and I had concluded that Escentric Molecules just isn't my brand. However, I was STRUCK after it began to dry down. Absolutely *stuck*, by warm, poofy, clean (albeit synthetic...I'll address that in a moment) sandalwood. It began to waft into, and nearly tangibly warm my nostrils. I don't understand why, but this one is a creeper and the scent takes a few beats to present itself. Maybe it's just me and my weird nose? I have a bit of sandalwood essential oil, and I gotta be honest, I prefer this. It's smoother, more plush, and doesn't have that distilled essential oil herby undertone that most of them do (you know what I mean if you have a few of them). Synthetic doesn't necessarily entail inferiority, and if I needed to be on people being more drawn to javanol or santalum album EO, I'd put money on the majority choosing this. I adore EOs, but sometimes synthetics are more pleasing overall. The longevity of this is outstanding, and the sillage (that I can discern) seems a few feet, with a considerable scent trail. I personally think it's slightly more masculine (but I've always thought sandalwood leans ♂️). My husband thinks it's feminine however...so we're at a stalemate. I suppose I'll chalk it up as it fitting my chemistry. I don't care though, I can do the whole "tomboy" thing and it doesn't begin to bother me in the slightest (I actually kind of like it, and I think it's almost more alluring). This is lovely, and the potential for layering this with other (especially warm/woody) frags is limitless. I like it much more than Molecule 01. I've learned with all frags, but with this brand in particular, that the perceptions of everyone are so insanely varied that one cannot speak in absolutes. I get that other people can't smell it, or that many dislike it. I don't think it's the fault of anyone at all, it just is. But, I'm thrilled to be lucky with this one <3 Absolutely thrilled! This is a full bottle contender for me to purchase eventually (or just to be an idiot again and again repetitively getting decant because I don't want to pony up...either way haha)! I'm keeping this around at all times.

Really lovely stuff and my favorite from the line although I love the OG as well To be honest though the first couple of times I tried this I hated this!! Word to the wise when you first buy this I’d spray this about 3-5 times and shake the bottle and then let this set for 2-3 months as this smells very sharp,cheap and like some sort of cleaner at first but once this juice settles it’s heavenly and smooth!! The smell is a very light BUT present,creamy,warm but also very transparent smell that just smells heavenly in the air ! It’s odd that this scent is cozy,warm but refreshing and light all at the same time which to me makes it unique ! For that reason it works well all seasons and despite the warmth and woodiness it actually smells better in warm weather. Again the more the bottle sits the better this stuff smells !! Performance on this is VERY good (even with 1-3 sprays) as it lasts on me 24+ hours and at times when I thought it was gone I was then complimented ! This also has noticeable but not overbearing projection but again 3 sprays is PLENTY!! A friend of mine said she thought it smelled like a fresh,clean and light professional scent that was also kind of sexy !! This also is even more heavenly when I layer this w/ molecule 01. I’ve received the most compliments with 2 sprays of 01 and 1 spray of Molecule 04. Overall rating -9 out of 10 !! Heavenly smell that admittedly I think people around you will enjoy more than you will yourself just for the fact it’s so easy to think this stuff is gone when in fact it’s very noticeable

Love. Love. Freaking love. So does it smell like REAL sandalwood? Well, no. Unlike most people my age, I've had the pleasure of smelling real sandalwood extract, and in comparison, Javanol is very different, (like a cartoon character of a real person) but still, it's divinely enjoyable. Real sandalwood, is much more woody, has a bit of a woody smokiness to it, like oud, but without the acrid notes of oud. The real thing is sweet, but equally dry and woody, with a touch of smokiness. I think most importantly, the real thing, procured naturally, is more than just one molecular compound. But still, I enjoy this note a LOT. Even by itself. I can't get this smell out of my nose when I wear it. It's SO STRONG and SO NOTICEABLE which is a huge difference to the ingredients of Iso E Super and Ambroxan in Molecule 01 and 02. It'll take you by surprise... but it's smooth like cashmeran and reminds me of the combination of salted butter and sugar in cookie dough. It doesn't smell like that, it's just that it has that same perfect ratio of salty, sweet, and savory. The only negative? I can't get this smell out of my nose when I wear it. It's ADDICTIVE! And being a single ingredient, I feel like I'm cheating on my collection when I wear it! So many masterfully crafted concoctions, and yet so many are overshadowed by this one beautiful note... I'm sorry, collection, but you're gonna have to share the stage... This is a win.