On the face of it, scentless¹ cologne might seem pointless. If it's not going to spritz you with enticing-smelling scent², what's the point?

 

乍看起来，无味香水可能毫无意义。如果洒上香水却不能让你拥有诱人的香味，意义何在？

 

And yet one perfume company is selling just that - Escentric Molecules⁴ fragrances⁶ are practically scentless, but apparently⁷ mingle⁸ with the wearer's natural pheromones to create a unique smell.

 

After all, no one wants to smell the same as everyone else, do they?

 

It's a scientific new approach to perfumes - there is just one aroma⁹ molecule³ in each fragrance⁵, and the other (odourless) ingredients in the formula are selected to enhance this aroma-molecule and amplify¹⁰ its key qualities.

 

The concept was created in 2006 by perfumer Geza Schoen, who has been heralded¹¹ as a rising star in the fragrance industry. The range is now stocked in Selfridges, Liberty London and on Net-a-Porter.

 

It's a unique departure from traditional perfumes and colognes that are generally made up of top-, middle- and base-notes, and tend to smell the same on everyone.

 

Because of something called olfactory¹² adaptation, you never know quite how strongly your fragrance smells either - after a few minutes of exposure to a smell, it becomes 80 percent less powerful.

 

Escentric Molecules are shaking things up though, and celebrities¹³ including Rihanna, Beyoncé, Jay-Z and Kate Moss¹⁴ are rumoured¹⁵ to be fans. It likely won't be long before other perfumers are experimenting with the technology too.

 

The colognes are unisex and smell different on every wearer, but much like the majority of designer perfumes, 100ml of eau de toilette will set you back nearly £70.

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