Iso E Super is one of those notes everyone in fragrance has an opinion about. Some people wear Escentric Molecules Molecule 01 (essentially pure Iso E Super) like it's the elixir of life. Others claim it gives them headaches and that it has ruined modern perfumery
Where do you actually stand on Iso E Super, and how does that change the way you sample new fragrances?
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Iso E Super is one of the most fascinating materials in perfumery and it splits the room because of how it behaves on skin.
What it is:
- A synthetic woody amber molecule developed in the 1970s by IFF.
- On a paper strip it smells like a soft, smooth, slightly metallic cedar with a velvety, almost intangible quality.
- On skin, the magic is that it doesn't fully smell like itself. It amplifies and softens whatever else is in the composition.
Why some people love it:
- Creates an aura around the wearer that doesn't smell perfumey. People often say you smell good but I can't tell what you're wearing.
- It's the spine of many beloved compositions: Dior Fahrenheit's drydown, Le Labo Santal 33's projection, Geza Schoens entire Escentric Molecules line.
- Used at the right dose, gives a fragrance a kind of suede-like elegance that nothing else achieves.
Why some people hate it:
- Anosmia. Roughly 20 to 30 percent of people are anosmic to Iso E Super at low concentrations and only smell it at very high doses. They experience high-Iso-E-Super fragrances as smelling like nothing or smelling thin.
- Saturation fatigue. Modern perfumery uses Iso E Super so heavily that long-time fragrance wearers have started to find it generic. After a year of sampling, you smell it everywhere and start to resent it.
- Synthetic edge. Cheap dupes use Iso E Super heavily and badly, contributing to a chemical printer cartridge character in their dry-downs.
Where I stand: I love it in small to medium doses, especially when paired with sandalwood or amber. I'm tired of high-dose Iso E Super in cheap dupes. I won't buy a Molecule 01 bottle but I will appreciate Iso E Super used well
Indie perspective: when a craft perfumer wants to modernise a composition, they reach for Iso E Super. When they want to make something feel personal and old-fashioned, they leave it out. That decision is one of the cleanest signals of where a fragrance sits aesthetically.
I prefer compositions that don't lean on it. Bruno Fazzolari's Lampblack, Slumberhouse Norne, anything by Tauer Perfumes. They feel more concrete because they use real materials with character rather than letting Iso E Super smooth everything out.
Honest answer: I loved it for ten years and then I started to hate it for two years. Now I'm in a complicated relationship with it
The change happened when I started smelling it on every other person on the subway. The aura that was supposed to be subtle and personal is now ubiquitous. That's not the molecules fault but it changed my relationship with it.
I still like it in older fragrances. I avoid it in new releases.
Long view. Iso E Super is an extraordinary tool that has been overused for two decades. The same is true of every dominant synthetic in perfumery's history (Hedione in the 1980s, calone in the 1990s). Every era has its overused molecule.
The interesting question is what comes next. Some perfumers are moving toward Cetalox and other woody ambers in place of Iso E Super. Others are leaning back into older materials like real ambergris and natural musks (where ethical and legal). The pendulum will swing.
Where I stand: I love the molecule in any composition older than 2005. I'm bored with it in compositions newer than 2020.
Office reality check. Iso E Super's tendency to fill the room is real. In a small meeting room, even a moderate Iso E Super dose can become noticed by colleagues. New wearers should sample carefully in close-quarters environments.
Useful self-test: spray Molecule 01 on a wrist. If you can't smell anything 30 minutes later, you r likely anosmic to Iso E Super at typical fragrance doses. If you r anosmic, you should pay attention because you may underrate fragrances that other people can clearly smell, and you may also under-apply fragrances yourself in compensation
Original asker. Where I've ended up: I appreciate Iso E Super in fragrances that use it as one ingredient among many (Fahrenheit's dry-down). I avoid fragrances where it's the entire idea (Molecule 01). The molecule is a tool. I want it serving compositions, not running the show.
Best thread on this molecule I've read in any forum. Mads, beautifully done
- Le Labo Santal 33
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