I am lucky to have so much opportunity to experience the chemistry side of perfume. As a chemist and perfume lover it is one of the reasons I enjoy it. Thankfully for the public at large there is an opportunity for them to share my experience. For the last fifteen years perfumer, and chemist, Geza Schoen has released pairs of perfumes. Molecule where he features a single aromachemical paired with Escentric where he uses that aromachemical in overdose as part of a composition. He has featured some of the biggest synthetic molecules in all of perfumery. Starting with Iso E Super as 01, Ambroxan as 02, Vetiveryl Acetate as 03 and Javanol as 04. It is a fantastic concept which has been executed ideally. Now we are up to Molecule 05 and Escentric 05.
Geza Schoen
For 05 the choice is Cashmeran. It has featured in numerous fragrances because of its dual nature of woods and musk. What has always been a signature of this series is the chosen molecule has to be multi-faceted. Cashmeran was designed to be that. Along with the woods and musk what appears when you spray on Molecule 05 is a noticeable pine. I had always chalked that up to another ingredient in other perfumes which feature Cashmeran. That discovery made wearing Molecule 05 a more pleasant experience than I had anticipated.
Cashmeran
Hr. Schoen has also wanted to enhance that pine thread as he turned to designing Escentric 05. His idea was to evoke a late-summer Mediterranean style without the usual aquatic components. He wanted to focus on the green of that time of year with herbal and terpenic notes. It is what primarily interacts with the high concentration of Cashmeran.
Escentric 05 opens on citrusy brightness banking off the woodiness of the Cashmeran. This is the smell of an orange tree, trunk and fruit. It is then placed in the middle of an herb garden growing rosemary, juniper, and basil. This set of green notes locate the pine amidst the woods and musk. It is given lift using Hedione to provide a jasmine veil. The pine really gets amplified by labdanum and mastic resins. These have a similar terpenic quality which harmonizes with the synthetic version in the Cashmeran. The musky part finally gets its chance to shine as molecules 01 and 02, Iso E super and Ambroxan join in for the base accord.
Molecule 05 and Escentric 05 have 14-16 hour longevity and average sillage.
Even when I think I know a perfume ingredient well Hr. Schoen has something to show me. The pine character in the Cashmeran took me by surprise. As part of a non-aquatic Mediterranean perfume in Escentric 05 it feels like the apotheosis of modern perfumery as abstraction of nature. A summer synthetic Mediterranean.
Disclosure: This review is based on samples supplied by Escentric Molecules.
–Mark Behnke
