I found dupes for Escentric Molecules’ most popular scents
Who remembers Designer Imposter perfumes? These drugstore versions of designer fragrances reached their peak in the 80s (Giorgio is one in particular that comes to mind), and they became somewhat of a collective joke. Yes, they offered a semblance of their pricier counterparts at a much more accessible price, but they were far from perfect dupes.
The art of perfumery is a complicated one, and “formulas” are a form of intellectual property that is well-guarded by their respective creators or owners. Yet as I’m prone to do, I found a Designer Imposter-esque work-around for two sought-after scents.
A little background… Several of Escentric Molecules’ pricy unisex perfumes actually don’t have a “formula” at all—and contain merely one note. Molecule 01 is just Iso E Super, a synthetic molecule that has a clean, fresh, almost indistinguishable scent—if you can smell it at all. Yes, some people dole out $135 for a bottle of perfume that they (or those around them) may not even be able to detect. Further proof of this scent’s simplicity is that I’ve been making my own with Iso E Super oil I bought on Etsy and mixing it with grain alcohol. But alas, I can’t seem to get the ratio right, and if I use too much oil the DIY perfume is greasy on my skin.
Molecule 02 features ambroxan, another one of my favorite notes. Also hard to describe, it has a soft, powdery scent (which can also be found solo in Juliette Has A Gun’s “Not A Perfume”). Both of these perfumes ring in at over $100 as well—but I haven’t tried my hand at re-creating these myself since I haven’t been able to procure pure ambroxan.
Back to those Designer Imposters… So if these aforementioned perfumes are the result of one molecule rather than a top-secret formula, is there such a thing as an imposter? My answer is no, because I’ve found them—and tried them.
Tucked away in a deep, dark corner of Amazon are Tribute8’s Molecule Scent 01 and 02. I have bought both and am happy to report that they are indiscernible from their prestige-priced counterparts, and you can get each for less than $25 (although the shipping takes a while). At such a wallet-friendly price, I can spray myself with abandon while remaining guilt-free—and smell so, so good while I’m at it. Maybe they’re Designer Imposters, but I can live with that.
