What does Iso E Super smell like?
Iso E Super smells of polished, velvety cedarwood with an ambery, slightly powdery side. It is dry and never smoky. Many people barely perceive it and catch it in waves: it disappears, then returns when you move. That's part of its appeal. In a formula it acts as an amplifier. It gives radiance to woods and softness to flowers without signing the perfume.
Origin and production
The molecule was developed in 1973 at IFF by John B. Hall and James M. Sanders. Iso E Super is a trade name, and suppliers sell the same molecule under other names. Cheap and easy to dose, it spread quickly through formulas. It now ranks among the most widely used synthetic ingredients in perfumery.
How perfumers use it
Iso E Super works mostly in the base. In 2006 Geza Schoen launched Escentric Molecules with Molecule 01, which contains nothing else. It shifts with each skin, and many people only notice it on others. Elsewhere it plays support. Parfums de Marly pairs it with tobacco and vanilla in Herod (2012). Dior places it under the vetiver and coffee of its Vetiver (2010). Burberry Mr. Burberry Indigo (2018) combines it with oakmoss for a fresh woody base.
How to wear it
Iso E Super works in every season. Spray Molecule 01 generously, three or four times, as it stays close to the skin. On a jumper it lasts for days.