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 comes from the leaves and stems of the rock rose, a plant that grows widely across the Mediterranean. It’s related to labdanum, the richer resin from the same shrub which we used in Escentric 05 for that alternative summer impression. Here, with M+ Cistus, cistus 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.