Captain Molyneux (1975)
by Molyneux

Once again I find myself in the same camp (or laundry room) as the good Mr Nitram.

He remembers the Captain as 'no hearty seadog, but a light, slight, delicate fellow who emanated a faint whiff of lavender amid the essence of clean clothes.'

I would often see the Captain peeping out from some very decent publications like British Vogue in the late 1970s where he was highly regarded. I did not encounter him personally until just this week - by now of course he has been long retired. Even so he was easy to track down via amazon uk!

If anything he is even more 'quiet, clean and mild-mannered' than when on active service I would guess. I detected a passing likeness to Worth PH in the top notes but the whiff from the good Captain was so faint it had gone within a few minutes.

Likeable but very weak even with a/s and edt applied together.

28th October, 2011.

Be sure to try the dark opaque bottle like the one shown at the top of this listing. This one has better longevity than the later clear bottles, apparently.

Captain is a mild, slightly spicy and soapy fougere-esque scent. It reminds me a little of Lacoste Original. LO has better projection and longevity. Vermeil has even more power using some of the same ingredients.

I got this for a great deal at a counter that featured discontinued products, so I can't complain about the meager sillage. On me the longevity lasts several hours of close-to-the-vest projection.

18th March, 2011.

Lavender! Ocean water! Awesome! Captain Molyneux is my kind of cologne! Wow, I can get this online with a matching bottle of aftershave for dirt cheap! I have to get this!

So it was with great disappointment that I sprayed myself down liberally with Captain Molyneux yesterday, and within 15 minutes or so, I smelled nothing. It's not like the first 15 minutes were anything to write home about either - it just smells like another boring Eau de Cologne a la Roger & Gallet Extra Vielle, with some kind of synthetic-smelling civet or salt note note in it. On paper, my description might sound good, but trust me, we're not talking about a bargain version of Jicky here. This smells like a mix of synthetic aromachemicals trying to duplicate natural smells of lavender, citrus and civet, and the whole thing just smells flat, poorly blended and lifeless. And this boring smell only lasts 15 minutes, then nothing. R&G Extra Vielle smells like a powerhouse compared to this.

I should note that I bought the version that comes in a tall clear bottle with a blue shiny sticker, and comes with a matching aftershave. I believe this is a reissue and a reformulation, so perhaps the original Captain Molyneux is a lot better than the crap I bought. I'll probably never know.

MY RATING: 3/10

16th February, 2011.

How I miss Captain... It is no longer available in Montréal where I live. I wore it in the late 70's and I still can remember how wearing it made me feel. It was fresh and warm at the same time. I had so many compliments for it. I haven't smelled it since. I hope they did not change it's composition like so many perfume houses have done to their classics in the past decade.

23rd October, 2010.

The lovely Captain Molyneux!

I recently became reacquainted with this old love of mine after a hiatus of about 20 years. I first used CM in 1982 when it was one of the hottest frags in this part of the world (West Africa) then several more bottles up till 1990.

The reviews here are rather surprising. It seems as if another Captain Molyneux is being described. Captain is an aromatic fougere, not a marine scent in the "aquatic" genre sense, although i guess "captain" connotes a mariner and thus the association. However, if this scent was made to evoke the sea then some brilliant perfumery was effected by the house of Molyneux. Captain starts of with a very aromatic, clovey and spicy lemon accord with strident treble notes. This is one of the frags which evoke a nose-tingling feeling with me, which i quite enjoy. After about 15+ minutes the fragrance calms down a little bit and then, together with coniferous and spicy notes, a certain infamous note which has not been mentioned in previous reviews enters the stage: Civet. Yep, ye good old civet. Captain is actually an animalic frag with a good dose of civet and i guess that is where the "sea", notes observed by other reviewers is derived. I need to disclose here that i live in the tropics where heart- and base-notes are usually (nicely) amplified by our almost year-round high temperatures. The civet, though well balanced by the strong spices, really comes to the fore in the heat.

Another surprise is the consensus that Captain has below-par longevity. I have always enjoyed good (8+) longevity with Captain, but again i only gauge longevity from actual wearings and not back-of-wrist sniffs. It does stay close to the skin most of the time, but its still significantly present. I admit i spray liberally, but not even half as much as naed_nitram's anecdotal captain.

Captain is indeed a beautiful and iconic fragrance. Foetidus, as always, is right in saying that it belongs in a collector's wardrobe. It is here to always stay in mine.

11th July, 2010.

Do you know the smell of the things that spent a long time immersed in sea water? I mean, like the smell of the wood pillars in a pier.... You can find this smell in Captain Molyneux. it is an inexpensive perfume, under 30 dollars. I highly recommend it. It is a gem that is still waiting to be discovered and receive recognition.

4th October, 2008.