Ready for Escentric Molecules: The Third?

I know I’ve been banging on an awful lot about fragrance recently, but there are just so many damn good ones out there making appearances of late that it would be rude not to. The newest on the block – and available exclusively in New Zealand via Karen Walker stores – are the third pair of scents from Escentric Molecules, which take the runaway success story of the niche fragrance world back to its roots – literally. The “pyramid” on which celebrated nose Geza Schoen has based Escentric 03 has ginger root at its top, orrisroot at its heart and vetiver root at its base. As with the first two pairs, launched in 2006 and 2008, Schoen has designed two scents as homage to a single scent ingredient, or aroma-chemical. The aromachemical this time is vetiveryle acetate, a refined vetiver note that is gleefully celebrated at its purest in Molecule 03. Escentric 03, on the other hand, is a tribute to the more familiar side of vetiver: its dark, slightly exotic woodiness. MeCompany’s packaging of the Escentric scents has always been a huge part of their charm and desirability, and this time round the story is no different. To reinforce the “rootsiness” of the latest additions to the range, the packaging for 03 has a mood that keeps things organic but also delightfully mysterious. As the press release says, the design suggests “something dark moving just below the surface of things, something you can’t quite put your finger on”. And once again, both are built to look absolutely brilliant on your dressing table or spilling out of your tote. Christmas gift? Yes please!