January 1, 2019 |
Lady Gaga and Elizabeth Taylor, Kim K and Beyoncé… While the world of celebrity fragrance seems to be thriving and expanding by the minute, Escentric Molecules seem to be living in a league of their own. Launched by German perfumer Geza Schoen in London in 2006, Escentric Molecules established themselves as an “anti-fragrance fragrance brand”, looking at new way of approaching the idea of scents, particularly focusing on the chemical aspect of creating perfume in an artificial environment rather than a natural one. In short, Escentric Molecules is a perfume brand for geeks and those who are smart enough to be geeks or at least have a love of science. In 12 years of the brand’s existence, Schoen created 10 perfumes for it, each new totally different from the previous one, exploring a different molecule derived from an archival perfume ingredient. Geza Schoen is a modern-day alchemist, one whose potions just happen to smell like the most divine nature’s creations.
But the “anti” in the “anti-fragrance” doesn’t only stand for the technical ways of perfume creation. First launched in 2009, Schoen launched The Beautiful Mind series, a duo of scents recontextualising the idea of celebrity fragrance. Instead of big Hollywood names, Schoen decided to work with outstanding women in different creative fields to construct fragrances dedicated to the power of the female mind. These women weren’t just the inspiration – two of them actually designed the two fragrances together with Schoen. Volume 1 titled Intelligence & Fantasy was created in collaboration with the youngest ever Grandmaster of Memory (yes, that’s an actual thing – Google it and have your mind blown) Christiane Stenger and carries an interesting mix of citrus, floral and woody tones in a sensual blend of bergamot, magnolia and cedarwood. Volume 2, designed by Schoen and international ballerina Polina Semionova is called Precision and Grace and reflects the essence of dance through a combination of fruity and powdery scents, creating a harmony of action and lightness in a single bottle. Both relaunching this holiday season in Harvey Nichols and Liberty, this scented duo is your best alternative to the boring old celebrity fragrance you’ve had on your shopping lists for years. Not only it will make you seem way more cooler, but you also won’t smell like half of your morning commute. We’re looking at you Mary…
The Beautiful Mind Series by Geza Schoen are available to shop in selected stores as well as online.
