I have been trawling through a whole load of fragrances, wondering what to suggest people buy for Christmas or put on their wish-lists, and I have realised that the main problem with fragrance – the biggest reason for it sometimes feeling like a bit of a ‘cop out’ present – is that it’s so mainstream. Most fragrances that we can pick up in Harrods beauty hall we can also find in Debenhams, John Lewis, our local Superdrug. If you scanned a whole load of people’s bathroom shelves, we’d probably all have a few bottles of scent in common, at least.
Take my (former) favourite, Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle. Also the favourite perfume of: my Mum, two of my close friends, two of my Mum’s friends, one of the girls who works in Topshop Oxford Street. I smell it everywhere. The fact that it’s so popular tells you that it must be pretty appealing (and bloody well marketed!) but I’m not sure whether I’m a little over wearing the same scent as everyone else.
Which is why I am extremely hesitant to tell you all about my new-found fragrance love. And I’m being entirely serious about that – I really do want to keep it a secret! The last fragrance I fell for, I’m not even allowed to tell you about – makeup artist Alex Byrnes would only tell me what she was wearing if I promised not to write about it on here! So I can’t. Which is why I’m giving you this one – which is far more amazing at any rate. (Sorry Alex – but at least your secret is safe!)
Escentrics Molecule o1 is quite simply one of the very best scents that I have ever tried. If I had to stop searching for a fragrance, right this minute, then I’d stop the wheel on this one. It’s made up of just one molecule (hence the name) rather than the thousand that go into a regular perfume. Just one molecule! It’s actually the aroma-chemical that gets added to a perfume to create ‘allure’ – it’s quite deep and woody and so, so sexy. It reminds me of ‘fig’ based scents, a little, so perhaps this is what traditionally gets popped into those, but on its own the molecule just kind of blends in with your natural scent. After a few minutes you can’t really smell it on yourself – but my God can others! I have had a number of comments and so far declined to spill the beans…better to tell the whole world, obviously!
Right. I’ve told you my secret now you tell me yours!
Escentrics Molecule 01 is from Cult Beauty here: http://goo.gl/1gSrd - or the 30ml special boxed version is just £38, which I find astonishing! http://goo.gl/LrShX
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36 Responses to Molecule 01 – My Favourite Fragrance
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I’m glad you love it! I have heard good things about it for sure.
Two of my favorite favorite fragrance are Etat Libre d’Orange Tilda Swinton Like This (what a mouthful!) and L’Artisan Parfumer Tea for Two. And I feel very little concern that I will ever smell them on anyone around me : ) There is actually lot of amazing niche fragrances out there at prices comparable to department store faire… you just have to look : )
Oh, I love this one too. But I have never received any comments.
Maybe I am just not using enough? How many sprays do you use? x Beccala
I tend to veer away from mainstream perfumes because I don’t want to smell like everybody else. This is the reason I either go for indie and niche perfumes. My secret perfume isn’t really a secret it’s just hard to get and costs around $450. You can only buy it at Colette in Paris for a limited time only, Le Labo Vanille 44 which is part of their City Exclusive line. I feel as if I’m bathed in a fragile halo of this sensual and warm scent. Vanille 44 is so austere and delicate. So beautiful and sexy!
Aah, you’ve spilled the beans! I’ve kept this fragrance a secret too – it’s so addictive. I’ve had people stop me in the streets asking about it. Apparently it’s not a ‘perfume’ exactly but works with your natural pheromones so does smell different on each individual.My favourite all time perfume.
The doll on fashion
Hey Ruth I have been wearing this perfume for years now, I absolutely love it. It appears to smell differen on everyone, so you might not ealize, many people are also addicted
One strange thing, it’s always women who love it on me even to the extent of chasing me down the street so they can ask what am I wearing. Very mysterious scent it reminds me of the smell of skin on the sun 
Just a little correction the brand is called Escentric Molecules and this one is Molecule 01.There is also an Escentric 01 and now we are up to 03 in the series.
Paris hiltons Can Can : ) Shhhh..!!
Hi! I bought this fragrance fm Cult Beauty last year, without having tried it, just bcs i was curious of the concept. I have to say it is amazing! I get asked all the time what fragrance i am wearing!
I’ve heard such interesting things about this perfume, I love the fig reference, very appealing to me.
My two standards are Penhaligon’s Bluebell – I wear it pretty much every day – and Guerlain L’Heure Bleue for anything a little more formal/sexy. There’s clearly a blue theme:)
Wow, thank you for sharing your secret!! This scent sounds really interesting. I don’t think that I have heard of it before, might have to google some reviews!
I wear Chanel Mademoiselle lol! I love it but smell it everywhere I go which I don’t like coz I like to smell a bit more unique
Thanks for sharing, I’ve never heard of this perfume
Hope u enjoyed your birthday yesterday xx
Happy Kittyday, hope you’re having lots of fun cuddling your new baby. Mmmm, I’ve got to try this! Intriguing! xxx
am a bit worried that it smells different on everyone – as my main characteristic is “stressed” I might just smell of adrenalin and fear! Seriously I wonder if samples are available or where I could try it in real life … I’ve been stuck for a new perfume for months and this could be it.
Thank you so much! I’ve fallen in love with Versace Versense, but it is on the citrusy-summery side, so I’ll give this a try!
I’m a little addicted to http://www.katiepuckriksmells.com – reviews not a perfume. Great ideas for and descriptions of old and new perfumes;she’s funny with a great turn of phrase and I learned all sorts of new fancy perfume stuff.
Hi Ruth, a bit of a random question but do you drive?
@Lola yes I do, I have been driving for 13 years now! x
I hope you enjoyed a lovely birthday, Ruth – and now, of course, a Ted-day!
He’s beautiful and I can’t wait to hear more about the little ball of fluff.
Give him a cuddle from me…
Sarah x
I use Calamity J by Juliette has a gun at the moment. It’s lovely. In summers I use Aria di Mare by Il Provmo. I like perfumes that not everybody else has, must give this one a try!
So…. How’s Ted?
This one is a firm favourite of mine- its the only perfume I have ever repurchased!
do you think this scent can be layered with another and still have quite an individual alluring scent? I like the idea of a scent which has has others wondering ‘what is that beautiful scent?’ but I also like to be able to smell it myself
This is my fave too! I love how it reappears during the day and you get a waft and then it vanishes again. Mix it with everything!!
@LilyM what does it smell like on you? (if you don’t mind me asking?) I’ve currently got it in my shopping basket but have commitment phobia.
Haha! Loved Flick’s comment! “Adrenaline and fear” lol xx.
Omg Ruth, I went to Liberty and tried this solely on your recommendation because you pretty much sold it to me!. I was with a friend, and at first I couldnt smell anything so I kept spraying it on. After about 20 mins my friend was like ‘you smell really strong!’. The problem is, I cant smell it at all on me but everyone else can! I would say its quite a masculine scent though, very woody. Im on the fence about this one,it does smell a bit too ‘manly’ on me. But I sprayed it on my friend and it smelt deep and musky on her so it must smell differently on different people! Thanks for telling us about it Ruth xxx
Hahaha!! Howmuch did you spray?!!!!!! x
@Flick
I hope you don’t mind my joining your conversation.
On me, this fragrance smells masculine, velvety and woody. It is not floral. The scent waxes and wanes during the day – it is mostly impossible to discern – and is, at turns, warm and sexy, then redolent of ‘Alpine Fresh’ toilet cleaner!
Ruth, I forgot to ask… how much do you wear?
My fiancé has never been able to smell this on me and it makes me wonder whether I apply too little.
I wear three spritzes of it! xxx
This sounds just like my favourite perfume, Narciso Rodriguez Eau De Parfum Intense. It’s amazing, it smells like warm sunkissed skin mixed with cashmere when I wear it (if that makes any sense at all?!)
xx
I’m so tempted to blindly order this on Cult Beauty now as I’ve never seen Escentric fragrances in stores before. Fingers crossed it works on my skin!
Your blog is very bad for my bank balance
@style souk thanks! hmmm, am wondering if I’ll smell like a Magic Tree air freshener. Looking at the reviews there seems to be a consensus that there’s a weird peekaboo quality to this fragrance!
Perhaps your fiance can’t smell this particular molecule, apparently some people can’t smell it (the molecule is quite large apparently?).
quick update, not that I’m obsessed … much … I got a sample off ebay (some kind soul decanting their own perfumes into 1ml samples). Anyway, I’ve been wearing molecule 01 all day and it is more of an experience than a fragrance. I am used to wearing light citrus clean fragrances, so this is very different to me and I’m not sure if this is too masculine on me. I do get waves of powder, incense and then pine, but I don’t know how others will perceive it on me.
I like this idea of layering it … perhaps with a fig fragrance?
@Flick oooh! What a good idea from the eBayer! Yes, an experience, that is quite a good description. I think that because it IS just one molecule instead of the thousands that make up a usual fragrance, it’s even more black&white as to whether or not you love it.. Interesting! Let me know how it layers with fig – essentially, as it’s a chemical ‘note’, it should layer with anything. No? Let me know! xx
@flick- you said something about fig.perhaps like Diptoque – Philosykos? it has a strong fig scent but it also smells very fresh to me. like fresh green fig tree branches. some say its on the sweet side. anyways, that is my secret scent, not many people wear it. not i am hoping to find Molecule 01 here in Romania
Exactly, it’s so weird that it smells so different from moment to moment when it’s just the one molecule (I’m in day 2 of the “experience”). I have diptyque philosykos which is very figgy, so I’ll see how that layers when I get home tonight. That’s quite an earthy version of a fruity scent, but I don’t think molecule 01 would layer with super ozoney or fresh scents …
Flick do let me know how the experiment goes! I have put a jumper on this morning and it carries trace of the scent, I think it’s just amazing! LOVE IT!
OK well, the sample is still going strong, I layered it with philosykos and it really added depth to it. I’ve decided I do like the clean incense smell of molecule 01 but as I can’t smell it all the time the figgy scent of philosykos is really nice as it remains with me, but doesn’t clash with the smell of molecule 01 (when I do smell it). I agree that molecule 01 does linger on clothing more!
Thanks Flick! I am enjoying this little olfactory experiment! xx