Making One's Own Molecule 01 (Straight Iso E Super)

[David Ruskin]

IFRA recommend a maximum of 21.0% on unshaved skin, and (I think) a maximum of 7.0% on shaved skin. These recommendations are due to Iso E Super being considered a sensitiser.

 

[I.D.Adam]

FWIW, I decided to wear Iso E Super today at 10% dilution to evaluate it on skin. I don't know why anyone would wear this by itself as a fragrance but I didn't note any irritation. To each their own I suppose

 

[pkiler]

I think that 100% Iso E Super might have trouble just going through a sprayer due to viscosity...
You should predilute... And you don't really need to have it at more than 20% dilution anyway.

 

[Chris Bartlett]

Hi everybody,

I'm new to this forum and I also decided to try and make my own Molecule 01 as DIY has always been fun for me and I really don't have enough money to buy expensive originals

I've already ordered Iso E Super and Perfumers alcohol (the only one I was able to get in my country contained denatured alcohol, isopropyl myristate and dpgl) and I have also read the Primer, however I do have couple of questions and I would be really glad if someone more knowledgable than me would help me with them.

1. I purchased a couple of aluminium bottles with atomizers, do I need to sterilize them in the oven as well prior to filling (of course, without atomizers, hehe)?

2. I don't understand the "sitting" process entirely, after mixing iso e super and alcohol, do I need to leave it open or close it in glass container for several weeks? Or can I just fill the aluminium bottles and let it rest in them? As somebody else pointed out, is it really necessary to wait for 4-6 weeks with just mixing iso e super and perfumers alcohol? Also, after sitting period, do I need to add distilled water to the mix and filter thru coffee filter?

Thanks in advance for answers.

Cheers, Thomas.

Whatever you do don't waste your IES trying to spray it neat because it's too thick to spray. A 20% solution in ethanol is fine and there's no need to let it rest, it will be fit to use right after mixing.

 

[jsparla]

Is this a good set to make Molecule 01?

I'm not sure about the "Cosmetisch Haarwater"...

http://www.hekserij.nl/Parfum_en_Geur/Pakketten_(geur_en_parfum)/MAKKELIJK_Parfum_No1_maken.aspx

23021-4 Iso E Super 10 ml
27001-1 Verstuiver Quadro 30 ml
27092-1 Miniverstuiver helder
29550-7 Cosmetisch Haarwater 100 ml
30110-1 Druppelpipet plastic 3 ml
30111-1 Druppelpipet plastic 1 ml
Werkblad

Yes, this is a good supplier, and Cosmetisch Haarwater can be used: it's 97% alcohol, a bit of panthanol and bergamot (hardly noticeable, but undrinkable).
And if you'd like to get some more fun out of your Iso E Super Molecule One project, take a look at some 'upgrades', ten variations on a theme ;-)
https://sites.google.com/site/perfu...centric-molecule-01-ten-variations-on-a-theme

Happy perfuming.

 

[Chris Bartlett]

Yes, this is a good supplier, and Cosmetisch Haarwater can be used: it's 97% alcohol, a bit of panthanol and bergamot (hardly noticeable, but undrinkable).
And if you'd like to get some more fun out of your Iso E Super Molecule One project, take a look at some 'upgrades', ten variations on a theme ;-)
https://sites.google.com/site/perfu...centric-molecule-01-ten-variations-on-a-theme

Happy perfuming.

I love your variations: what a fun bit of exploration

 

[antoniovidaljr]

Hi everyone!

I have a few questions.

1. Can i use this to make molecule 01? Ethanol 95% Denatured with 5.0% IPA containing 690mg of Bitrex per 100L of alcohol.

2. Iso E Super (i)
CAS # 54464-57-2
Can use up to 10% of total concentrate.
If I wanted to make 20% concentrate in 100ml bottle, how could I do it?
Does the "Can use up to 10% of total concentrate." Mean its not 100% Iso E Super?

Stupid questions but your help is appreciated.
Glad to be here.

 

[pkiler]

Probably, you can use the alcohol. Go ahead and try a 20% dilution, of 20 grams Iso E Super, and 80 grams alcohol.

 

[antoniovidaljr]

Probably, you can use the alcohol. Go ahead and try a 20% dilution, of 20 grams Iso E Super, and 80 grams alcohol.

Thank you for your help.

I was wondering if the Iso E from Perfumers Apprentice has always been only 10% of concentrate or more? The reason I'm asking is if it's only 10% than if I'm trying to make a 100ml bottle like you said than I would only have 2% concentrate of Iso E in the whole bottle.
Is 2% enough to smell like Molecule 01?
Thanks

 

[Possum-Pie]

I tell people that if they are just out to save money, there are a few people online who make Iso E Super fragrance similar to Molecule 01 and sell it on EBAY for less than $20. It's much easier than trying to get it right yourself. If you are interested in doing it yourself for the enjoyment of it, then by all means, have fun! I bought a bottle 2 years ago from a chap in England, and even with shipping cost to USA, it was less than $20 for 50mls...I just peeked on Ebay, and he is still selling. I see some folks from the USA have also gotten into the game, but can't vouch for their quality, I've never tried theirs.

 

[gandhajala]

Hi everyone!

I have a few questions.

1. Can i use this to make molecule 01? Ethanol 95% Denatured with 5.0% IPA containing 690mg of Bitrex per 100L of alcohol.

2. Iso E Super (i)
CAS # 54464-57-2
Can use up to 10% of total concentrate.
If I wanted to make 20% concentrate in 100ml bottle, how could I do it?
Does the "Can use up to 10% of total concentrate." Mean its not 100% Iso E Super?

Stupid questions but your help is appreciated.
Glad to be here.

I think that is a usage guideline.
Also, as I am sure has been pointed out in this thread, Molecule 01 uses Iso Gamma Super which is captive. That means, your home-brew Iso E Super version will not smell identical. I think the consensus is that Timbersilk is closer to Iso Gamma than regular qualities of Iso E.

 

[David Ruskin]

Thank you for your help.

I was wondering if the Iso E from Perfumers Apprentice has always been only 10% of concentrate or more? The reason I'm asking is if it's only 10% than if I'm trying to make a 100ml bottle like you said than I would only have 2% concentrate of Iso E in the whole bottle.
Is 2% enough to smell like Molecule 01?
Thanks

20 gms plus 80 gms alcohol adds up to 100 gms; that is a 20.0% solution of Iso E Super in alcohol.

 

[Serg Ixygon]

Molecule 01 is a perfume, it's a mixture for my nose. Iso E is much poore.

 

[David Ruskin]

IFRA recommends the use of Iso E Super at a maximum of 7.1% in final product for Aftershaves (applied to abraded skin) and 21.3% for all other alcoholic applications.

 

[antoniovidaljr]

Thanks everyone. I want to have fun making my own perfume, but I do love the way Molecule 01 smells. I just bought a bottle here in Canada $185 plus taxes $210. I don't regret it because their is something magical about it. I want to try to play with that scent and tinker with it and make it my own.
How much timbersilk would you add to 100ml bottle with 20% Iso E?
You know how it takes 10min or so to start smelling Molecule 01, would adding timbersilk make it smell right away?

 

[lyoffka]

Guys, all my mixes of iso e super have extremely alcoholic opening.( What do you think, how do Molecules handle the problem? Can hedione or anything else help?

 

[the_good_life]

I have a serious question thoiugh. What do you all think about if I went hard, and sprayed straight 100% ISO E Super out of the atomizer, straight onto my skin, instead of diluting it down. I'm liukely at least going to give that a try, I dont know how much i'll experiment in the 100% atomizer, maybe 10ml.

Jackass - perfumery edition :-D

 

[Possum-Pie]

Guys, all my mixes of iso e super have extremely alcoholic opening.( What do you think, how do Molecules handle the problem? Can hedione or anything else help?

Ethanol at 96% or higher generally doesn't smell of "alcohol" more than a few seconds...if it is sticking around longer than that it may be contaminated, or you may be smelling some component of the I. E . Super...

 

[lyoffka]

I guess you are right about the contamination, cause I am using 96% medical alcohol since it's the only available option in my country. I guess I should try perfumers alcohol.

 

[Possum-Pie]

I guess you are right about the contamination, cause I am using 96% medical alcohol since it's the only available option in my country. I guess I should try perfumers alcohol.

Ah..that is probably the answer. ISOPROPYL alcohol is acceptable for fragrances, but the odor is more noxious and lasts longer. You can try a top note to mask the Isopropyl. It will disappear about the same time the isopropyl smell will.

 

[I.D.Adam]

Ah..that is probably the answer. ISOPROPYL alcohol is acceptable for fragrances, but the odor is more noxious and lasts longer. You can try a top note to mask the Isopropyl. It will disappear about the same time the isopropyl smell will.

Because of it's smell, and potential for noxious side effects if ingested, isopropyl alcohol is NOT acceptable for fragrance.

 

[Possum-Pie]

Because of it's smell, and potential for noxious side effects if ingested, isopropyl alcohol is NOT acceptable for fragrance.

You are correct...I shouldn't have said "Acceptable" in terms of preferred, it is NOT preferred. Acceptable as in it will work if you are OK with the odor and there is no other alternative diluant. As for ingestion, none of the fragrances are meant for drinking, so that is a non-issue. My shampoo will make me sick if I drink it...doesn't stop me from using it.

 

[I.D.Adam]

You are correct...I shouldn't have said "Acceptable" in terms of preferred, it is NOT preferred. Acceptable as in it will work if you are OK with the odor and there is no other alternative diluant. As for ingestion, none of the fragrances are meant for drinking, so that is a non-issue. My shampoo will make me sick if I drink it...doesn't stop me from using it.

It is a potential liability issue and it would be very unwise to use isopropyl alcohol in a commercial fragrance.

 

[Possum-Pie]

It is a potential liability issue and it would be very unwise to use isopropyl alcohol in a commercial fragrance.

Absolutely...but many BNers come to DIY asking about isopropyl b/c they are trying to make frags for their own use, in countries where Ethanol is Banned/impossible to get. Rather than saying "You can't use isopropyl" I give them the pros and cons and let them decide. Lyoffka stated that Ethanol is unavailable and he is using "medical" alcohol...I'm assuming that is Isopropyl. As long as he doesn't sell it, and is ok with the smell, he can use it.

 

[lyoffka]

As long as he doesn't sell it, and is ok with the smell, he can use it.

I am not ok with it, and I'll try the alternatives as soon as I figure it out how to import it. But I dont understand, what is the problem with usage the Isopropyl in the commercial fragrances? I mean besides the odor issues.

 

[Erica lawrence]

OK first up, not all Iso E Super is the same, but if you buy the stuff from PA then it should be the original from IFF so that’s a good start - you might want to check that’s still what they are stocking before you buy as there are cheaper alternatives on the market that won’t perform as well (it’s the proportion of the gamma isomer that’s critical if you’re into chemical specifics).

Second don’t forget that what you get will be a pure chemical so handle with care.

Perfumer’s Alcohols are not all the same either, and you might want to consider using Everclear 95% ethanol if it’s available in Oregon as that way you are not introducing any other chemicals to the blend at all. Failing that choose the most neutral form of ethanol you can buy but don’t go for anything with more than around 5% water in it.

Finally I don’t know for sure what proportion is used in Molecule 01 but I would suggest you start with a 10-15% solution and certainly don’t go higher than about 20%. Ideally that should be by weight, but as you’re starting out you probably won’t have scales so what you need to know is this:
The specific gravity of Iso E Super is between 0.96 and 0.97.
The specific gravity of ethanol is roughly 0.8

So to get 100ml of a ~10% solution you’d need to put in 8ml of Iso E Super to 92ml of ethanol:
8 x .96 = 7.68
92 x .8 = 73.6

So that’s a 10.4% solution by weight - close enough for your purposes. If you don’t find that’s strong enough you can always add more Iso E Super until you’re happy with it.

Any shop or online store where I can get these items?

 

[pkiler]

Any shop or online store where I can get these items?

The source that you quote mentions PA as a source, which is Perfumer's Apprentice, in California.
Other suppliers that you can purchase from are Perfumer Supply House in Connecticut, and Creating Perfume, (But they just moved across the country to the US East Coast, and I can't remember where they are presently...)

 

[andy.kacze]

Guys, all my mixes of iso e super have extremely alcoholic opening.( What do you think, how do Molecules handle the problem? Can hedione or anything else help?

I use roughly 4ml Iso E Super + 2ml of Timbersilk for a 30ml bottle. Fill up the rest with 80% alcohol or perfumers alcohol. I found that if you let it sit for a week the alcohol smell is not that prominent anymore! Smells good to me, try it out!

 

[sibie]

The source that you quote mentions PA as a source, which is Perfumer's Apprentice, in California.
Other suppliers that you can purchase from are Perfumer Supply House in Connecticut, and Creating Perfume, (But they just moved across the country to the US East Coast, and I can't remember where they are presently...)

Creating Perfume moved to Maryland and is run entirely by different people now. While this change happened a while back, it still seems to be a bit of a 'hit or miss.' Many items are no longer available, others in process and others, for some odd reason, 'only for wholesale accounts.' This has been rough because some items were offered only by CP and now are either unavailable or 'only for wholesale' accounts, which defeats the whole purpose of being a small supplier. If I wanted to run a business and have a wholesale account, I'd buy from Vigon! I miss Susan.... So, I started finding different sources for anything I used to get from them. If you ever used their accords, you're also out of luck as most are gone. Thankfully, I have a strict guideline I follow regarding accords and I only use my own, or bases created by perfume houses which are more likely to be available long term (i.e. Sampaquita). I do this precisely because of what happened to CP accords. Also, as many are getting reformulated, I want to be able to continue doing what I have been doing all along (i.e. using Lilial!) Alongside PA and PSH, I started using PCW quite a bit to make up for CP's deficit.

 

[Dom.746]

Hey guys
I am absolutely new to this and created an account which should help me connect with people having knowledge about mixing perfumes!
I did understand the part which was posted years ago, how to mix your own Molecule 01 - regarding of the different components.
I used to wear a iso e super replica from ebay (got a lot of compliments with it) but unfortunately I couldn't smell it really.
I recently tested out Escentric Molecule 01 (M+ Series with mandarins) and I liked it a lot. It gave me a fresh, sweet taste right of the shower AND I could smell it as well.
What I am really curious about - which could be a possibility to mix a DIY VERSION of the Molecule 01 M+ mandarin?
I would appreciate any help Thanks a lot guys

 

[mnitabach]

Based on the advertising copy this is intentionally designed to lack "mid" notes & is supposed to be just "mandarin" top & IES. I supposed you could try bergamot + an actual mandarin material + a very teeny tiny bit of mandarin aldehyde (or another aliphatic aldehyde, like maybe C-10?) to boost the citrus top ?

 

[Dom.746]

thanks for your quick response
Because I am an absolute newbie if have to ask this question:
can I 'freehand' the mixture (which will be added to the IES mixture) or should I follow a basic starting point of these 3 materials you have just mentioned?
Also could you define "an actual mandarin material" ? I am a little bit confused about the term

 

[mnitabach]

No idea what you mean by "freehand". If you have zero experience with perfumery, and all you are trying to achieve is replicate Molecule 1 + Mandarin but cheaper, I promise you will be vastly better off just paying the $150 for the real deal (as painful as that may seem). If you do have some experience with perfumery, then you might have a shot at replicating this fragrance. By "actual mandarin material", I mean red or green mandarin essential oils.

 

[pkiler]

Also could you define "an actual mandarin material" ? I am a little bit confused about the term

This is Mandarin skin expressed essential oil, Red is sweeter than green, which is greener, more tart smelling.
If you buy mandarin aldehyde, you should dilute it first before trying to use it here in your blend.
You don't mention in which country you reside. If you do mentionm we can likely tell you some suppliers that are easy to purchase from.

 

[mnitabach]

thanks for your quick response
Because I am an absolute newbie if have to ask this question:
can I 'freehand' the mixture (which will be added to the IES mixture) or should I follow a basic starting point of these 3 materials you have just mentioned?
Also could you define "an actual mandarin material" ? I am a little bit confused about the term

This is Mandarin skin expressed essential oil, Red is sweeter than green, which is greener, more tart smelling.
If you buy mandarin aldehyde, you should dilute it first before trying to use it here in your blend.
You don't mention in which country you reside. If you do mentionm we can likely tell you some suppliers that are easy to purchase from.

Following on what Paul & I already said, even if you aren't at all experienced with perfumery, attempting to replicate Molecule 1 + Mandarin could certainly be a fun vehicle for sticking your toe in the perfumery water & seeing if you might enjoy it!!!

 

[Dom.746]

This is Mandarin skin expressed essential oil, Red is sweeter than green, which is greener, more tart smelling.
If you buy mandarin aldehyde, you should dilute it first before trying to use it here in your blend.
You don't mention in which country you reside. If you do mentionm we can likely tell you some suppliers that are easy to purchase from.

thanks again for all of your responses!
I am living in Germany. It would be super cool if you can tell me some sellers, from where I can buy everything.
also another question - should I just add for example all mandarin specific ingredients to my "molecule 01 scent" or should I mix it from the ground up?

 

[Dom.746]

Following on what Paul & I already said, even if you aren't at all experienced with perfumery, attempting to replicate Molecule 1 + Mandarin could certainly be a fun vehicle for sticking your toe in the perfumery water & seeing if you might enjoy it!!!

sounds great and I am really excited about that!
In fact I am an absolute beginner of this, are their any threats or forum post/youtube videos where I can learn more about this topic (beginner friendly would be nice ).
Kind regards
Dom