Molinard de Molinard
Molinard (1979)

Molinard de Molinard seems to capture everything that makes a fragrance perfect... A soft subtlety, an evolution of complementary notes and sweet nuances, a singularly unique originality and a timeless beauty! Floral chypres are hard to pull off but Molinard de Molinard manages it beautifully.

Starts green and fruity with cassia and black currant over the citrus bergamot, settling on violet leaf, ladbanum and wonderful galbanum which unlays the entrance of the middle notes. Among the flower notes jasmine, narcissus and hyacinth stand up and are a bit sweetened and powdered by the rose and orris, while bittered with the fruity notes. The base notes are deliciously balanced and blended, creating leathery illusions, how bright it seems to introduce ylang ylang, neroli and vetiver there. 

It's not a young woman's fragrance (unless you are one of those perfumistas who can get past the fact that some of the best scents are older than you are) When you wear this perfume you feel "in control". It's a lovely smell but with a strong, unique character.

My two ounce perfume bottle is definitely vintage. An elegant, opulent green fruity floral chypre. You could only purchase this at Bonwit's and I.Magnin back in the day. The Lalique bottle with the ground-glass stopper is very chic. A little goes a long way with Molinard, and longevity is outstanding. The edt is Molinard perfume diluted and with a big, juicy hit of bergamot up top. This would work well as a cologne for (mature) men, but the perfume definitely skews female. I have a bottle of M de Molinard eau de parfum (red bottle) and that I don't care for too much. It has more Vetiver than I like and the performance is abysmal. Stick with the vintage perfume or toilet water and you can't go wrong. These types of bitter green floral chypres went out of style ages ago, so I doubt anyone under 50 would enjoy this. Look elsewhere for your cotton candy/marshmallow fix. Anthracite by Jacomo smells a lot like Molinard de Molinard, but Anthracite is quite powdery and Molinard is not.

It’s a very bitter floral fragrance. In the vintage style. That leads to a fragrance that screams “old lady who peed herself ahead!"

Genre: Green Floral

An abrasive galbanum top note gives way quickly to a bittersweet green floral accord that's reminiscent of its obvious precursors Silences and Yendi, and to a lesser extent, of Chanel No. 19. Rose, muguet, and narcissus peek out as individuals from time to time, but the floral notes for the most part blur together into a monolithic fresh blooming meadow accord. The heart is a bit sweeter and softer than Silences or Yendi, much more so than the Chanel. Without the conspicuous iris note common to Yendi, Silences, and No. 19, the Molinard is a more crisp, bright, and cheerful fragrance.

Unfortunately, it's also comparatively thin and soapy next to its more sumptuous predecessors, especially once the drydown sets in. Caustic synthetic woods and harsh, soapy rose dominate the base notes, and the vetiver and amber listed in Molinard's pyramid don't register strongly enough to counteract their unpleasantness. While I admire the green floral style, I don't think Molinard de Molinard adds much to the genre, and I'd sooner wear No. 19 – or better yet, track down Yendi or Silences.

Fresh, peachy citrus top notes are joined by greens, spring flowers, incense & vetiver. This is a light, happy fragrance which wears close to the skin in the drydown. I like it in spite of the fact that the fragrance unfolds too quickly and that some of the notes are lost in the drydown. I imagine that this has suffered during reformulation. I will try to get my hands on some vintage juice, because this perfume is worth knowing better. The longevity isn't bad provided you layer with the lotion. And the price makes this a bargain!

The brisk vetiver and green floral opening is somewhat reminiscent of Chanel No.19 EDT or the discontinued Lanvin for Men, but settles quickly into a lush, almost talcum powder-like floral accord with fleeting hints of indolic jasmine and incense(?). While MOLINARD DE MOLINARD gets a touch soapy at times, the heart remains beautifully green, the grassy vetiver retiring often and lending it a feminine sensuality without losing its old world charm. This is definitely one sexy Mrs Jones!