Mooncake

This is a sweet, gourmand-leaning scent that is cozy and very wearable, especially for autumn or winter. I can imagine wearing this for a coffee run with a nice chunky sweater on. In the initial spray, it was very honey-forward, which has settled a little but still remains sweet. There is a light, tangy mustiness from the bean paste and/or pastry notes that also serves as the backbone of this fragrance. I would argue that this could even translate as a little hay-like too. There is also a subtle salty, egg yolk quality, but it’s just enough to add some complexity. You really only notice it if you are looking for it. I think this prevents the fragrance from becoming sickeningly sweet and cloying. I really enjoy this. I’ve only had a couple mooncakes in my life, but it feels pretty realistic and I could see myself reaching for it often. Rewear notes: second time putting this on, I still enjoyed it. However, it definitely had a more musty/dusty/tangy quality reminiscent of the bean and pastry. I put this on and judged it as a random scent, forgetting for a moment it’s a scent of a specific food item. For people in western countries who haven’t had many mooncakes and aren’t familiar with some of the ingredients, they will probably not grasp the gourmand quality of this and will probably read it as old or dusty as I stated above. I still really enjoy this, but in a western setting, I could understand if people would be perplexed by it. I think as a result, it makes it slightly harder to reach for, but at the same time, I personally don’t care and enjoy it regardless. So yummy and comforting!

Beautiful. I wish it had been a bit more daring with the mung bean and the egg yolk coating to reflect the density and chewiness of mooncakes. It's a 'nondescript bakery' aroma straight from my teenage job working early mornings in a bagel shop. It captures that sweet, yeasty, honey way my skin would stay well into the evenings. A pleasant lingering bakery cloud. There's more than just the listed notes as something makes it pull nutty/cinnamon-y throughout the day, especially outside in the heat of the sun. One of the reviews below says it's the lotus that makes it come off nutty, is that true? Super cool if so, I had no idea lotus could be so grounding and earthy/rich. It's either that or the 'syrup' accord has cinnamon. Can't help but feel that ramping up the mung bean would have made this an absolute work of art, but it's perfectly inoffensive, kind, and dreamy as it is now. This is not a BBW sugarbomb cupcakey gourmand (and not knocking that, just, you know, a different vibe entirely) and despite being sweet from top to bottom, won't actively rot your teeth. Love that it has enough earthiness, I just wanted even more.

I lived in Japan for a few years and I still recall my first experience in a Japanese bakery. Inside the glass display case were any number of beautiful offerings and to my American mind, this was sure to be a cake lovers dream. However, once you bit into one of these confections you quickly understood that the Japanese version of "sweets" was quite different than ours. In fact, these much less sweeter treats, I soon came to learn, tasted much better based on the flavors of say cream or fruit rather than simply relying on sugar. And so it is with Mooncake. To read the ingredients....egg yolk, mung bean, lotus seed....is to question how this might possibly smell good. And yet - here I find a beautiful scent. Decadent and savory yet mellow, creamy and smooth. For me this is a honeyed golden cake filled with a delicate vanilla custard. The composition is gourmand without playing into gourmand tropes - not heavy, not overly sweet, not based on familiar foody notes. This perfume is delicious and totally unexpected.

I love a weird gourmand. This brand was on my radar, and this was the first I chose to blind buy a 9ml decant from ScentSplit. I can't resist honey, and I'm excited to smell notes I've never heard of! I also have no experience with a real mooncake. Sure, there are parts of this that are STRANGE. It's not eggy or salty- but it's doughy! Quick sour at first, within 30 seconds it mellows- without losing unique-ness. Now 8 hours later, I have a pleasant unique vanilla marzipan chalky sweet perfume smell (not food). AND... I used my ScentSplit decant discount code for a full bottle. It's really good, and I want to cover myself in it. It's not a honey scent to me. That might be the powdery-ness that reads almond powder/paste to me. I can't define it, I just know it's really really good. I tried to talk myself out of it. I have ENOUGH cakey perfumes... but in the end I don't have any like this!

I am primarily a foodie gourmond lover. But this one did not scream edible food to me, and yet has become one of the most beautiful perfumes I have ever smelled. It does not smell like a perfume, but like my skin in a clean naturally beautiful state. I never understood the hype around "skin scent" which often smelled gross or sour on me until I tried this, perhaps the most compatible perfume I have ever tried on my skin. Soft powdery honey that's not animalic, a whisper of custardy vanilla, and something green and natural, likely the mung bean and lotus seed that perfects the scent profile. Even though I listed the different facets, I feel like I still can't quite describe how ethereal this smells to me. PS I do not get anything super eggy, and no salt! I hate salt in perfume and was glad not to detect it in this one.

Mooncake by D'annam is simply a honey, slightly nutty gourmand fragrance done extremely well. I'm not normally one to enjoy honey fragrances, I actually stay away from the note quite a lot. But when trying this along with the rest of the new line in store - this came off as a really airy honey actually smelling like a super fluffy cake that when cut open has a honey aroma that comes flying out. I was really pleasantly surprised with this release and it was the only one of the new line that I purchased on the spot. Would highly recommend if you want a honey-headed gourmand that doesn't feel like too much or is too sickly.

Mooncake opens with a strong sweet honey. It is quickly grounded with a line of savory notes (I can't pick out which) creating a perfect balance. It is so unique to other honey/vanilla fragrances. It's a sweet gourmand, but not the cupcake you expect because of these perfectly blended savory aspects. d'Annam has created another masterpiece! The stories are made vivid with the scents to uncanny detail. (sometimes unwearable detail - I'm looking at you Pho Breakfast) :-) I can't wait for the rest of the Chinese storyline.

absolutely lovely! it feels like warm honey with a nutty earthy vibe. opens soft n syrupy, a bit of vanilla in there too. sweet but not heavy, kinda grounded by the mung bean + lotus seed. the mung bean leans dry/woody earthy, lotus is just lightly nutty in the back. the salted egg yolk note is funny, doesn’t smell like eggs at all lol... more like a powdery custard w a salty edge. overall a cozy honeyed gourmand, sweet but balanced.

Now THIS is a scent w a honey note. Honey is one of my favorite notes so I've tried at least 10 different frags that have it. This has gotta be in the top 2. It is such a delectable savory and sweet gourmand: ambery sweet and starchy savory in a pas de deaux. They each have moments of prominence, neither is overpowering. I love when perfumers are just great at their job. It's invigorating.

This was my second full bottle buy from d'Annam after Kimono. I love love love that this is a non-vanilla gourmond. No vanilla. No caramel. No cinnamon or spice. Its gooey, yummy, warm, enveloping and sweet. Like climbing inside a mooncake for a much needed nap. When not worn on its own I layer it with White Rice for a little complexity. So happy with the purchase.

A real winner: the sweet honey note is quite subtle and not cloying at all. You can really taste the moon cake, even the salty egg yolk in the background, which is very mild. While the description might make you raise an eyebrow, you should give it a try. For me, it’s a 10/10, even though I usually hate gourmand fragrances.

Never had mooncake. Not big on pastry-like gourmands. Really trying to get away from D'annam. Yet out of all the fragrances I tried during my trip to Arielle Shoshana, this was one of the three I walked away with. As I wear it now, I want to eat my skin. In all honesty, I actually took a lick. Lick was mid, scent is peak.

Deceptively powdery open that blossoms into a richer, almost savory sweetness. A meaty scent, like biting into honeycomb. Not just a synthetic syrup made for coffee. Full bodied like a pear shaped woman, and just as sensual. My go-to is strawberry mochi but this is a strong contender.

i bought the discovery set just for this fragrance. i sprayed it on the tester strip & immediately got hit by a warm honey scent, it's the most prominent note for me. it smells like the pure honey my grandpa gives me whenever he visits. sweet & very comforting

Hyperrealistic mooncake scent at first- mung bean, salted egg yolk, the warm smell of the pastry!! But like most D'annam gourmands dries down into powdery, floral vanilla. I do like it, but the nostalgic mooncake smell doesn't last long.

you walk into a buddhist temple during mid-autumn festival day and there at a shrine there's a sweet woodsy incense stick burning slowly away and right before you is a stack of fresh golden mooncakes.

Ever smelt a newborn baby’s head? Well this is exactly what that smells like. It’s sweet, a little toasty, and just comforting overall. Another beautiful fragrance from this house.

yummy...... sweet egg honey custard.... want to gnaw the bottle like a jawbreaker.....

Smells like a fancy gourmand candle (in a good way) and feels warm and cozy

Smells like a rich egg custard/creme brûlée.