Source1

Wow how do people not love this? Tried the entire brand and this is my fav! On both me and my husband it’s a lovely wood, amber, herb (vetiver?). Bergamot in the beginning (but not sour) and that settles quickly. Maybe it smells different on other people but we loved it! However I agree that the longevity is not the best so if it’s worth the price I don’t know.

This was one of my favorite scents, and my girlfriend loved it too. It felt fancy and decidedly masculine, but delicate enough for every day. It does not last very long on the skin, but I found that it lingered a day or so on clothes and hair. Unfortunately, it's very much out of my price range, so once I ran through my sample, that was curtains.

I had an 8ml sample of this and ran through it in 2 weeks. The scent is very lovely with a clearly bergamot top note. Sadly, it doesn't last long on my skin, so I had to overspray and even reapplied halfway through the day. Worked slightly better in the summer than in the spring but it is definitely not a cold weather scent.

I see comparisons of this to not a perfume. I’ve had samples of both but couldn’t smell Not a Perfume on me at all. It’s funny how these types of perfumes are so individual. Anyway, I got it in a hermetica sampler and this was my favorite. I would love a full bottle but it’s a bit much for me.

A little expensive and very simple, but does it really well its very clean and very nice not artificial at all.

Angular, minimalist, synthetic - not friendly but not unpleasant, certainly fresh and clean and hard to object to. But a bit of a frozen wall all the same, hard for the nose to capture anything biologically recognisable; its 'almost real' citrus and 'almost real' wood note leave me scrabbling around for more rounded, more fulfilling sensations. Haven't yet tried mixing it with other Hermeticas so might attempt that for a more 360-degree experience. Trying this from an impressive-but-odd sample set from the house, which looks GREAT - beautifully packaged scents across an apparently wide spectrum, and with an 'explanatory' leaflet full of some of the most bizarre pretentious nonsense I've ever read (and I actually quite like some of Serge Lutens' more, um 'enigmatic' press releases). Full of absolute A-grade waffle and cut-up Dadaist poetry and bamboozling you with fake-science fake-chemical-molecule-diagrams. Designed to baffle and unnerve a little, then? Worth a spin, and a nice smell, honestly... yet it doesn't welcome me in somehow. Gives me the same slight shiver-of-fear vibe on its own as some of Oliver & Co's productions - if the future of perfumery is as cold, as full of sheer hard mirror-shine surfaces, as this one, then I'm not completely sure I want to go there.

Source 1 Hermetica Well, well, well fancy that. I had to rush to work, my arms were exposed because it was a warm sunny day. Normally l spray on my clothes, but this time l aimed for my left arm. Sniffing it now and then. Very fresh, crisp, and woody underneath. Felt like l should be working as an air hostess wearing this. Asked my work colleague and she responded " Totally a dupe for Ariana Grande's perfume God Is A Woman. " So what do l do when l went out shopping afterwards, l sprayed the other one on my right arm. Huge resemblance , except Ariana's version is sweet and released hers later. Therefore l'm fine with just this sample thanks. First of the many others l have left to try on in this brand. It's also Hermetica's DNA l have read. What a way to start with this house.

The opening is clearly citrusy but not sweet, the wood is there in the background and gives a bitter aftertaste which to me makes it special since I particularly love citrus, lemon, orange and the sorts. After a while the woody notes gain more presence but are subdued by the sweetness of the amber. To be fair, this is a very simple fragrance, targetting someone who may prefer layering or not too offensive scents. I think it could be great for a headache-y day as well. I really like the quality of the brand, so even if the sillage is minimal and it has to be layered to gain more presence, I think it is a decent investment. The name is really top notch since it is a basic "source" fragrance, not the final product. For me it is an 8/10.

Source1 is basically a huge dose of hedione with some amberwoods. If there's any bergamot in this, it isn't recognisable as bergamot; the citric facets here are nondescript and can only be described as "bright and sweet". Yes, I like it - this is definitely a "universal scent" because of the versatility of the ingredients and how mass-appealing they are. That's how Hermetica was able to incorporate 20-50% of Source1 in every fragrance in their lineup. However, considering Source1, which has the hefty price tag of USD$225 for 100 ml (even higher than the rest of the line, which are priced at $195), purely by its own merits, this just seems like a lazy cash grab.

This is a masculine citrus, woody, amber scent. My husband kept this sample for himself. I can not see myself layer this w/ other perfumes like the company suggests, I think it stands on its own. It opens w/ a bright citrus, that is bright but not overpowering, then it opens up into a very nice creamy, woody scent that is very masculine but not to strong. I don't like strong scents on men. Men should compliment women, never overpower them w/ their fragrance. This one would be nice for a man to wear to the office or on a date.

I used this scent frequently when I first got it. It's a very fresh, clean, nature scent with a good balance of woody and citrusy tones. It doesn't last very long when you spray and I rarely got compliments on it - a much more subtle, personal scent. It's a good experience though. I'll sometimes spray it just to interact with it for a bit. It's like a fresh breeze through the window in a place surrounded by a bright airy forest.

Doesn't smell like Not a Perfume on me personally, it picks up a lot more citrusy. It definitely has a lot of the bergamot scent, and almost kind of smells like just straight bergamot essential oil to me personally, which I don't mind! It smells really clean and bright to me, and I liked wearing it with Lait de Coco from Urban Outfitters.

Very light, clean, a twinge citric. I can detect only the teeniest sliver of bergamot & I like it (I don’t normally care for bergamot). This scent is so ethereal that it’s more of a translucent skin scent. Perfect for inoffensive wear & layering. I like it but it’s so barely there that I wouldn’t spend money on it. Spring/Summer.

Zesty lemon on a bed of woods. Pleasant. Ylang ylang in the opening? Anyway, this is linear mostly present. A touch stale. Nothing out of the ordinary. Almost meh 😐.

So many negative reviews of this; maybe the overwhelming bergamot, without a floral or powdery note to balance it out is throwing people off. Many people write that this is too vinegary or acidic smelling. However, I like that sharp punch of bergamot. It is *definitely* the prime note here -- so if you don't like unadulterated bergamot, stay away from this. (I myself LOVE a citrus punch with no attempt to tamp it down.) More interesting and haunting in this scent is a kind of sandalwood -- but not the typical soft smooth sandalwood -- this is a kind of pinching sandalwood that you smell in certain pure oils from India (like skanky body odor, it's animalistic). If you've ever smelled Nag Champa incense, it has this edge of a skanky sandalwood. On my skin, after a couple of hours, the bergamot fades and the skanky sandalwood comes on strong (I kind of wish the bergamot had more staying power). If the bergamot is too much for you, layer some violet or amber over this; that would make it more of a people-pleaser. As for me, I don't mind pushing away the faint of heart.

On my skin, this fragrance smells very similar to Not a Perfume. But it feels as if it is missing a little added something in order for it to be identical. I am a fan of Not a Perfume. But Source 1, for as similar as it smells to me, just seems to miss the mark to be something that I would wear on day-to-day basis. The interesting thing that I found when wearing this fragrance was that as it dried down, it seems to project more. It gets louder, and to be honest, more obnoxious, with time. While I am a fan of Not a Perfume, I do not like Superdose. This moved closer, while still missing the mark of completely mimicking Superdose.

I got a sample of this with another fragrance I ordered and it’s not for me. People compare this to molecule 02, but they’re wrong, this is more similar to Molecule 03 (the synthetic vetiver one). It smells like synthetic vetiver (sharp grassy/woody smell) and lemon oil. There’s something in the opening that almost smells of vinegar to me, which I hate, but as it dries down it becomes a clean and sharp vetiver scent which I find pretty boring, but I’m sure there are some folks out there who will love this. I’m just not one of them.

Weird smell. Not a fragrance u should blindly buy. Very citrusy and Syntactic. A big no for me! I love fragrance with amber, but I can’t smell the amber in this one. Smell like a cleaning product.

Simple and refreshing. A clean citrusy scent with a subtle woody touch. Feels more like a soft skin enhancer than a bold perfume.

( this review will be so unliked by people who love this perfume that it will disappear- I don’t know how it is wrong to express our feelings about a smell, but anyway..) It’s funny this perfume is only noticeable for certain people. My husband can’t smell «molecular » perfumes such as « molecule 01 » or « not a perfume » .. But for me they are all over-bearing and very heady. This one passes through different stages of sweat. From the arm-length, it’s a cold sweat ; the one that pop-out on someone who would have ran under the rain in t-shirt and this person came back but haven’t take his shower yet, so the rainy sweat dried down on him/her. From a close encounter, I perceive a pungeant sweat. The one that would stay in a synthetic sweater of someone with a strong body odor, just sitting at his desk all day. No need to say that I don’t particularly enjoy this scent.

I love PeonyPop by Hermetica but didn’t enjoy this fragrance. It definitely leans more masculine than feminine, fades quickly, and doesn’t project much. It does get better after a while, but I wouldn’t wear it. I see it more as a men’s fragrance for a night out, especially for someone who doesn’t like traditional “men’s scents.” I read in some reviews that it has delicate notes, but to me, it has a very strong smell that’s a bit headache-inducing. It’s a green fragrance and I sense a slight aquatic touch.

I adore bergamot in fragrances, and Source1 delivers it in abundance with a sharp, astringent opening that remains largely intact as it settles—though it leans a touch too sweet for my taste. On my skin, it takes on a distinctly rubbery and mossy character, accented by slightly acidic, balsamic notes that I truly enjoy. The only drawback? Its longevity is disappointingly brief. Too brief, sadly.

Opens with tart kumquat or bitter lime, whose juiciness burns off quickly, leaving the barest hint of powdery unsweetened violet (so bare it may be my imagination) to accompany the remaining citrus. Then it plateaus: an unpalatable, medicinal kind of hesperidium just slightly softened by musk. Sort of like the signature scent of Aveda products, but sour, thin, and screechy.

No, Neither earth revealed its origins to me, nor a mysterious alchemy transported me to the source of life. What did show instead was a bland woody citrus scent. If this is the brand's core then I shudder at the thought what grows above. I will use my sample as a sneaker deodorant. *(****)

Source 1: synthetic and one dimensional....a medicinal, antiseptic scent. Nothing natural or warm in this sample spray. Supposedly this is found in all of the alcohol free Hermetica fragrances, and this scent is meant for layering. A swipe left from me.

This just smells like celery on me. Vegetal if you will. Didn’t experience this with JHAG Not a Perfume, I actually enjoyed it. I will be retesting this in different seasons.

This smells nice, clean and citrusy, very calming, but faint. I would love to have a handcream that smells like this, however this is not what I am looking for in a perfume.

Harsh metallic simulacra of citrus and wood .. not any specific citrus or wood. Could have been worn by an extra in World on a Wire

Horribly acerbic and synthetic. Closely resembles the smell of vinegar.

All I can smell is astringent rubbing alcohol

Source1 is the common ingredient of all Hermetica fragrances and is sold on its own at the same standard pricing of the rest of the line ($195 for 100ml, $135 for 50ml) at boutiques like Perfumology, where I bought the lovely sample set. Source1 is described as a component of all other Hermetica fragrances, a common root to its non-alcohol base, the notes of which are identified simply as bergamot, dry amber, and fresh woods. It comes off mainly like a jumpy, bright, semi-sharp citrus/neroli blend with a bit of musk and woods, but along the lines of something one might acquire at The Body Shop or Bath and Body Works. It’s interesting, for sure, as it’s not exactly like anything else I’ve smelled, sort of a freshie gone slightly sour and awry, and not too transparent, but as its story suggests, it’s probably better as a component of other fragrances, helping to uplift them, rather than as a standalone option. I think it’s decent, overall, but not groundbreaking or something as a standalone fragrance I’d be inclined to buy. 6 out of 10

This turned weirdly vinegary on me, sour, like a citrus on the edge of turning. Thankfully it's quite sheer, but that's about the only positive I can offer for it. It reminds me of Not a Perfume by Juliette Has A Gun, but considering the price, this is more not for me . I know Hermetica doesn't use alcohol in its base, what I did not expect was for this to translate to an oily-residue left on skin after spraying. I waited to see if this would disappear on its own - after twenty minutes I gave up and scrubbed it off. What a disappointment.

I got sucked in by the gorgeous packaging and by the idea of alchemy, a concept I love, but I really can’t smell how this lives up to the concept. As others have said, it’s predominantly familiar generic aromachemicals. Maybe some others in the sample set will line more interesting, but I don’t really regret trying it- while the bottles are expensive, the samples were reasonable.

This is one of my favorites but I can’t pretend like it is anything substantial. Bergamot is one of my favorite scents and I love skin scent (particularly this one) for layering. It seems to pair really well with my ph. Plus I LOVE how they sell refillable bottles. It’s so nice to be able to decant into travel size or share with friends. Great for people sensitive to perfume too

This is a sprightly light citrus fragrance. I was told by the saleswoman that it is made of oils that really last long. I stopped for awhile and asked myself when I can wear this. Then I thought "great for shopping and going to the gym". If that is your goal, then this is the one.

I love this fragrance. If this had a phone number to call I’d give it a buzz and tell it how much I love it. It’s one of those your skin but better smells but with a slight fruitiness and a heavy woody backbone, mainly cedar. Performance is excellent.

Intensely boring lazy perfumery. Nothing about this is special or enticing. If you want fresh, there are a hundred better citruses out there. If you want the molecular skin scents, its already been done better with JHAG. et al. Don't waste your money.

It reminds me of Le Labos’s Another 13. It is more french school in a sense of changing , playing and settling down with scents. I feel the influence of Chanel powdery and Guerlain. It lasts long.

I did not smell anything after spraying this. Faint woody citrus note. An attempt to replicate molecule 1? Probably However, it’s a failure. Low sillage. Low projection. Average longevity

I'm shook by all the reviews that talk about a metallic, molecular, offensive, or even synthetic smell. It's just bergamot, right? I literally smell nothing other than bergamot.

This smells of beautiful fresh mouthwatering citrus and woods in the dry down. Lasts really long 8 hrs+ projection is best in the first two hours

Another 13, Not A perfume or Molecule 2, but without alcohol.