# Molinard — Thé Basilic

> A bright, green, herbal-aromatic EDP built around a hyper-realistic basil note braced with mint and citrus over a tea heart - and, as of 2019, the original of a DNA that Xerjoff's much pricier Torino 

## Essence
A bright, green, herbal-aromatic EDP built around a hyper-realistic basil note braced with mint and citrus over a tea heart - and, as of 2019, the original of a DNA that Xerjoff's much pricier Torino 21 (2021) would later make famous. Part of Molinard's "Collection Matieres: La Fraicheur," it was inspired by Sri Lankan tea hills meeting the aromatic herbs of southern France.

## Scent Profile
The opening is a bracing lemon-bergamot splash over crushed green herbs - full-blast fresh, with mint and basil leading. Reviewers split on emphasis: some get "full blast fresh lemonade and minty rindy citrus," others find basil so dominant it overwhelms ("after the 20 minute mark all you will smell is sweet basil"). The heart brings the tea forward - a green/black tea that's "smooth, slightly soapy," sometimes with an almost figgy or blackcurrant-tinged facet and a whisper of jasmine. Drydown settles into green, citrusy, musky verbena with the basil still percolating; in the deep base several note "iso e super and woods." The composition is fairly linear - a "lot of earthy basil the whole way through." Signature accord: realistic crushed-basil-and-mint over green tea. A perceptible and controversial submerged note is calone: many don't register it, but calone-sensitive wearers detect a marine/aquatic edge in the far drydown ("upclose on skin into the far dry down I get the calone, I don't understand why calone is even here"). Javanol in the base is credited by one detail-oriented reviewer with the woody warmth and extended longevity - and blamed for headaches by the javanol-sensitive.

## Performance
Performance is the consensus weak point, in line with the genre. wearers estimates cluster around moderate projection and ~5-6 hours' longevity ("it's gone after 5-6 hours"; "lasts about as long as a fart in the wind" from a harsher critic; another logs "moderately soft projection for 3-4hr, longevity 6-8hr"). Projection is "strictly moderate. Not intimate at all." The pragmatic application tip from owners: carry a travel spray and reapply.

## Wearing Context
Spring and summer, daytime, casual-to-smart-casual. It reads clean, natural and unisex (though some feel a man "could pull this off waaay better" given the bitter-green tea, and others find it leans slightly feminine). Bloom Perfumery's framing is apt - "the scent of close air and clean surfaces, freshness to read as polished rather than sporty," suited to composed daytime presence and mild-to-warm weather.

## Comparisons & DNA
The defining comparison is Xerjoff Torino 21 (2021), and the wearers consensus is striking: The Basilic came first and is the cheaper "origin of that DNA." Verbatim: "Wow so Xerjoff's Torino 21, released in 2021 2 years after this, is an exact dupe for Molinard's The Basilic, at 6 times the price." Nuance from those who own both: they're "very similar" but "not clones" - Molinard is "heavier on the mint, especially in the beginning, a lot greener and less sweet," while Torino 21 is "a bit cleaner" and leans more citrus/soapy-lemon. A third reference point is Acqua di Parma Buongiorno (2025), described by one cross-poster as "a more refined, unisex and better rounded version of Molinard The Basilic with less citrus and smoother basil." Bloom Perfumery pitches it as the heir to Guerlain's noughties Aqua Allegoria experiments. Distinct from Hermes H24 Herbes Vives (less herbaceous) per one reviewer.

## Reception
Broadly beloved as a value pick, with a vocal minority of dissenters. Praise centers on the realism ("an actual work of art. The basil has amazing depth. It's earthy, like ACTUALLY earthy"), the quality-to-price ratio ("the price/quality ratio is unreal"), and summer wearability.

## Versions & Reformulation
Owners report a possible quiet reformulation/dilution. One long-term owner who bought 250 ml refill bottles in Grasse in 2024 wrote: "we both felt that they have watered down the formula, I have still the old formula and I could compare immediately both versions, quite disappointed about the longevity from the new batch" - while adding the composition itself remains "magnificent" and uncertain whether it applies only to refill bottles. Treat this as an unconfirmed single-owner report, not a documented reformulation.

## Acquisition Notes
Counterfeiting is not a notable concern. The 7.5 ml and 1 ml sample formats make low-cost testing easy.

## Notable Facts & Lore
- The lore here is the reverse-dupe narrative: The Basilic (2019) predates Xerjoff Torino 21 (2021), so the enthusiast wearers frequently frames the expensive Xerjoff as having "pretty much passed off Molinard's release as their own 2 years later at 3-4x the price." That David-vs-Goliath value story - Molinard, founded in 1849 in Grasse and one of the oldest family-run perfumeries in France, quietly outdoing a luxury-priced "clone" - is the main driver of the fragrance's word-of-mouth and YouTube coverage ("THE BEST ALTERNATIVE TO XERJOFF TURIN 21").
- The "whole plant" basil anecdote - a Molinard rep telling a customer the perfume smells of "the earth beneath, the roots, the stalk, the leaves, all of it" - recurs as the line buyers quote to capture what's special about it.