Joseph

…what are you? And why do I find you attractive one moment, and almost repulsive the next? You are supposed to be a scent twin to Geza Schön's Molecule 01. So, ISO-E-Super. I must confess, I don’t have much experience with molecule fragrances. I have actually never tried Molecule 01. I accidentally received the 02 with an order, which I found, well, boring. And it is said that my beloved Silver Musk by Nasomatto also contains the infamous ISO molecule. Whether it does, I cannot say due to the lack of a fragrance pyramid. And Mr. Gualtieri probably wouldn’t tell me either. But what has the good Mr. Lehmann mixed here? On paper, I initially fell for MOL Intens. A broad grin on my face, flashed, yes, this is great, was my reaction to the first sniff. Somewhat masculine, yet clear, clean, fresh, pure, fine woody tones and a cool, even delightful synthetic note welcomed me here. So, without further ado, I applied the fragrance. However, it plays a not-so-nice game with me, where unfortunately even after several hours, I still don’t know if I want to keep playing. Yes, the notes that I inhaled with delight from the tissue are all present on my skin as well. But, wait, stop. There is also something else that makes me grimace. I catch a note that I recognize from Sauvage, LV Orage, and even Office for Men. Is that Ambroxan? I thought we only had ISO here, Mr. Lehmann? Or are the molecules going completely crazy now? Well, what can I say. I smell like a mix of something delicate, quite wonderful, and wet socks from the football locker room. Should I like that? Should I hop back in the shower? Fortunately, my husband smells nothing at all. These molecules can’t be perceived by all noses. The sillage is moderate, almost close to the body. And the fragrance oscillates between beautiful and “Sauvage-ig” (I don’t know how else to describe it). Here, too, we are dealing with a very well-crafted fragrance. And with Lehmann, we certainly don’t need to talk about price-performance. I would suspect that everyone will perceive this fragrance a bit differently. I just say “Love and Hate are Both 4-Letter-Words”. A big thank you to AdAstra72 for the sample. Updated on 06/06/2020

MOL intens is the first of the ten Lehmann blind buys that I am trying. Start. 0 minutes, 00 seconds: A few drops from the 15 ml splash bottle on my wrist... Sniff. Yuck! Alcohol and nail polish remover and solvents. But if I've learned anything during my short time here at Parfumo, it's that you should NEVER judge by the first sniff. So, away with my nose from the wrist and wait. 0 minutes, 29 seconds: I'm waiting for something, for a rising cloud of scent. But nothing comes. So, back to the wrist with my nose and 0 minutes, 30 seconds: Sniff. Nothing. I smell nothing. Damn. Again something that doesn't work on my skin. What a shame. But that doesn't mean others can't smell anything, and who knows, maybe layering or mixing can create something lovely from it. 1 minute: Sniff. And again, sniff. Because there was something. A hint of a scent. No, even less: A notion that there could be a hint. 1 minute, 30 seconds: Sniff. Yes, I smell something. It's clear and somehow beautiful, but what? 2 minutes: Sniff, sniff, sniff. It's like just after waking up when you want to remember the last dream. It's still so close, you feel it, you're filled with it, but with every attempt to grasp it, the memory pulls further away. I know the scent, it's clearer now, yes, faint but distinct. My scent memory isn't trained, I can't figure it out. 2 minutes, 30 seconds: Sniff, sniff, sniff. What is that? It's cool, clear, transparent, sacred. 3 minutes: Sniff. The first two insights hit almost simultaneously. Frankincense! Of course! I was so close! Not some musty Ali Baba stuff, but a bright, clear frankincense. Light-filled High Gothic! And: The stuff builds up! With every minute, the scent becomes more solid, more tangible. Something seems to be needed for this molecule to develop: skin warmth, oxygen, a pH level. 3 minutes to 30 minutes: Sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff. The scent now stands solidly on my skin like a lighthouse. A small one, though; it only illuminates my wrist. But solid. And it has changed again. It has become a bit warmer, bright woody, still transparent. It doesn't radiate, no, it glows. It does something to me, focuses me, it gives me the feeling of being a better person. I go down to the basement to get something, and in the stairwell, I meet a neighbor. We chat for a few minutes; doesn't she notice that I'm a new person? I almost want to ask her if she smells anything, but no, we don't know each other that well. I go back upstairs. 45 minutes: Sniff, sniff, sniff. I'm happy. Now I know why I loved Dune so much. Then I have to go down again, to the mailbox. I enter the stairwell, and there's a hint of a wonderful scent in the air. Could it be... No, what I smell is something spicier than the scent on my wrist. It fills the stairwell with light. Maybe someone else has come down the stairs in the meantime, wonderfully scented? There’s only one way to find out: I have to go back to our basement. I open it, step in, and - Sniff - yes! this delicate scent is here too - and it can only be mine! - I have my final insight: MOL can also be appreciated from a distance! You just need a bit of distance yourself. Panic. I only have 15 ml of this stuff. I need more. Liters. To wear it pure, to drown my treasure in it, to mix, to layer. I hope Harry (or Jens) never, ever, closes his shop; where else will I get it so cheaply??? ---------------Postscript: Guys, what is this crazy stuff?!? For days, with every use, I went from an "Ahhhh" to the next "Ohhhh" and found that I can smell it better and better. And today, I smell almost nothing, and that for minutes, and: The little bit I can smell, smells like rubber! June 30, 17: Another postscript. I feared it: MOL is gone. No, not completely yet; I filled the very last milliliters into a pocket spray this morning. That will last a few more days. But what then???? PANIC!!!!!!! Updated on 06/30/2017

MOL Intens: A fragrance name to dream about! If you drive straight east from Berlin's Alexanderplatz for 20 km, you leave the noisy city and first reach the urban sprawl, then the calm and green Brandenburg: the district of Märkisch Oderland, license plate MOL. Away from B1 and B5, one can stroll wonderfully and live relatively quietly here. A film in Monsieur Teste's head reveals: A few years ago, in a small garden area not far from Hoppegarten, the pioneers of minimalism, Jean-Claude Ellena, and ultra-minimalism, Geza Schoen, met with the old master & custodian of the self-mixing German drugstore fragrance heritage, Lutz Lehmann. In a shaky wooden Datsche, surrounded by rhubarb and fragrant flower beds - a warm breeze wafted from Münchehofe in the distance - they discussed their common goal, celebrated - and MOL Intens was born. At Ellena's house Hermès, such things are usually called Un Jardin sur Le Nil or a rooftop terrace somewhere in North Africa. The Berlin perfume world heritage Geza Schoen created the famous Escentric Molecules 01 after the party and brainstorming: Pure ISO E Super. And it is exactly this that fills the other half of the Berlin world heritage, Mr. Lehmann, in his wonderful retro flacons. Our honest skin from Kantstrasse gave him the name MOL Intens, which is as obvious as it is reminiscent of Ellena, evoking dreams of flowers and woods. Especially in Corona times, this license plate, which might be somewhat laughed at in the western city center, now makes those stuck at home dream: of romantic Datsches in Märkisch Oderland, of the scent of spring, of summer and autumn garden blooms, and gnarled oak avenues in the eastern outskirts. Here, beavers are living again, here great fragrances can be conceived. A joint excursion by Ellena and Lehmann with folding bikes to the neighboring Schöneiche revealed to them the charm of the adjacent district of Oder-Spree. They agreed to soon create a fragrance greeting as a tribute, the somewhat more southern, hesperidic LOS absolu. Its market entry, agreed as a co-release at Hermès in Paris as LOS absolu / Hermessence 22 and at Lehmann's house, is unfortunately delayed because the latter has more important things to do: preserving traditions and adapting the heritage to the new IFRA regulations. The groupies of Hermès and the community of Lehmann are eagerly waiting for it; just like for Geza Schön's second creation, which is supposed to result from that memorable Datsche evening. During a morning hangover walk along the Erpe, Schön discovered that this primordial streamlet southwest of Münchehofe, before its confluence with the Spree, bubbles quite peculiarly and seems to exude the gentle mixed scent of various fabric softeners. This minimalist masterpiece is also supposed to hit the market soon, with the working title Escentric Molecules 00 or Project Erpetal. Now, fun and culture clash aside: You can read about the fascinating scent qualities of ISO E Super, which is available in pure form with MOL Intens (as in Geza Schoen's Escentric Molecules 01), below and in Geza Schön's pioneering fragrance. It offers a woody, sandalwood-like scent experience that apparently interacts strongly with the individual skin chemistry processes. In some high concentrations, this wonder weapon of modern aroma chemistry is said to be blended into many famous summer fragrances: such as the elegant Eau boisée by Guerlain or the significantly louder Terre d'Hermès. This ISO E Super can now be acquired stylishly packaged (like football artist Messi and many others) at a high price from Escentric Molecules. Or cheaply in large bottles online (no idea what you get from unknown sources: but chemically, it is supposedly always the same molecular arrangement). Or you can get it, with style and the dream and terroir name explained here, as MOL Intens, at a fair price from Harry Lehmann. Which we of course strongly advocate. By doing so, you support the wonderful business of Lehmann's individual perfumery. You position yourself as the avant-garde of international hipsterism regarding underestimated Brandenburg districts (Hoppegarten will be the new Babelsberg - in a few decades). And you get an interesting, avant-garde fragrance from a real vintage boutique. The purchase (and every spray) of MOL Intens reminds me of the strange contradictions of the past, when the West German student bought his first Armani pour hommes or the blissful Yves Saint Laurent Jazz at the Intershop on the transit or at Friedrichstrasse S-Bahn station. And with this (at that time) unheard-of luxury, he simultaneously supported the construction of the crumbling DDR socialism. Moreover, he found these contradictions to be historically tingling in an undefinable (probably decadent) way. Mr. Teste feels a similar historical scribbling today when using the postmodern minimalist MOL Intens from the venerable house of Lehmann, which is so deeply rooted in Berlin's 20th-century history. ADDENDUM: This comment had to be significantly reformulated after a friendly, geographically significant hint from the perfume enthusiast EKL. The new version of Teste's dream has now become somewhat more detailed but also more mysterious. Whether this batch now represents the diluted or improved version of the original revelation of MOL Intens, cultural critics or progress optimists may judge. Updated on 05/14/2020

I was very indecisive. From the very beginning. Even before I had it in my nose for the first time. And during that time. And now, basically still. Indecisive about whether I should like it or not. Whether it's a stir or trivial. MOL intens - that's what it's called at Harry Lehmann - is ISO-E-Super. And nothing else. A synthetic substance that is said to have an animalistically ambered cedarwood accord and an extraordinarily high longevity. I was indecisive about how I should feel about it: just one ingredient, and a synthetic one at that. And this from Harry Lehmann, the charming traditional house with the artificial flowers in the small shop on Kantstraße in Charlottenburg. Many 'big' fragrances (including those by Jean-Claude Ellena, Ormonde Jayne, and Serge Lutens) use ISO-E-Super - some rather secretly and shyly, others quite prominently. Nevertheless - if I consider the 'monothem ISO-E-Super' in isolation, then it may be scientifically interesting, but I'm not one to approach perfumes scientifically. I approach perfumes sensually. Sensually, I find a fragrance that, despite its monothem, is everything but one-dimensional. There is something weightless metallic and something gently animalistic, there are wood resins and damp earth - and I understand a bit why someone - the house of Harry Lehmann is not alone in this idea - would want to show the facets of ISO-E-Super, this supposed wonder ingredient, once unadulterated and unaltered on its own. Its scent impression, despite the mentioned facets, is simply and reduced, as if one were alone at a lakeshore on a quiet day in early summer, lost in thought. A bit of outdoor and a bit of quiet melancholy, a bit of defiance, a bit of tenderness. One might almost think of musk and fire and pine wood in the rain. And then one remembers: wrong thought, all just ISO-E-Super. Conclusion: the wonderful Chris Rea once sang about going fishing, a bit resigned and sad - and yet gentle: 'I'm gone fishing, I got me a line. Nothing I do is gonna make the difference - so I'm taking the time. And you ain't never gonna be happy, anyhow, anyway. So I'm gone fishing, and I'm going today. I'm gone fishing, sounds crazy I know. I know nothing about fishing, but just watch me go.' I am still indecisive - in an intellectual way. Sensually, I actually like it a lot. And now: gone fishing. Updated on 05/06/2018

Ah yes, the "molecular perfumery".. Triggered by Geza Schön, more and more fragrances are appearing that defy classic perfumery, media-effectively disregard the "fragrance pyramid," and rely on simple, straightforward scent molecules. Don't get me wrong, I like this; I am a fan of both complex creations and simple synthetic scents. And I usually find rebellion sympathetic. It's just the marketing hype and the use of half-truths that bothers me, whether it's from Zarko or Geza. And amidst all the commotion, Lutz quietly releases his Iso-E-Super - a molecular fragrance stands out among decades-old classics. And what a fragrance it is. But before I describe it, I want to give a little introduction to those on Parfumo who may not be so familiar with the field. Iso-E-Super is considered a scent enhancer that highlights other fragrance components and adds volume and radiance. It was first said to have been used in larger quantities in the well-known Dior Fahrenheit, but nowadays it is present in an incredible number of perfumes. Sometimes it is listed as a fragrance note, sometimes not. A perfume with Iso-E-Super as the only fragrance component was released by Geza Schön in 2006 with "Molecule 01." Since then, the substance has been marketed as having pheromone-like effects; Prof. Dr. Dr. Dr. med. habil. Hanns Hatt is researching this at RUB Bochum and believes that this substance disables the sibling effect. This means: Iso-E-Super is supposed to bind to one of the last remaining pheromone receptors in humans and make the wearer more sexually attractive to the opposite sex. Research is still in its infancy here; as far as I can see, little to nothing has been proven. At the same time, Geza Schön's brand benefits greatly from the talk of "attractants." Even I occasionally convince myself that people treat me differently when I wear Molecule 01, but that is probably wishful thinking. About the scent: Iso-E-Super is extremely versatile. The scent can best be described as woody, metallic, fresh, bright, and slightly fruity. It ranges from scent blindness to room-filling. From headaches to fascination. In general, the sillage fluctuates and is often described as wave-like. Both fragrances possess this characteristic, but they differ significantly in the details. Mol Intens smells richer, more voluminous, and generally more concentrated. However, this does not make the projection stronger. I also perceive the synthetic note, which many associate with hairspray, more strongly. Overall, Mol Intens is a bit scratchier, juicier, and heavier. I also detect a fresh, piercing blackberry note, as well as something that faintly reminds me of lavender, which I do not perceive at all in Molecule 01. I am also quite sure I can smell Cashmeran. It reminds me of a mix of Molecule 05 and 01. Unfortunately, Mol Intens lacks the often-described "wavy" sillage that sometimes appears forcefully and sometimes completely disappears. This phenomenon is only very subtly present in Lehmann's version. Too bad. However, it is more perceptible close to the skin, more pleasant, warmer, and more inviting. Here, too, we have fresh coolness, but Molecule 01 is significantly colder, even bordering on icy, and thus feels much more distant. If both fragrances were a color, Molecule 01 would be metallic, reflective, smooth. and Mol Intens would be a bright, glowing purple, fuzzy. For dosing, I recommend two sprays; one should really be cautious, as everyone perceives the scent differently. Which one of the two to choose is up to each individual. You definitely do not get the same fragrance, but rather two very similar ones. Personally, I prefer Molecule 01 just a bit more, but I wouldn't want to miss either in my collection. I can only recommend a blind purchase for Harry Lehmann, due to the price and because I generally consider him worth supporting. Thank you very much for reading my comment. Updated on 05/24/2020