Molecule 01 + Cistus

The most minimal fragrance is a single aroma-molecule: Molecule 01.

The next most minimal adds 1 to 01: 01 + 1. This is Molecule +.

Molecule 01 + Cistus consists of Iso E Super + Cistus.

Iso E Super is an abstract synthetic molecule with a cedarwood tonality and a warm, velvety cocooning sensation. It is one of those scents that makes you want to nestle into it. Cistus is derived from the resin of the Mediterranean Cistus ladanifer shrub, with a warm, resinous, and slightly smoky aroma.

In Molecule 01 + Cistus, Iso E Super meets the raw sensuality of Cistus. The result? Radiant depth. A haze of warmth, sheer and lasting. Cistus is a note that lingers like heat on the skin. Cistus is resin tapped from a wild Mediterranean shrub. Sticky, golden, intense. It smells of labdanum but brighter – amber with a sunlit edge. Smoky, mineral, with leathery undertones that ground the sweetness.

“Cistus is a cut of labdanum, a plant which grows everywhere in the Mediterranean, which we’ve also used in Escentric 05 for that alternative summer impression. Here, with M+ Cistus, it gives you this particular leatheriness with all its sweet and salty aspects. We use 4% of that Cistus absolute. That’s a lot, which is why you can smell it throughout the fragrance from top to bottom. Cistus is one of the supra accords; it’s powerful. For people who like strong expressions, you can’t go wrong with it.” 

“When pairing just one ingredient with Iso E Super, it’s hard to tell what happens. This stuff is really a miracle. And with Cistus, I thought the result was beautiful,” says Geza Schoen, co-founder and master perfumer at Escentric Molecules.

The latest M+ offering, M+ Cistus, is a study in contrast – sweet and leathery, smooth and animalic, quiet and insistent.