Iso E Super, Ambroxan, Hedione: The Stars of the Scent Lab

A scent that smells of almost nothing yet collects compliments. A material once supplied only by sperm whales. And a jasmine that has never seen a flower: behind many great perfumes stand single aroma molecules such as Iso E Super, Ambroxan and Hedione. We explain what these materials are, where they come from, why "synthetic" is no synonym for "cheap" in perfumery – and in which fragrances from our shelves you can smell them pure or in a leading role.

What are aroma molecules, actually?

An aroma molecule is a single odorant with a known chemical structure. An essential oil, by contrast, is a mixture of often hundreds of components. Rose oil is a whole orchestra; a molecule like Hedione is a single violin.

For perfumers this is a gift. A molecule smells the same from batch to batch, is reliably available and can be dosed with great precision. Many notes you read in a fragrance pyramid – "cashmere wood", "sea breeze", "amber" – are really such molecules. Nature often has no oil of its own for them.

Is synthetic perfume cheaper than natural perfume?

No, and that may be the most stubborn misunderstanding in the industry. Modern perfumery even begins with synthesis: coumarin, the hay-like scent of the tonka bean, was first made artificially by William Henry Perkin in 1868. In 1882 Houbigant turned it into an entire fragrance family with Fougère Royale: the fougères. You can read more about the house in our portrait The history of Houbigant.

Synthetic molecules have three solid advantages. They spare scarce natural materials, they make smells possible that no plant provides, and they often last longer on the skin. Expensive or affordable is decided by the quality of the composition, not by the question "nature or lab". Most great niche fragrances are a blend of both.

What is Iso E Super – and why can you barely smell Molecule 01 sometimes?

Because Iso E Super is a master of the quiet tones. The material was developed at the fragrance house IFF and patented in 1975. IFF describes it as smooth, woody and ambery, with a "velvet-like" sensation. According to its data sheet, it lasts more than 48 hours.

Iso E Super became famous as a silent team player. According to a review in the Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry, Féminité du Bois by Shiseido (1992) consists of 43 per cent Iso E Super, Dior Fahrenheit (1988) of 25 per cent. Molecule 01 by Escentric Molecules takes this to the extreme: 100 per cent, a single material in the bottle.

And the "I can't smell anything" phenomenon? It has a name: specific anosmia, the inability to smell one particular substance while the nose otherwise works normally. Researchers at TU Dresden tested more than 1,600 people and concluded that almost everyone has at least one such scent gap. There is no robust study on Iso E Super itself, but many people know the experience: you barely smell anything, and the person next to you asks about your perfume. On top of that the effect comes and goes, because the nose gets used to the material.

Molecule 01100 % Iso E Super€ 150 Molecule 02100 % Ambroxan€ 150 Molecule 04100 % Javanol€ 150 Molecule 05100 % Cashmeran€ 150

Live prices from our shop, as of 22 Oct 2026. You will find all fragrances by Escentric Molecules in the Escentric Molecules collection.

What does Ambroxan have to do with the sperm whale?

A great deal. Ambergris is a substance from the gut of the sperm whale that drifts in the sea and matures over years in sun and salt water. Its main component, ambrein, has hardly any smell of its own. Only when it oxidises do the materials form that carry the famous warm, slightly salty ambergris scent, above all ambroxide.

Firmenich (today dsm-firmenich) researched ambergris from the 1930s and synthesised Ambrox from that work in the 1950s. The starting material is plant-based: sclareol from clary sage. The whale has been on a break ever since. How valuable real ambergris is was shown by a find off Yemen in 2021: 127 kilograms, valued at 1.5 million US dollars. Incidentally, trade in ambergris is banned or strictly restricted in the USA, Australia and India.

You can smell pure Ambroxan in Molecule 02. In Escentric 02, according to the brand, it sits at the centre of a composition with jasmine buds at 13.5 per cent. As a warm, clean foundation it carries, for example, Icarus 347 by Maison Noir and This is not a blue bottle 1.5 by Histoires de Parfums.

Why does Hedione make fragrances so radiant?

Hedione is jasmine without the flower. The chemist Edouard Demole came across the material at Firmenich in 1958 while working on methyl jasmonate, a small but important component of jasmine. dsm-firmenich today describes Hedione as elegant, transparent and floral like jasmine, with a refreshing hint of citrus.

The breakthrough came in 1966 with Eau Sauvage, composed by Edmond Roudnitska for Dior. It was the first big success with Hedione. Since then the material has appeared in countless perfumes, because it brings air into a composition: fragrances seem brighter, bigger, more "diffusive", without getting louder. According to the manufacturer, Hedione is typically used at 2 to 15 per cent in perfumes.

What it sounds like when someone deliberately turns up the dose, you can smell in High Frequency by Initio: there, an overdose of Hedione over magnolia and almond creates an almost electric glow.

Which molecules smell of the sea, candyfloss and cashmere?

This is where perfume history becomes almost comical. Calone, the epitome of the "sea breeze", was discovered in 1966 at the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. The chemists were actually looking for tranquillisers. In 1989 New West for Her by Aramis contained 1.2 per cent Calone and ushered in the era of aquatic fragrances that shaped the 1990s.

Ethyl maltol smells sweet, caramel-like, of strawberry jam and candyfloss. According to the literature, it first appeared in perfumery in 1992 in Angel by Thierry Mugler, a fragrance considered the ancestor of modern gourmands. If you love this family, our article Gourmand perfume: 7 scents good enough to eat has suitable candidates for autumn.

And then there are the woods that do not grow in any forest. Javanol by Givaudan smells creamy like sandalwood with a hint of rose. According to the manufacturer it works at below 0.1 per cent and is about eight times more effective in wash tests than the strongest sandalwood product previously available. It is the only ingredient in Molecule 04. Cashmeran brings the soft, musky woodiness many describe as "cashmere", for instance in Molecule 05 or in Replica By the Fireplace by Maison Margiela. Another example of a modern wood from the lab is presented in our article on Akigalawood.

Molecule or Escentric: which bottle suits you?

Escentric Molecules was founded in London in 2006 by the perfumer Geza Schoen and Paul White. Schoen had previously worked for more than ten years at Haarmann & Reimer, today part of Symrise. The idea: according to the brand, each "Molecule" contains only its molecule, while each "Escentric" shows the same molecule in a complete composition. Escentric 01 contains around 65 per cent Iso E Super, Escentric 02 13.5 per cent Ambroxan.

Our rule of thumb from the boutique: if you want a scent that smells like your own skin, only a little more beautiful, start with a Molecule. If you prefer to wear a recognisable story, with citrus, pepper or jasmine, reach for the Escentric. And if you like to mix: Molecule 01 is a grateful partner for combining, and you will find tips in our 20 tips for perfume layering.

Escentric 01Iso E Super, lime, pepper€ 155 Escentric 02Ambroxan, jasmine buds€ 155 High FrequencyHedione, magnolia, almond€ 280 Icarus 347Apple, Ambroxan, tonkafrom € 125

Live prices from our shop, as of 22 Oct 2026.

Smell first, then fall in love

You understand molecules best with your own nose. With every bottle of 30 ml or more we include a free sample of exactly this fragrance. With orders from € 90 you also receive four samples of your choice. A lovely sample wish for a self-experiment: Molecule 01 and Escentric 01 side by side – once pure, once composed. Simply note your wishes in the comment field of the cart; if in stock, we will gladly include them. From € 200 order value, standard shipping to Austria and Germany is free.

Or visit our boutique in Bregenz and test the molecules on your skin. We will also tell you whether the person opposite can smell you when you no longer notice anything yourself. How the concentrations differ is explained in our article Eau de Toilette, Eau de Parfum or Extrait.

Your 4D Outfitters team, Bregenz

Sources: IFF: Iso E Super · Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 15 (2019): Iso E Super · Wikipedia: Iso E Super · dsm-firmenich: Ambrox · dsm-firmenich: Cetalox · dsm-firmenich: Hedione · Wikipedia: Hedione · Wikipedia: Ambergris · Wikipedia: Calone · Wikipedia: Ethyl maltol · Givaudan: Javanol · Wikipedia: Galaxolide · Wikipedia: Coumarin · Symrise: Vanillin · TU Dresden: Croy et al. 2015 · Escentric Molecules: About