Escentric Molecules

Founded 2006 · Berlin, Germany · Geza Schoen

Escentric Molecules did the opposite of everyone else: instead of composing with dozens of ingredients, it put a single molecule on the market. Molecule 01 is Iso E Super and nothing else, and in twenty years it has become a cult object.

History

Geza Schoen, a German perfumer, had spent years fascinated by Iso E Super — a woody molecule the industry used as a base and never as the lead, and which behaves differently on every person's skin. In 2006 he launched Molecule 01: the molecule at 100%, with nothing alongside it. The proposition was almost a provocation and it worked: many people insist they cannot smell it on themselves but do notice it on others, an effect the house has never denied. The series grew with other molecules — Ambroxan, Javanol, Cashmeran — and every Molecule has its corresponding Escentric, which is the same molecule with company.

Iconic models

Molecule 01 (2006)
Iso E Super alone, with nothing else. The single-ingredient perfume that founded a category.
Molecule 02
Ambroxan on its own; cleaner and saltier.
Escentric 01
The same molecule, now with pink pepper and lime alongside.

Worth knowing

Many people swear they cannot smell Molecule 01 on themselves but are complimented on it all day. Partial anosmia to Iso E Super is real and varies by person: it is the only perfume whose defect is its selling point.