Fourth Axis

Fourth Axis opens fresh and faintly aquatic, a bright grapefruit-and-juniper accord that initially reads like a generic blue fragrance before it warms and rounds out. The heart brings in a soft, apricot-tinged osmanthus laced with creamy sandalwood, while the base leans green and woody - galbanum and resinous mastic with a quiet rose underpinning. It chases the woody-fruity airiness of Escentric Molecules Escentric 04, and on first wear it improves as it dries down. Compared with the original's transparent, skin-radiant Iso E Super glow, this budget version sits flatter and more linear, with the citrus-green facets weighted up front and the refined woody shimmer dialled back. Longevity is moderate and projection stays close after the opening burst. As a clean, unisex daytime fresh-woody for spring and summer it does the job, just without the diffusive, second-skin radiance of the real Escentric 04.