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In Honour of Man's First Steps on the Moon – Fragrances Dedicated to Dreamy Moon

10/21/09 02:51:33

By: Sandra Raičević-Petrović

It lulls us to sleep every night. Its silver glow protects the magic veil which wraps us from night to night and reveals magic secrets over and over again. The Moon closest to our planet is a companion from a fairy-tale who runs around his mother’s dress like a child, playing and hiding his childish secrets with the first rays of Sun.

The 40th anniversary of man's close contact with the Moon was celebrated on July 21, 2009. Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon in Apollo on July 21, 1969. I will try to connect the meaning of a man on the Moon with an observer and dreamer who is watching from the Earth in this text.

For astronomy fans: the Moon is earth's natural satellite, fifth biggest planet in our Solar system. It is known that the Moon has its phases: new moon, first quarter, full moon and last quarter. With time, gravitation has slowed down the Moon and now it turns around its own axis just once in this cycle of turning around the Earth&mndash; an orbital period of 27.5 days. The mutual positions of the Sun, Moon and Earth are certainly important and connected with influences on the Earth (high and low tide), many of which are still unresolved.

For astrology fans: the Moon is the ruler of Cancer and it influences emotions, habits, rhythm, memories and moods. The Moon also describes mothers, motherly feelings, home and the past.

The pensive and romantic Moon has inspired many perfumery artists. Ramon Molvizar created a fantastic collection of perfumes. One of them shines with a silver glow—Luna (Moon), and calms with its herbal-spicy opening (coriander, basil, cardamom) and mild, woody nuances, finishing with a duet of amber and musk. A flacon of Molvizar’s moon contains pieces of silver which are perfectly iridescent, just like the full Moon on peaceful water.

Bois 1920 was launched by Come da Luna— a fragrance inspired by a romantic dinner where the Moon shines in full brightness and glitters with citruses (lemon, mandarin, sweet orange) combined with spices (pink pepper, coriander), along with fine, deep, woody nuances of patchouli, rosewood, cedar, incense and amber.

Miya Shinma presented her collection of nature-inspired perfumes. One of them is Tsuki—Moon, a romantic oriental version of the Moon’s magic in a warm, summer night, shown with pure and airy aromas of bamboo, iris and rose, as well as passionate but very gentle raspberries with a soft, woody base composed of sandalwood, vanilla and musk.

Escada sees the Moon in an exotic and fruity way and creates Moon Sparkle with an abundance of fruit and flowers, just like the sweetness of first kisses in moonlight.

Fruity rhythms of strawberry, apple, black currant and raspberry are accompanied by a floral choir of rose, jasmine, freesia and sweet peas. The base is passionate and cuddly and the composition is characterized as sweet and drinkable. This sweet summer seductress leaves enough room for her companion which makes her heart beat faster in moonlight—Moon Sparkle for Him.

Love for the Moon is revealed by designers of the house of Ghost who launched several perfumes dedicated to the dreamy Moon: Deep Night, Deepest Night, Summer Dream, Sheer Summer, Summer Flirt, Summer Moon...

Versions of the Moon in several colors and compositions take us back to childhood and romantic dreams in which, if you climb high enough, you can touch the Moon’s surface and steal a bit of its magic dust with your fingertips.

The Moon in your palm—what a great feeling! Imagine if you held six flacons of the Moon in your hands!

Ghost Deep Night is definitely the one I would like to single out. It is a small treasure hiding in a dark flacon, keeping wonderful fruity zests of apricot and peach which will take you among alleys of ripe fruit trees in summer evenings.

A very juicy and feminine opening is enhanced by Queen of the Night flowers, which are appropriate for the theme and the composition. Dreamy white cactus blossom opens its petals and admires the moonlight together with rose, warm woody notes, vanilla, amber and musk. If you prefer floral-fruity scents of the warm, summer night, Deep Night is a true discovery—the Moon in your palm and heavenly sweetness on the skin…

The Moon was inspiration for Hanae Mori - Magical Moon, Pilar and Lucy - Tiptoeing through Chambers of the Moon, Tokyo Milk - Honey and the Moon, Moon Dance by Anya's Garden, D&G La Lune 10, Acqua di Biella La Luna, Sisley Soir de Lune and many other.

The latest fragrance dedicated to the Moon and a celebration of the 40th anniversary of man’s first walk on the Moon (Neil Armstrong with Apollo) is Moon Safari by Memo. Imaginary journeys to the Moon’s surface are accompanied by a wild safari of opulent ingredients which offer bright and luminous aromas in the very beginning.

Citruses which open the composition—lemon, bitter orange, grapefruit and mandarin tell stories of freedom and life among stars and planets. The heart introduces vetiver, sage, lavender and neroli, while citrusy zests are replaced by unique woody-floral-aromatic notes.

After an explosion of freshness in the top, the base notes calm down this olfactive collage with warm and comfortable Tonka accords, which settle down the excitement.

Photos: lrargerich , ifijay

Author: Sandra Raičević Petrović (sandrina_bambina)
Fragrantica Editor, writer & designer

zoka

Very original idea for article I love it. Moon and space have always inspired me.

Oct
21
2009

alicektn

Lovely article. I love every bottle with a moon shape - especially the waning moons from ghost line. And that Ramon Molvizar..

Also magical moon by hanae mori smells exactly like a romantic starry night in a fantasy world.

Oct
21
2009

litldove7

Great article Sandrina!

Oct
21
2009

Ina_Mo

What a fantastic article, Sandrina! I don't know how you got inspiration to write about Moon-fragrances, but you realized it really great.I wish I could have Molvizar's Luna, I think that the flacon reflects the Moon perfectly. In my opinion, the Moon would smell cold, distant, powdery, but it would also wrap the aura like a silver veil. Something like Perles de Lalique.

Oct
21
2009