Elle Australia — May 2017

Firmenich senior perfumer Frank Voelkl, who

has created scents for Le Labo and

Nomenclature as well as Avon and Paris

Hilton. “Of course, there are natural

ingredients that are extremely expensive, so

the use of molecules can be very helpful when

you work in a low-cost range,” he says. “But

it’s also true that some molecules can be

extremely expensive. We have woody

molecules that cost more than cedar or

patchouli oil. The reality is that whether you’re

working in high-end premium fragrances,

niche or mass market, you’re using

a combination because you need both.”

But perhaps the biggest criticism of

lab-concocted molecules comes from a suspicion

that they’re in some way unsafe to inhale or

use on the skin – and a general distrust of

products with lengthy, multisyllabic

ingredient lists. However, commercially sold

fragrances are now more highly monitored

than ever before. In fact, several ingredients

‘ŠŸŽ ‹ŽŽ— ™ž••Ž ›˜– ™Ž›ž–Ž›œȂ ™Š•ŽĴŽœ ’—

recent years, including both naturals (notably,

and controversially, oakmoss, which required

the reformulation of such classics as Chanel

N°5) and synthetics. Now, new molecules are

subject to such rigorous testing for toxicity

and biodegradability that it can take years to

obtain approval for their use.

ȃ¢—‘Ž’ŒœŠ›Žœ’–™•’ꮍ–˜•ŽŒž•ŽœǰȄœŠ¢œ

Carlos Quintero, co-founder of chemical-

based fragrance line Nomenclature.

“[Perfumers] can purify them until they get

a well-tested, non-allergenic molecule. With

naturals, there are many more elements that

can cause allergies because they are more

Œ˜–™•Ž¡ǯ  œ¢—‘Ž’Œ –Š¢ ‘ŠŸŽ ꟎

possibilities, but a natural may have 1,000.”

“There are 26 potential allergens that we

have to list on the back of our boxes, and 18 of

‘Ž– Š›Ž —Šž›Š•ǰȄ ŠĴœ œŠ¢œǯ ȃȂœ —˜ •’”Ž

˜—Ž ’œ ‹ŽĴŽ› ‘Š— ‘Ž ˜‘Ž›ǯ ‘ŽœŽ Œ‘Ž–’ŒŠ•œ

go through a lot of testing. We wouldn’t be

using them if they weren’t safe. I think one of

our biggest problems as an industry is that we

haven’t educated the consumer about what

they really are.”

One step in that direction: perfume brands

are beginning to make the case that some

synthetics are actually more eco-friendly than

naturals. Natural musk, which once had to be

extracted–with fatal consequences–from the

unfortunate musk deer, is now illegal, as is

civet (thankfully, no longer derived from the

anal glands of an exotic cat), and endangered

crops, such as rosewood, can be protected by

using molecular facsimiles. “Synthetic raw

–ŠŽ›’Š•œȱ’ŸŽȱžœȱŒ˜—ꍮ—ŒŽȱ’—ȱœžœŠ’—Š‹’•’¢ȱ

• knowing where and how they were made
  and what exactly is in them,” Flores-Roux
  says. “Your essence of orange or sandalwood
  may be adulterated or not the best quality. It
  might not even be the plant it claims to be.”
  “I think sustainability is really important in
  a discussion of synthetics,” Huber says. “It’s
  where the future will be. A lot of naturals
  Œ˜–Žȱ ›˜–ȱ Œ˜—Ě’ŒȬ›’Ž—ȱ Š›ŽŠœȱ ˜›ȱ Š›Žȱ
  irresponsibly sourced.” Pop, Stella McCartney’s
  most recent juice, utilised a simulated tuberose
  —˜Žȱ›Š‘Ž›ȱ‘Š—ȱœŠŒ›’ęŒŽȱ‘ŽȱřǰŜŖŖȱ̘ Ž›œȱ’ȱ
  would take to produce a single gram of the
  natural absolute. The company was also able
  ˜ȱŒ•Š’–ȱ‘Šȱ˜›ȱŽŸŽ›¢ȱŘǰśŖŖȱ‹˜Ĵ•Žœȱ˜ȱ›Š›Š—ŒŽȱ
  produced, one sandalwood tree was saved
  thanks to the use of a synthetic substitute.
  After having been, for so long, the
  unappreciated chorus of perfumery, synthetics
  are beginning to take the starring role. This
  began with Escentric Molecules, a brand
  founded in 2006 by German perfumer
  Geza Schoen, who realised that many of his
  favourite fragrances – including Dior’s
  Fahrenheit and Lancôme’s Trésor – featured
  extremely high doses of a cedary, musky
  molecule called Iso E Super, which is used in
  some proportion in virtually every commercial
  scent. “It kind of amalgamates everything
  together and adds that sparkling woody thing
  that you can’t get with any other ingredient,”
  Quintero says. Schoen decided to try the
  synthetic on its own, and the result, Escentric
  Molecules Molecule 01, an eau comprised
  entirely of Iso E Super, became a runaway hit.
  He followed this with Molecule 02 – the
  “tobacco-y, amber-y, mineral” ambroxan –
  Š—ȱ˜•ŽŒž•ŽȱŖřȱ– the “almost grapefruit-like”
  vetiveryl acetate.
  “I thought Molecule 01 would be for
  extreme creative types,” Schoen says, “but
  now it’s everywhere. Women, men, old
  people, young people. Someone even keeps
  sending me pictures of a dog that goes nuts
  when he smells it.”
  Nomenclature, the molecule-centric line
  launched in 2015, turned the spotlight on four
  of the 20th century’s groundbreaking aroma
  Œ‘Ž–’ŒŠ•œȱ ’‘ȱ’œȱꛜȱ˜ž›ȱœŒŽ—œȱ– the white
  musk Helvetolide, the hedione-like Paradisone,
  the woody Iso E Super-type molecule @

For Modern Muse

Nuit,ESTÉE

LAUDERemployed

an artificial version

of patchouli, called

clearwood, which

helps the note

have clarity.

Modern Muse

Nuit, $145

for 50ml,

Estée Lauder,

ŗŞŖŖŖŜŗřŘŜ

HERMÈS’ Galop

d’Hermès,

a commingling of

rose and leather,

was built around

the warm, spicy

safraleine molecule.

Galop d’Hermès,

Ǟřŗśȱ˜›ȱśŖ–•ǰȱ

Hermès,

hermes.com

150 ELLE AUSTRALIA

YVES SAINT

LAURENT used the

lab to capture the

essence of the

datura or angel’s

trumpet flower,

renowned for its

hallucinogenic effect

and propensity to

release the scent

only at night.

Mon Paris, $150

for 50ml, Yves

Saint Laurent,

ŗřŖŖȱŜśŗȱşşŗ

BEAUTY