The most minimal fragrance is a single-aroma molecule: Molecule 01
The next most minimal adds 1 to 01: 01 + 1
This is Molecule +
Our Molecule + range has two rules. First, only one fragrance accord is matched with our cult-favourite Molecule 01. Second, the partner is a natural since the complexity of the naturals plays out best against the simplicity of the polymeric Molecule.
The M+ line is by no means about reducing the intricacy of the art of perfumery. Instead, it is about distilling it to its essence. It's all about match-making, where the synthetic Iso E Super brings radiant energy to the beauty of the naturals.
In this two-step formula, Molecule 01 acts as a chemical key — it fuses with the naturals, inviting them into a symbiotic dance of two. The singularity of our M+ scents lies in the understated, whisper-delicate fusion of the plurality of two elements.
"Molecule + is perfumery deconstructed. You don't need dozens of ingredients to make a great fragrance. In fact, the opposite is true. Minimalism brings clarity" — Geza Schoen.
Our M+ fragrances are an ode to minimalism and a celebration of pure form. The radical simplicity of our skin scents is a reaction to the compositional and presentational constraints of traditional perfumery, proposing the antidotes to tutti-frutti, overindulgent, mainstream fragrances polluting the market. Maybe, the perfect scent is achieved not when there is nothing more to add but when there is nothing left to take away.
"It's a whole new way of composing a fragrance that's all about the interplay of two elements. To add anything more would be to take away from their interplay. In each Molecule +, one fragrance note dances alone with Iso E Super, the unique molecule that is Molecule 01. Molecule + is a dance of two." — Geza Schoen
Minimalism is a maxim: M+ Skin
To mark the launch of our three new fragrances: M+ Guaiac Wood, M+ Black Tea, and M+ Ginger, we explore movement as the hidden language of scent. Scentgraphy proposes Geza as an artist and body as his olfactory canvas, visualising the traces and evocative impressions fragrances leave on the wearer's skin.
Movement might be the best way to describe scent sillage. Don't fragrances always leave a dynamic yet invisible trail? If we could visualise the unseen behaviour of perfumes, it would be a dance of appearing and disappearing shapes and hues. Radiant citrusy notes would move in a fast and upward manner. Heavy, woody base notes would linger longer and lower. Aromatic, playful tea accords would flicker, filling the air with a subtle, botanic infusion.
Photographer Douglas Irvine, make-up artist Megumi Matsuno and videographer Luke Clayton Thompson bring M+ skinscapes to life in our campaign that celebrates the drop of these new fragrant stealth bombs that are sure to turn the world of perfumery upside down. Again.
Molecule 01 + Black Tea
The herbaceous M+ Black Tea is a concoction of the lauded aroma-molecule Iso E Super and Black Tea. Iso E Super is one of those scents that makes you want to nestle into it. It's comforting and enshrouding. Black tea is the dried leaves of the tea plant camellia sinensis, with a subtle and complex aroma.
The transparency of Iso E Super allows the tea accords to fully blossom and unveil the hidden fragrant hues of the wearer's skin.
M+ Black Tea quickly expands in magnetic lines dripping from the ear to the neck, spiralling down the back. As the skin encounters the redolence of the fragrance, the invisible traces sediment and mingle with the odours of the wearer, changing and shifting, evolving and uncovering olfactory shades invisible to the naked senses.
The packaging of our skin scents operates on the idea of synaesthesia, and with the M+ line, the design underscores the energy that our acclaimed Molecule 01 brings to the naturals. Minimal, still: but now enlivened with something more voluptuary.
The M+ Black Tea packaging poses black tea as an infusing element, visualising the dried leaves saturating the water and the aroma diffusing in the colourspace as circular airborne particles.
This aromatic M+ offering is an innovative reimagining of the classic black tea notes brewed with Molecule 01. It is a play between airiness and earthiness, between bitter and sweet notes, creating a rich and earthy scent with an alt-cool status.
"There's not only one black tea in the world. I wanted to bring out the various facets of this complex aroma to make my own accord using an extract of black tea as an infusion together with a maté tea absolue. This is my dreamland playground: a concoction of black tea impressions plus Iso E Super. What I love about black tea is its subtlety. The way airiness plays against the earthiness and the bitter, fresh notes play against the floral aspect, all with a light touch." — Geza Schoen.
Molecule 01 + Ginger
Molecule 01 + Ginger consists of Iso E Super + Ginger. Iso E Super is a molecule that hovers close to the skin to create an indefinable aura around the wearer. Ginger is extracted from the rhizome of the ginger plant with a fresh and spicy scent profile.
M+ Ginger will settle on your chest and neck in a psychedelically fresh layer. If we could translate the scent into sound, it would be a melody of bubbles bursting in close contact with the skin, enveloping the wearer in an ultra-fresh elixir.
The packaging of our new M+ Ginger scent emulates the uber-fresh, fizzing sensation of ginger on the tongue, rendering the portrait of the fragrance in an acidic yellow, hyper-modern design that encourages a synaesthetic experience of the scent.
M+ Ginger is a vibrant composition that comes alive on the skin. Sparkling ginger takes the lead at the top note, and Molecule 01 joins in. After a while, ginger slowly fades away, leaving the skin wrapped in the velvety warmth of Iso E Super.
"M+ Ginger oozes and boasts that simplicity of smell that people don't expect in any other fragrance. What's striking about Ginger is how it combines freshness and spiciness in one ingredient. I've always loved that. When I smelt this new 'ginger oil fresh' from the Ivory Coast, I knew I had to do Molecule + Ginger. I also used a co2 ginger extract from China for a smoother, sweet aromatic ginger note, or as I like to say, neon fresh! It's so clean, so pure, with a sharp effervescent quality that plays beautifully in the landscape of Molecule 01." — Geza Schoen.
Molecule 01 + Guaiac Wood
Molecule 01 + Guaiac Wood consists of Iso E Super + Guaiac Wood. Iso E Super is an abstract synthetic molecule with a cedarwood tonality and a warm, velvety cocooning sensation. Guaiac wood is an essential oil found in the heartwood of the Bulnesia sarmientoi tree that smells warm, smoky and woody.
M+ Guaiac Wood is the moody beauty of the Escentric Molecules family. This seductive M+ offering is perfumery deconstructed at its best. It perfectly blends the feminine and the masculine, fusing the contrasting accords in an enticing and sexy skin scent.
The package design of this bewitching jus nods to the pigments found inside guaiac wood, exploring the idea of wood as both a radial and a linear structure. As Paul White, Creative Director, says: "At Escentric, even when we're looking at the radial, we are still paying homage to the linear, the idea of shapes built out of data".
Creamy guaiac wood travels softly on the skin in a comforting, warm, and evocative touch.
Its scent harmonises perfectly and dances in unison with Iso E Super. Guaiac wood moves nonchalantly, step by step, turning and twisting. The volatile rum note at the top appears briefly, only to diffuse and give way to the woody base that stamps the skin.
"M+ Guaiac Wood defines the best dry-down in fragrances. Guaiac wood has the smokiness and aromatic quality of a great whisky together with a creamy warmth. It has a gentle 'cocooning around the fireplace in winter' feel to it. It's like emulsified smoke that melts into Iso E Super to make a skin scent that is super-sexy and erogenous." — Geza Schoen.