Morcalovin

On Parfumo, I have often read about the scent note "Yuzu," but I couldn't imagine what it was until I got "1881 Acqua Forte."

Acqua Forte is an untypically typical citrusy, fresh fragrance. Untypically because Yuzu, compared to the "actual" citrus notes, is indeed citrusy but significantly less "biting" and brings a very nice green scent aspect with it. Thus, the fragrance is much more pleasing than, for example, Eau de Guerlain, which has a relatively nice but also very intense biting citrus note that is probably only for true citrus fans. Alongside the green-citrusy-fresh character, there are light woody notes that resonate slightly in the background, giving the fragrance a distant kinship to the original. However, the emphasis is on distant, as those who find "1881 pour Homme" too old-fashioned might still take great pleasure in Acqua Forte.

Unfortunately, the fragrance has extremely poor longevity; after about 2 hours, it is practically completely gone, making it more of an Eau de Cologne than an Eau de Toilette. However, one shouldn't be too picky about the price/ml ratio for the quite acceptable quality it offers.

Who would have thought that there would be a One Million version that wouldn't knock me out right away and that I would even find somewhat acceptable?
One Million Cologne is the more civilized, well-groomed brother of the otherwise loud and extroverted original. Someone who has occasionally kept in touch with his cousin Invictus and has therefore unlearned phrases like "Hey dude, totally awesome." Yet he still retains the same DNA as his older brother One Million Original. This may not appeal to everyone, especially those who view One Million as a certain striking aphrodisiac for disco nights, but for me personally, this is the only One Million version that is somewhat acceptable.
The emphasis is on "somewhat," because unfortunately, One Million still has similar weaknesses as its brother.
The opening is the biggest change: Everything starts off much fresher, even quite aquatic, you are not immediately overwhelmed by the heart and base. The mandarin is distinctly noticeable when sprayed and integrates beautifully into the further development of the fragrance, giving it a fruity accord; however, it loses strength significantly, which is a pity, as this could have easily countered the typical "One Million heaviness." Alongside the fresh opening, a strong floral note quickly joins in, the fragrance pyramid indicates rose, but I mainly smell jasmine. (Imagination?)
And now comes the dreary conclusion: the typical One Million base follows, unfortunately, because even with the Cologne, nothing has been done to prevent it from still being disgustingly cotton candy sweet and extremely cheap-synthetic. At least the whole thing remains significantly more transparent, which naturally has a negative impact on sillage and longevity. Nevertheless, One Million Cologne is still strong and long-lasting enough, even if it is no longer the ultimate sillage monster.

Well, what can I say. In my opinion, One Million Cologne has improved significantly over its predecessor; there is indeed something like a fragrance progression recognizable, even if this is pretty much completed within the first 15 minutes, after which the base simply gains more and more dominance. Still, it remains too sweet for me, too inauthentic, and even though the stronger floral notes make the fragrance more interesting, they definitely make it even more feminine than it already is.
Oh, and by the way, the bottle is actually quite nice; it doesn't seem as poorly made as the gold lump.

For me personally, I fundamentally distinguish between 2 categories of fragrances that would deserve a 100% rating. On one hand, there are fragrances that can showcase a certain theme or a certain (or several) ingredient(s) excellently and are perfectly composed overall, like Frédéric Malle's Iris Poudre or Guerlain's Tonka Imperiale, or it is a fragrance that is so unmistakable and individual that it simply scores points with its uniqueness and complexity. A fragrance with a unique character, so to speak. Chanel's "Antaeus" (but also generally all "older" Chanels) naturally belong to the second category.

However, with "fragrances with character," it is always the case that 95% of people have to choose a side, namely love or hate. There is usually no middle ground. And to my regret, I must unfortunately note that while I stand on the sunny side with "Egoiste" and "A Gentleman's Cologne," I sadly find myself on the shadow side with "Antaeus." I have given it so many chances, once on the spray strip, once on the back of my hand, and once I even drove to the nearest Douglas to test Antaeus solely on my skin. But the demigod eludes me, or rather, on the contrary: He overwhelms me. I can smell his genius, his complexity. Therefore, it makes no sense for me to dissect him into his fragrance components, because if I didn't have a fragrance pyramid in front of me, I wouldn't be able to decipher a single note. He is like a binary code; he speaks his own language. Those who have the gift to decode it are rewarded by him, while all others are sent away.

Unfortunately, I cannot rate the fragrance better than 60%. I would like to give it more, but since I cannot wear this fragrance for more than 10 minutes without getting headaches and nausea, it is at a purely subjective level at 0%. However, since it is so complex, so unique, so full of character, it at least deserves a "above average," because even if Antaeus is not for me per se, I would wish for the art of perfumery that fragrances of this kind would be created more often, fragrances that consciously do not want to be "Everybody's Darling," but rather choose their wearer more than the wearer chooses them. Fragrances with character, indeed.

better known as Iso-E-Super, is an exceptionally interesting candidate in terms of fragrance ingredients. For many people (myself included), it is a barely perceptible scent that is very often used in perfumes today to, in my opinion, provide a light fullness of woody notes to the base note, usually noticeable as sandalwood and/or cedarwood notes. The fascinating thing about Iso-E-Super is that there seem to be people who can perceive this fragrance for days or not at all. What this is due to, only our perfumers probably know.
Well, I do not belong to the candidates who can perceive Iso-E-Super for longer than 10 minutes, however, I am happy for all those here who manage to fully "savor" this fragrance. What I am addressing in the following is therefore not a critique of the fragrance ingredient per se, but of the audacity with which it is sold to us for €115.

Is the fragrance expensive?: Molecule 01 consists of 100% Iso-E-Super in its fragrance ingredients, which makes up about 15-20% of the perfume. The rest is alcohol. Since Iso-E-Super is an extremely cheap fragrance ingredient, as it is also, in my opinion, tendentially used to cheaply replace cedar and sandalwood notes instead of excellently imitating them or harmonizing with other fragrance notes. But that is just my opinion. What is certain is that one can create an almost identical "Molecule 01" for 1/10 of the original price, for which you do not even need to be a chemist or perfumer. I am relatively sure there are already forum discussions about this, in case there is a reader interested in a pure Iso-E-Super fragrance :).

Is the fragrance a reinvention?: It wouldn't be so bad if Geza Schön had invented Iso-E-Super. But that is not the case. Eternity (CK): 12% Iso-E-Super fragrance content (1988), Fahrenheit (Dior): 25% Iso-E-Super fragrance content (1988). Even niche brands like Creed or exclusive lines like Hermessence contain the fragrance ingredient in not insignificant amounts. Nevertheless, these fragrances cannot be compared to Molecule 01, as they are fragrance compositions; Molecule 01 is actually an "unfinished" product, in which a fragrance ingredient is presented to us as a fragrance composition.

Is the fragrance an artificial enhancement?: Just as a line on a canvas can be a painterly masterpiece, and a single piano note can be an acoustic masterpiece, so is Molecule 01 a fragrance technical masterpiece for me. It is not enough to use a single fragrance ingredient, no matter how spectacular it may seem, and then call your creation "ultra-revolutionary" and demand vast amounts of money for it. Because if I give my girlfriend a bouquet of flowers for €50, I want to pay for the art of weaving all the beautiful individual works into an even more beautiful whole. The same goes for the art of perfume. The most beautiful rose in the world alone is not enough to compete with a high-quality bouquet. Just a comparison

So what is Molecule 01 actually? Simply and solely an outrageous affront to every perfumer and every perfume. That is my opinion, and I am aware that it is very radical towards this fragrance. However, I hope you can respect this opinion, just as I respect any other opinion on this fragrance :).

... if she knew which product is being sold under her name today.

Anyone familiar with the other men's fragrances from Chanel knows how much quality and especially complexity matter. What I have always appreciated about this brand is that the fragrances were never designed to please everyone. Especially "Egoiste" and "Antaeus" are two scents that, despite their good quality, are either loved or hated. No matter which side you are on, one must admit that these fragrances are unique.

Well, nowadays, where men's perfumes are probably more in demand than ever, Chanel decided in 2010 to join the big mainstream market, which I absolutely understand, as the last men's fragrance was released quite some time ago, and with such a big name, one can probably make quite a bit of money.

However, this fact would not annoy me so much if I didn't know that you are paying 95% for the name with this fragrance, because it is one thing to release a lower-quality scent for the mainstream market to appeal to the general public and refer to the higher-quality fragrances (e.g. L'Homme Ideal by Guerlain), and another thing to release a "perfume" at the level of an aftershave.

If I didn't passionately hate "One Million" by Paco Rabanne, I would even wonder if perhaps more was done right with this scent than with "Bleu de Chanel." Because, unlike the blue mess, the sillage and longevity are excellent, and the fragrance at least dares to be something (even if it is clearly too much). The worst part is that Jacques Polge could do it so much better.

Nonetheless, I would like to briefly touch on the fragrance components: The scent starts with fresh citrus notes with a slightly aquatic character (which remains present until the end in the EDT; in the EDP, the grapefruit takes over earlier, and the aquatic character diminishes from the heart note). Vetiver is also noticeable upon closer inspection, but it holds back significantly. The closer you get to the base, the more the vetiver becomes perceptible (especially in the EDP). Those who haven't given up on the fragrance after about 2-3 hours will notice an increasingly slightly sweet character (probably the sandalwood?). Not heavy and intrusive, but by this time, you have to hold your wrist right under your nose anyway...

It is a scent that doesn't hurt anyone, and that is exactly what Chanel is NOT about... but the price, that is of course Chanel-like. And that is exactly the point I find unacceptable. Hopefully, Chanel can finance a fragrance with this that does justice to their actual level again.

Summary:
Longevity: Absolutely outrageous for this price range at 4-5 hours
Sillage: EDT not noteworthy, EDP better, but deserves more the designation Eau de Cologne
Bottle: Typically puritanical, but there are better ones from Chanel
Fragrance: There are scents for €10 that smell better and, above all, have more character