Can you believe that Escentric Molecules Escentric 01 and Molecule 01 are 15 years old this year? To celebrate, they’re planning to release a limited edition of these iconic fragrances, uniquely featuring YOUR stories printed on the bottles…
Over the years, Escentric Molecules have heard so many fantastic stories from people who fell in love because of the fragrances, or had a Sliding Doors moment of their lives utterly changing thanks to the fragrance they were wearing. Now, they’re looking to collect these stories, and want to hear ‘…about the adventures had while wearing Escentric 01 or Molecule 01 – how you met your partner – a wild night from a chance meeting on a train to Brighton – being chased down dark wet streets in Clerkenwell, London, by someone desperate to discover what fragrance you were wearing.’
Escentric Molecules say:
‘We are asking you to contribute to the history of both fragrances and send us your stories.
We will select the 25 best, funniest or most outrageous ones and feature them on bottles.
The “story editions” will launch this autumn and the 25 winners with our favourite #moleculestories will not only have their stories featured on the bottle but will also receive a pair of limited editions and an invite to an online Q&A with Escentric Molecules founder, Geza Schoen.
Each bottle will also feature a QR code that will link to a story edition page on escentric.com featuring the winning stories.
Geza will also pick his favourite story and the winner will receive a one of a kind neon wall piece created from their story.’
This incredible opportunity to share your scent stories closes on August 15th, so you need to be quick! Hurry up and submit your story using the link below…
Escentric Molecules M+ fragrances are a trio that’s once again revolutionising the world of scent. It all began with the cult Molecule 01 – the iconic scent that can be said to have kickstarted the obsession with niche fragrance, and of course made us more aware of the genius behind aroma molecules and why ‘synthetic’ isn’t a dirty word.
If you’re new to the Escentric Molecules world, you might like to start by reading exactly how they started (and why Geza was so dedicated to trying something new – and quite shockingly brave at the time!) in our page dedicated to everything Escentric Molecules.
TL;DR: Schoen shook up the perfume world by creating a scent with one ingredient – an aroma-molecule non-existent in nature, called Iso E Super. Ultra-smooth, swoon-inducing, gently musky and vanilla-like, the synthesised ingredient had already been used since 1973 by perfumers in small doses – though it remained an industry secret: that special something that made a fragrance utterly irresistible.
Now it’s time to discover how more can be even more, and why you need these in your life, because as perfumer Geza Schoen himself puts it:
‘Molecule 01 is an exceptional molecule: radiant, velvety, cocooning. It’s mysteriously effective on its own, but I started to wonder if there might be another way to play with it. What if I could take the molecule and add just one other beautiful ingredient and see how they danced together in the bottle?’
Molecule 01 + Patchouli – has a cool, rather aloof woodiness to it.
Molecule 01 + Iris – iris is luxury, with a creamy powderiness.
Molecule 01 + Mandarin – radiates off the skin, with a citrus zing.
You could begin your fragrant journey with the M+ Discovery Set, where for only £20 you can explore each of these new fragrances at home. A brilliant gift idea to treat someone else, too! But when you’ve smelled them, we know you’re going to swoon for at least one, and then there’s nothing else for it but to decide which full-size bottle you’ll treat yourself to. We’re absolutely thrilled that not only did Escentric Molecules ask us to help launch their fragrances, but you can now buy the full-size M+ collection in our Perfume Society shop.Escentric Molecules M+ Patchouli £95 for 100ml
Geza says: ‘Patchouli is a unique natural. Unlike 99% of perfume ingredients we associate it with a particular period, with the sixties and seventies and that bohemian spirit. It has a cool, rather aloof woodiness to it. I love it for its moody beauty.
I’ve used two qualities of patchouli here. The biggest chunk is Patchouli Coeur which is a very clean, soft patchouli oil fraction with the camphor-like topnote removed. I have also included a patchouli oil from Indonesia to round it out with a little bit of a topnote.
The result is a sophisticated, clean patchouli that pairs fantastically well with Molecule 01.’
Geza says: ‘It’s not easy to describe iris’ smell as such, but if you smell a fragrance without it, and then with it, you understand immediately what it does. It adds a creamy powderiness. It brings a physical dimension to a fragrance.
I have had a long-standing love affair with iris. Every Escentric fragrance has an iris note somewhere in there. To me, iris is luxury. The iris pallida absolue I’ve used here is one of the most expensive ingredients in perfumery. You can find iris extracts for way less than that. But they do not have the great and subtle beauty of this absolue. It’s radical to put this much in a fragrance. The sillage is fantastic. This is a bomb, but a subtle bomb.’
Geza says: ‘Mandarin is all about the instant hit. It’s so alive, the way it radiates off the skin with that citrus zestiness. But there’s more to mandarin, it’s very fruity and aromatic as well. It’s a beautiful ingredient. Its transparency means that it vanishes quickly. I’ve touched it up with a little extra shading to extend it, adding a mandarin ingredient used in flavourings to give it super-juiciness. Then as it begins to fade, Molecule 01 syncs in, bringing a warm, erogenous feeling to play with that zinging freshness. That’s unusual – for a topnote ingredient like Mandarin and a base note like Iso E Super to dance together naked like this, without other notes coming between them. And then the mandarin is almost gone and you are left with the elevated simplicity of Molecule 01.
That’s what I love about Molecule 01 + Mandarin – it may be a dance of two but the story changes completely from beginning to middle to end.’
So, the only thing to do for this journey or Escentric Molecules M+ discovery is to put that first foot (nose?) forward, and find out which molecular pairing ‘dances naked together’ best on your own skin…
Escentric Molecules have just today launched THREE M+ fragrances – iterations of their best-selling Molecule 01 – a fragrance that first showcased the artistry and depth of synthetic aroma molecules and changed the face of the industry forever.
As pefumer and founder Geza Schoen says, ‘‘Molecule 01 is an exceptional molecule: radiant, velvety, cocooning. It’s mysteriously effective on its own as Molecule 01, But I started to wonder if there might be another way to play with it. What if I could take the molecule and add just one other beautiful ingredient and see how they danced together in the bottle?’
That perfumed pondering has led to three brand new explorations of Iso E Super – each of them blended with naturals, because, as Geza says, ‘Only naturals have the complexity and radiance to work in a dance of two like this, while maintaining the simplicity of the concept.’
We’re thrilled to be launching the M+ collection during a live event tomorrow, when our Co-Founder, Jo Fairley, will be putting your questions directly to Geza, but for now, let’s dive into the whole thought process and let Geza explain more…
1. As a brand that has always launched in binary pairs, this is a real change for Escentric Molecules, what made you want to do this triptych?
‘It’s three fragrances by accident. Not by any particular design, but as I started to work on the project I realised
I was considering a base, a heart and a top note. M+ mandarin gives you a huge top note experience, M+iris highlights the heart as M+patchouli emphasises the base note, all the fundamental roles of a fragrance.’
2. Why now?
‘It’s actually another accident! It all started with my partner’s wish for the best possible singular iris note within a fragrance. She asked me to create this for her. I thought about it for a while and then decided to add very little else
to the iris combination used so as to not detract from the powdery beauty of the orris root absolue itself. The simple
inclusion of Iso E Super with the orris blew us both away. M+ iris was born. Even then, I didn’t immediately think of it as a Escentric Molecules fragrance. It was only after experiencing Sophie wearing it and the reaction she got from others that the concept of developing it for commercial release formed in my mind.’
3. How did you choose the + elements for the fragrances?
‘From the reaction Sophie’s Iris fragrance got, I started to think about other combinations that may work in a similar minimal marriage. I experimented with many, deciding on patchouli as it is probably the ultimate, elegant woody
note in perfumes, M+ mandarin was chosen for it’s almost shocking aromatic zesty boost, using this particular mandarin oil that is just so beautiful.’
4.You have some very loyal molecule fans who have been with you since the beginning – how do you think they will react to this, or have they been asking for something like this?
‘No one particularly asked for this. Making it available as an EM product is just a continuation of our principles that we only release products when we have something that we love and believe has to be released...’
‘Mandarin is all about the instant hit. It’s so alive, the way it radiates off the skin with that citrus zestiness. But there’s more to mandarin, it’s very fruity and aromatic as well. It’s a beautiful ingredient. Its transparency means that it vanishes quickly. I’ve touched it up with a little extra shading to extend it, adding a mandarin ingredient used in flavourings to give it super-juiciness. Then as it begins to fade, Molecule 01 syncs in, bringing a warm, erogenous feeling to play with that zinging freshness. That’s unusual – for a topnote ingredient like Mandarin and a base note like Iso E Super to dance together naked like this, without other notes coming between them. And then the mandarin is almost gone and you are left with the elevated simplicity of Molecule 01.
That’s what I love about Molecule 01 + Mandarin – it may be a dance of two but the story changes completely from beginning to middle to end.’
‘It’s not easy to describe iris’ smell as such, but if you smell a fragrance without it, and then with it, you understand immediately what it does. It adds a creamy powderiness. It brings a physical dimension to a fragrance. I have had a long-standing love affair with iris. Every Escentric fragrance has an iris note somewhere in there. To me, iris is luxury. The iris pallida absolue I’ve used here is one of the most expensive ingredients in perfumery. You can find iris extracts for way less than that. But they do not have the great and subtle beauty of this absolue. It’s radical to put this much in a fragrance. The sillage is fantastic. This is a bomb, but a subtle bomb.’
Patchouli is a unique natural. Unlike 99% of perfume ingredients we associate it with a particular period, with the sixties and seventies and that bohemian spirit. It has a cool, rather aloof woodiness to it. I love it for its moody beauty. I’ve used two qualities of patchouli here. The biggest chunk is Patchouli Coeur which is a very clean, soft patchouli oil fraction with the camphor-like top note removed. I have also included a patchouli oil from Indonesia to round it out with
a little bit of a top note. The result is a sophisticated, clean patchouli that pairs fantastically well with Molecule 01.’
If you loved the original Molecule 01 and want to join the M+ fragrant adventure – or if you’ve yet to discover – we can tell you this: it’s an incredibly beautiful and diverse trio with something that everyone call fall for…
Escentric Molecules has launched a new Molecast – a regular podcast Co-hosted by perfumer and Escentric Molecules founder, Geza Schoen and writer, Susan Irvine – and we couldn’t be more thrilled!
If you’re anything like us, you have a whole host of podcasts you listen to on any subject you care to mention, but sadly, although there are a handful of notable fragrance-focused podcasts we love, they are still few and far between.
It’s a phenomena our co-founder, Jo Fairley, always likens to where the wine industry was twenty years ago (in the U.K. anyway): a subject then rarely discussed, and now with weekly columns in national newspapers and supermarket shelves labelled with information about the indie producers, tasting notes and even the terroir the grapes were grown at.
In the ‘Molecast’, Geza and Susan will be discussing ‘various topics across the world of art and chemistry’, and in the first episode, the topic is Cashmeran – the star molecule in his new Molecule 05, and the inspiration behind Escentric 05, which Geza calls, his ‘most personal fragrance ever.
Escentric Molecules have always had the ethos of demystifying the fragrance industry, and especially celebrating the incredible man-made aroma molecules that have been a growing part of the perfumer’s palette since the 1800’s, but were never talked about in the public. Geza Schoen proudly puts them front and centre in his creations.
We were so excited when Escentric Molecules asked to launch this fabulous new fragrant duo with us at The Perfume Society, and had the pleasure of interviewing Geza about the inspiration behind their creation, and you can watch the film of our fascinating discussion…
Meanwhile, we highly recommend getting your hands on Escentric Molecules‘ two new (and hotly-anticipated) 30ml eaux de parfum (which you can now purchase directly from us) so you can sniff and glory in the scents as you listen to Geza talk about Cashmeran.
As perfumer Geza explained to us, ‘Cashmeran is dry, radiant, warm and woody with an unexpected touch of pine resin‘. MOLECULE 05consists of this pure and singular molecule which was created at IFF in the late 1970 – boasting a cocooning musky quality when alone.’ But it’s gloriously complex, as you’ll discover…
Geza also says that because Cashmeran is dry, radiant, warm and woody with an unexpected touch of pine resin‘, it was used in ESCENTRIC 05 to create a fragrance, developed to transport you to a Mediterranean island… umm yes please!
Choose one – or both! – but definitely explore the miraculous world of aroma molecules, because we have a hunch they’re going to rock your fragrant world…
The Beautiful Mind Series celebrates women for their intelligence and creativity – indeed, when creating the house, perfumer Geza Schoen (perhaps best known for his best-selling Escentic Molecules fragrances) wanted this concept to inspire the very fragrances themselves.
We still see photographs of beautiful women used everywhere in advertising, to sell everything from salads to scents, but how refreshing that The Beautiful Mind Series actually bothers to dig far deeper than superficial looks.
During our recent event at Jovoy Mayfair with Geza Schoen and one of his muses – the astonishing Memory Grandmaster, Christiane Stenger – our Perfume Society VIP Club Members got to hear first-hand how they collaborated to create a fragrance that celebrated brain power and women’s strength and particular talents (more of which, below). But The Beautiful Mind Series wanted to dig deeper still, interviewing a number of other thought-provoking and successful women from various backgrounds, and have just published a series of blogs with a thought-provoking series of successful women drawn from various backgrounds and disciplines.
Subjects include the Anglo-American actress, Lucy Boynton (playing Freddie Mercury’s love interest in the upcoming biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody), a talented tatoo artist called Saira Hunjen, Liv Little – the guiding force behind brilliant magazine by and for women and non binary people of colour, gal-dem; and Zowie Broach, Head of Fashion at the Royal College of Art.
The Beautiful Mind Series explain that the series of blogs ‘…aims to highlight achievements of a broad spectrum of quite simply brilliant women who aim to have a profound impact on modern society. Artists, scientists, costume designers, film makers, feminist activists, photographers, poets and playwrights are just some of our subjects.’ And the blogs are put together by a female duo of writer, Susan Irvine, and photographer, Susannah Baker-Smith.
Accompanied by tender, intimate portraits of the women they interviewed, we’re utterly thrilled that fragrance houses are just starting to see the potential for celebrating fascinating – and real – women we can all relate to or be inspired by: an exciting subject we explore at length in the latest just-published Fashion, Fragrance & Feminism issue of our magazine, The Scented Letter.
As for the The Beautiful Mind Series fragrances? Well of course they are beautiful, but a nuanced story-telling depth of complexity that’s a distinct move away from the more minimalist tendenacies of Escentric Molecules…
Volume 1: Intelligence & Fantasy is the first of the series – a fabulously vibrant floral that boasts a heady heart of tiaré absolute – the dreamily exotic, waxy Tahitian gardenia, celebrated as the flower of affection and adored for its intoxicating aroma. Think of a balmy summer breeze as you stand and gaze at the setting sun, skin still warm from the heat of the day, your whole body relaxed but your mind focused and alert to every aspect of your surroundings.
Grand Master of Memory Christiane Stenger was the muse for Schoen here – a voluptuously decadent fragrance dedicated to women gifted with exceptional skills. Magnolia bud, bergamot, mandarin, and Schinus molle (pink pepper) co-exist with freesia and apricot-like osmanthus. Rose oil melds into addictive hedione with oodles of that tiara absolute slowly drifting to a woody, cashmeran base.
Inspired by Russian ballerina Polina Semionova, Volume 2: Precision & Grace is the second of the series – ‘I was fascinated by what goes on in the mind of a great dancer while she’s dancing,’ explains Schoen, ‘in the precision she must have to express the grace.’
Upliftingly fruity with a juicy, crisp freshness that makes the mouth water, the Williams pear and plum notes are a direct reference to the dancer’s childhood childhood memories of the Russian countryside, with a heady embrace of jasmine blossoms, sandalwood and pink pepper twirling throughout. Resting on a softly, musky base, we think it’s wearable year-round – making even the most serious-minded perfume-lover imagine donning a gauzy gown and joyfully pirouetting through a flower-strewn orchard at dusk.
The Beautiful Mind Series Volumes 1 & 2 £95 for 100ml eau de parfum
Try them at Jovoy Mayfair
Excuse us while we find our ballet shoes and go memorise every book in the library – while happening to smell incredible, of course…
Escentric Molecules have been groundbreaking in their approach to flagging synthetic ingredients in perfumery as something to embrace and wear with pride rather than look down on as a lesser substitute for naturals. Perfumer Geza Schoen launched Escentric Molecules in 2006 with a pair of fragrances that focused on the enigmatic aroma-molecule, Iso E Super – a creamy, woody multifaceted smell now quite often found in fragrances, shampoos and other scented beauty produts.
But Escentric Molecules were the first to use this in an overdosed formula within Molecule 01 – correctly supposing this unique approach would create a buzz in contemporary perfumery, especially as to some the scent has an alomst addictive quality on their skin, while others cannot smell it as strongly – or even at all. Certainly a talking point – and a great excuse to get people closer to you, should wish to, in the guise of seeing if they can detect the scent as it blooms on your skin…
Its partner fragrance Escentric 01 is perhaps more traditionally masculine in tone, also containing Iso E Super, but along with ambroxan, pink pepper, green lime and deeper, balsamic notes like benzoin, mastic and incense. The Power of 10 Limited Edition bottles are presented in sleek, travel-friendly aluminium cases that have been anodised for durability, with purple for Escentric 01 and gunmetal for Molecule 01; deliberately minimalist and ultra-cool to reflect the purist ethos of the fragrances inside. Escentric Molecules limited edition cases £77 each for 100ml spray
Buy them instore at Libertyand Havery Nichols
Written by Suzy Nightingale
