Molecule 02
Escentric Molecules (2008)

This fragrance is as ingenious as it is an insidious cash grab. What we have here is the fragrance equivalent of table salt. A flavor enhancer that does little on its own but makes everything way better.

This is a nice fragrance in that it gives the user the chance to sniff the famous fixative. On spraying, I get a very faint lemon note and basically what I describe as freshly washed or clean skin. That's it. I've seen others say they can't smell anything, or can't smell anything for awhile. For me, I get the scent straight away but it is short-lived for me.

This is a fragrance someone could spend a lot of time studying despite its simplicity -- almost like a single guitar chord or music note. I'm not at all into layering fragrances, but those who like to could use Molecule 02 to enhance a fragrance they like.

This is a fragrance I really like but you'd have to be crazy or rich to pay $150 for it. I haven't explored the alternatives, but there has to be a cheaper way to get ahold of something like this.

well, frankly i essentially cannot even smell this. yet any time i wear it, other people notice. every time. so its doing something obviously, but i can never enjoy it myself. c'est la vie i guess.

What I can't get around is just how MUCH like Molecule 01 this smells to me. I knew it would be "pheromone-like," as Molecule 01 is - meaning, it goes on very light, but as it blends with your natural body chemistry, projects off the skin. For most, it's a pleasant projection, and that's been my experience with Molecule 01, and now, 02. To be completely honest, and a pro-tip for those wanting to save a little (well, a lot of) cash - Amazon sells bottles of straight-up parfum elixirs of Iso-E-Super for around $20, $25 USD, and they project better and last longer than Molecule 01, while obviously retaining what makes the gentle, sugary cedar vibe of Iso-E-Super so special. You're welcome.

So I expected that, but slightly different, with Molecule 02. Ambroxan, after all, is the base for most 'blue' fragrances. But it turns out ambroxan, to my nose at least, is almost identical to Iso-E-Super. It's a light, sugary, cedar smell. So for me to have both in my collection would be redundant. For me, 01 is almost impossible to discern from 02.

That said, these 'molecules' absolutely deliver. They go on and then almost 'disappear' with their lightness into your skin. You may think you've just sprayed sugar water on yourself and it's dissipated and there's nothing to it. But then hours later, someone will compliment you on how delicious you smell. That's the magic of these molecules, and why they're so heavily-utilized in so many fragrances.

As with 01, 02 will also serve as a wonderful base for other fragrances, to give them a little 'oomph'. They will both react to your skin chemistry differently, hopefully in a pleasant way, and they will bring you attention even long after you've thought the mild scent had disappeared completely.

I have to go 'neutral' on this one, given just how incredibly close to 01 this smells and performs. If you have one, I'd argue you don't need the other. But you should have at least one of them in your collection, because I don't think anything comes closer to a pure pheromone 'love potion' as Iso-E-Super and/or ambroxan do.

One last thing I'll add: a previous reviewer may have hit it on the head, and has actually convinced me to shift my 'neutral' (because... redundant) to 'positive'. That reviewer says you really need to get ALL the Molecules from this house, and try them in order. They go from soft and light to more powerful as you go through sandalwood and eventually vetiver. That really helps me understand why 01 smells so much like 02 - the difference is vaguely a whisper. But given that this is an olfactory 'journey,' or as that reviewer said, a 'master class' in the art of fragrance-making - it totally makes sense to me now.

Unlike 01, at least you can smell this one. Kind of reminds me a little of BR540 in the dry down but nowhere near as good.

5/10

I have sprayed this a bunch of times over the last few months, trying to get a feel for it. It is not necessarily tap water, but it is close. With liberal sprays I can smell it, but I just feel this note is better when comprised in a package. Not good.

Light wood shaving almost minty.

Little depth to it. Almost a non event.

I am giving this a neutral until I test it some more and get opinions.