Navigation: The Molton Brown Experience

The esteemed Molton Brown company of London, UK has become better known to customers in the United States and other parts of the world in just the past few years. Its high quality skin and hair products have slowly made their way into shops and department stores, and now they have opened boutiques in many major cities. Last year, they made a bold foray into the world of scent. With great curiosity, I made a stop at the midtown Molton Brown store on a recent stay in New York City.

The understated tones of the Molton Brown boutique on 515 Madison Avenue nod to the company’s English sense of dignified design, and yet still it remains brightly back-lit like many high-end department store displays. But what makes Molton Brown so approachable is its whimsy. All the products and designs are created with saturated but understated color, collaged illustrations, and a kind of mix-and-match theme that reminds one of the famous British science fiction show ‘The Prisoner.’ It’s a comforting and warm place to shop, enticing you to discover and experiment with its many products. Its focus on men’s grooming products makes it a particularly nice spot for men to browse and give themselves some pampering.

I met with store manager Pedro Abreu who talked to me about the mystique of Molton Brown. “There are very loyal customers. Once they discover our products, they come back regularly.” Abreu also notes that Molton Brown attracts users of all ages: from the dependable regulars who’ve used their products since the beginning in the 1970’s in England, to the young crowd that have discovered them in their search for excellent quality grooming tools with just a twist of British modernity.

Molton’s creations, from skin preparations to shampoos and conditioners, are deliciously scented, containing savory components like violet leaves, pink and black peppercorns, and ambery resins. The perfumes are for use by men and women and although they are distinct, they carry a characteristic sharpness and zest.

Navigations Through Scent

The Navigations through Scent series began in the summer of 2011. Each bottle is inspired by a specific location on the planet, with its exact latitude and longitude points printed on the box. Early spice trails link these scented cities of the globe, and Molton Brown treats the project with an almost historical reverence. The perfumes are packaged in beautiful black boxes covered in navigational symbols and the bottles are fascinating studies in reflection and light. Sleek chrome bands surround modeled glass to create a study in contrasts: the ultramodern alongside the decorative.

The series has crossed the globe, and we shall look at the first and the latest parts of this fascinating trail of perfume locations.

Iunu (pronounced ai-U-nu), refers to the ancient city also known as Heliopolis near the Nile delta. There, one can find few remnants of the one-time Predynastic Lower Egypt capital which now rests below the northern suburbs of Cairo, but Molton Brown’s scent of the same name captures the timeless sense of North Africa.

Iunu sprays on in a warm and enveloping spurt of unusually spicy top notes. Two resins (myrrh and elemi) and one root (ginger) start the experience. Pepper nigrum (black pepper) follows: It falls on the skin with some heat, as though you can feel the astringent ginger and peppercorns leaving their mark. The eau de toilette transforms rapidly into a thick wall of spice and Egyptian jasmine. For those who have not experience the scent of Egyptian jasmine, it is indeed a beautiful creature: a deep floral that has a fermented quality, giving it a dark and mysterious echo. Intermingling with the jasmine, pepper and ginger are clove, oakmoss and patchouli. Iunu dries down to a delicately balanced blend of mild spice in a gentle sandalwood power. It is a spicy floral that never overtakes or offends with brash gourmand notes. Throughout the scent’s lifespan, one notices a beautiful dusty earth-like note that seems to come from the stone foundations of a forgotten city.

Londinium is Molton Brown’s most recent perfume, a limited edition scent in a gold-hued version of the Navigations through Scent bottle. Once again, the name is historical, referring to one of the oldest known names for the city. Some speculate that the word Londinium predates Celtic language.

This fascinating eau de toilette is perhaps the most lighthearted and joyful of the Navigations series. It opens with the bright sweetness of bergamot and assorted berries. One can detect the sharpness of gooseberries and the bold juiciness of red and white currants. These opening notes carry throughout the scent experience. The middle notes are myrrh and oakmoss, but the bottom notes are the true star of the scent. A sweet and warm malt whiskey rounds out the perfume with just a hint of incense.

This combination is like the faint old-world smell of a tweed jacket with a pipe resting in the outer pocket. Never stuffy or pretentious, Londinium is a celebration of the incredible diversity of London—it's eccentricity mixed with a gentle seriousness; a joyful bus ride from Dagenahm to Hounslow.

The Molton Brown experience is a truly twenty-first century affair. The company’s creations manage to embrace both tradition and forward-thinking practice; for example, it doesn’t (and has never) tested on animals, and uses just a handful of animal-derived materials, all of which are described in detail on their website. The in-store experience at Molton Brown is a real treat. The next time you see the stately logo on a boutique canopy, make some time to go in and experience a wide world of scent with a characteristic flair of British irreverence.

Photo by John Biebel & Molton Brown

John Biebel (johngreenink) is a web and software interaction designer, painter and musician based in Boston, Massachusetts, US. He is also a student of perfumery and the scent sciences, and Fragrantica member!