Molekule Air Mini Room Air Purifier

I don’t enjoy writing scathing reviews, but some companies seem to be working hard to earn them. I’m posting this in the hope that it will spare someone else the lousy experience I had with this product and the disingenuous company that makes it. The Molekule Air Mini emitted an offensive chemical smell out of the box that persisted for hours, at which point I turned it off. After contacting Molekule support, I got this reply: “As with any new product, your Molekule air purifier will have been exposed to dust and other contaminants during the warehousing and shipping of the device. When you first turn on the device you may notice a slight odor as it starts to run. This effect is called offgassing, and is caused by the release of gases that have been trapped or absorbed in the device during this transit period. Please note that Molekule’s technology is capable of breaking these things down, and we aim to minimize this initial offgassing as much as possible. If the smell continue (sic) after the initial period, we can always replace the PECO-Filter for your Molekule Air Mini for free, which we believe should remedy the issue.” I was creative director of a leading advertising/marketing/PR firm in Orlando for years. I know damage control when I see it. “As with any new product?” I have never bought any new device, including any air purifier, that produced a smell so noxious, it probably could be weaponized—what Molekule refers to as a “slight odor” I “may notice.” “Dust” does not produce off-gassing. Furthermore, there was no visible dust on the unit or even the box, and the filter came sealed in plastic. What sort of gases would be ”trapped or absorbed” in the device during warehousing and shipping? And 24-48 hours for this to clear out? Most likely, the odor is caused by the PECO technology, which is at best controversial, the hype notwithstanding. (“Hype” is not an overstatement. According to the New York Times, Molekule was challenged before the National Advertising Division in a case brought by Dyson for making 26 false claims in their advertising. Dyson prevailed, and most of the NAD’s findings were upheld on appeal.) Finally, wouldn’t a replacement filter also have gases, dust, and other contaminants “trapped or absorbed” during warehousing and shipping? Off-gassing can be toxic. This is supposed to be an air purifier. It’s hard to imagine an engineering/manufacturing failure that rivals production of an air purifier that stinks up the room and leaves you breathing in god-knows-what. My concern is that the Air Mini poses the same health risks as any product that off-gasses—and I’m supposed to leave this thing on, spewing nasty air, for 1-2 days in my house? Yes, the design is standout, industrial, minimalist, Apple quality, blah blah blah. Don’t be fooled by the pretty face. It only makes purchasing and having to return this debacle all the more disappointing. People who invest hundreds of dollars in air purifiers take air quality seriously. They deserve a far sight better than to find themselves dealing with foul, noxious vapors and a company that unabashedly tries to spin this deal-breaking defect into business-as-usual in a tour de force of “alternative facts.” Buyer, these days more than ever, beware. Returned.