The Moon

I've been looking forward to getting my hands on this for a while—then I lost interest, until now. The time has come! Has to be said again. I love Frédéric Malle frags. This is peak perfumery. The brand's collaborative platform is unmatched. The perfumers understand the art, they have access to the highest-quality materials in high doses, and they’re given creative freedom. The result? Banger after banger. The Moon sits at an insane price point of €500+ for a 50ml bottle. I am no stranger to paying big bucks for a great scent. This hobby pretty much lives off our “disposable” income. But Five. Hundred. Fucking. Euros for a fragrance is a lil steep. For that price I better smell Heaven itself or nothing at all. That said... I’m in love. This is the most definitive expression of a rose oud to my knowledge. It doesn’t shy away from being sweet and fruity, but it’s balanced with a real, powerful expression of a masculine, slightly “fecal” oud at the same time. That combination sounds contradictory, but the way it’s blended is so cohesive. As someone who’s deeply into real Middle Eastern oud—having smelled everything from oils to pure, high-grade oud incense wood—this is the rose-oud fragrance I didn’t even know I needed. And now I want it badly. This is one of the rare times where the note breakdown on the website is exactly what you get. An opening with realistic raspberry jam, watery pink-lychee softness, tangy and tart blackberry, and a metallic, textured leather saffron that pushes out so much but in a non-intrusive way. It just envelops the nose—strawberry sweetness delivered with both tranquility and authority. That opening sweet jam persists for a long time until it conjoins with a slightly sour red berry and citrus facets of Turkish rose, combined with resinous, grassy, dry-sweet minerality of frankincense with rounded soft edges. Nothing here is screechy or sharp. It feels floral and elevated. The oud joins the mid very early—robust, stanky, but also clean and fresh at the same time. It's not barnyard at all; this is not that variety of oud, but it does have that “fecal” edge that some strong ouds have, if you know what I’m talking about. On top a warm ambers, strong earth, smoking cedars. This stays on your skin till the end of times—we’re talking 12+ hours. It even leaves an oily residue, so this probably has a good amount of concentrated oud oils. And it better have that for the price. It’s simply amazing, no overreactions. It’s scents like these that keep me excited to try new stuff. Projection? Yes. Just like the actual moon on a clear night sky. What else? Does it smell like Heaven? I don’t know, never been there. If some rich oil sheikh wants to do me a solid, DM me and send me a full bottle please LOL.

FRÉDÉRIC MALLE The Moon Julien Rasquinet 2019 The Moon is absolutely exceptional, sumptuous, mesmerizing, mellow scent where addictive fruity notes meet beautifully gentle animalic Oud and smooth leather. That exceptionality has, however, been lost over the years as the fragrance profile has become so popular. It still doesn't diminish the magic of this scent. I’m crazy about the combination of Raspberry and Oud and Raspberry and leather so this blend is like a dream for me. It’s easily too much for many but personally it stays right on the border of being very versatile and it’s like a vivid magical potion that truly touches my senses. The right amount of the mellifluous sweetness together with the mysterious darkness has already made this concoction a legend. It’s warm and powerful yet soft and refined. Divine. I haven’t tried the most recent batches but I’ve read that they are not so fruity. I somehow understand the reformulation if it has something to do with the regulation- hate those though- but why to destroy the idea of the scent by reducing the fruity flavor. 😭 But I have read also about the scent being too fruity for some people so those who didn’t like these earlier batches could love the new formula. My bottle is from 2022 and I recognize the difference between the juice from 2019. My sample was that original formula and it was a little bit fruitier than this 2022. So if you are thinking to buy this scent, you should think what kind of amount fruitiness is best for you and choose the batch in based on that. TOP Raspberry, Lychee, Red currant, Blackberry, Saffron HEART Frankincense, Turkish rose BASE Oud, Leather (Nutmeg mentioned as well on their website) Other Rasberry/Oud perfumes that are worth to check out are Roja Black Tier, Roja O Exclusive, Widian London, Louis Vuitton Ombre Nomade, Pantheon Nerone And some beautiful Raspberry/leather are Omanluxury Paramour, Royal Crown Upper Class and Tom Ford Ombré Leather. Thank you for reading, I hope my review was helpful. I would appreciate a lot if you want to follow me on IG and/or YouTube (English subtitles): @ninamariahperfumes It gives me a lot of motivation to write more.

First 10 to 15 minutes are absolutely repugnant - the smell of fruits left in the sun in the summer, along with some weird, rancid notes. It's like the layers of the perfume are all trying to squeeze out together, and it results in one of the worst smells I've ever encountered in a perfume. Similar thing can be said about majority of Lorenzo Pazzaglia perfumes, and just as with most of LP perfumes after 10-15 minutes it turns into one of the most beautiful, well-mixed perfumes ever. But yeah, be warned, the opening is disgusting. So what is this smell? First and foremost it's fruity and sweet, but somehow without the typical heaviness of sweet smells - it can be easily worn in the spring, and even on some colder summer days. It's on the lighter (but not light like citrus and mint!) side, but rather sophisticated. I don't think the mentioned agarwood and leather are detectible by themselves - it's more like their point is to decrease the sweetness of the other notes, and by that make them more mature as well as - ironically, considering how heavy those two are - lighter. Maybe they are more visible in the opening (thus this weird pungent-like smell), but thankfully it goes away very quickly. Flowery accents are detectable, and with the fruits, it blends together beautifully - there's no annoying "flower shop" smell that you can sometimes encounter with mostly-flowery scents, but the flowers also tone down and add freshness to the sweetness, so it's not overwhelming. Truly, beautifully crafted and blended together. But I'd say the pyramid of the notes is in the reverse - fruits are in the base, and agar and leather are the top notes. About longevity and silage - you can easily smell it after 10-12 hours of wearing, and the silage might be slightly shorter, but it's still a decent 8-10 hours of "everyone around you will smell it, whether they like it or not". That's with a typical neck + wrists total of 3 sprays.

Fruity, oudy, and leathery. Opens with an interesting blend of red fruits, I get mostly the red berries and the raspberry with a hint of the lychee. Saffron lends a soft and spicy quality in the opening that quickly fades. The red fruits swirl around notes of brilliant red rose and a beautiful oud note. I don't think the oud is animalic or harsh smelling, it is tempered by the rose and fruit notes. Leather emerges in the base and lends a masculine edge to The Moon. This is an incredibly long lasting fragrance with an impressive sillage. I could smell it on the collar of my shirt days after wearing. In comparison to Fidelis by HdP, also made by Julien Rasquinet, the fragrances are very similar. Fidelis being a more gourmand take on this DNA with notes of coffee and chocolatey patchouli. If you don't want to spend a fortune on The Moon I recommend checking out Fidelis. They're both equally masterpieces in my opinion. The Moon is very expensive. This one is a must sample because the oud may not appeal to everyone. Personally I don't think it's worth the retail price, but it is an incredibly beautiful experience. Wearing this makes me feel like Middle Eastern royalty. EDIT: The Moon is such a beautiful fragrance. The opening is almost nuclear strong but have some patience and give it an hour or two to dry down. What you're left with is the most beautiful ruby red rose, dank oud, and juicy red fruits. Leather in the base is strong and noticeable, but it never overpowers the other notes. The oud has just the right amount of funk that bounces off the fruit notes and creates an incredibly unique aura. 10/10.

This is without doubt one of the most jaw-dropping perfumes I've ever experienced. At its heart lies a rose-oud, executed so gorgeously that Frederic Malle has split my fragrance journey in two: those before The Moon, and those after. It opens with a potent blast of fruity oud and waxy, spiced saffron. The raspberry is sour and juicy, softened by floral lychee, while the natural oud has just enough barnyard funk to evoke Middle Eastern grandeur, without feeling dirty. As the oud sheds its animalic bite, a dusky rose blooms upon a bed of supple leather, tinged with a red-berry sweetness. Cool, mineralic plumes of frankincense drift through, bringing an airy brightness that slices through the richness. Despite my personal sensitivity to saffron's plasticine edge in the opening, The Moon finally settles as a sweet and smoky oud with monstrous performance. It's a mesmerizing scent, yet not one that I could wear casually. It leaves an oily patch on my arm that's visible for hours and never seems to stop projecting from the moment it's sprayed until the moment you shower, and even then, it sticks around. I've never gone upwards of 3 sprays from my sample atomiser, so I can only imagine the potency of a regular spray. In terms of pure scent appreciation, it's absolutely full-bottle worthy, but considering it's strength, price and how infrequently I'd wear it, my 5ml decant will last for years.

Throughout my obsession with all things oud, I searched for the perfect oud/rose/saffron combo. I got a decant of The Night by Frederic Malle and, on a whim, I also ordered a sample of The Moon. The Night is a gorgeous fragrance that can make one question if a thousand dollar an ounce perfume is an economical decision. But imagine my surprise when, in the midst of searching for authenticity, an almost obnoxiously sweet, obviously synthetic berry blast from The Moon made my heart skip a beat. This mesmerizing work of art by Julien Rasquinet plays with contradictions; realistic interpretations of oud, rose and frankincense collide with a diffusive artificial berry accord. A trail of saccharine scented smoke suggests hookah and the musks almost spiritually lift the precious woods. Sweet and acrid, creamy and dry, natural and synthetic; The Moon fuses opposites in a subatomic dance of swirling notes. The end result is a fragrance that glows in the most exalted manner. Perfectly unisex, weather versatile, unreal longevity and silleage (2 sprays is seriously pushing it)... the only thing I could ask of this offering is more affordable pricing. Congratulations to M. Rasquinet and M. Malle on an absolute masterpiece that is worthy of signature scent status.

I’ve sampled this before I bought it but only on paper, didn’t expect it to perform so weak on my skin 😕 3 sprays and the performance isn’t as strong as the reviews claim it to be, a bit disappointed though since I paid this price range mostly because of the performance, the smell comes 2nd, I have better fragrances that perform better and a bit cheaper. Maybe because of the heat that made me sweat during my wearing, which caused the smell to fade faster. But sense wise, sweet, smokey rasberry shisha in the opening but not sickly sweet, just enough; incense, oud, a bit leather and sweetness in the dry down. Smell: 8.5/10 Longevity: About 16 hours Projection: more than an arm’s length for the first 2 hours then sit closer to the skin (for me this is bad) Sillage: 7/10 (Pretty weak to me actually, with 3 sprays I asked my friends and they said they didn’t really smell much while walking behind me) Overall I would give this a 8 for the price, if the price isn’t this high I would give it an 9.5. Update: After testing it again, it performed better than the last time, must be because of the sweat, now this one is in my top 4 Update 2: Now that I’m addicted to the smell that I want a full 100ml bottle, bless my bank account.

The beautines of the beast. This is for sure the strongest Frederic Malle scent, and my advice will be is to go easy on trigger, because it can last a days, but on clotes even much longer. At the very first testing it can make a wrong impression, so, you sould get yourself a couple of ML and approach it with the patience. It had took me a days to be able to get more than syrupy red fruits and to understand how the smell of leather can be refind like this. The Moon is a full blood oriental scent, but simply masterpice. Sugary and juicy raspberry, very refind leather ( not "chemical" like Tuscan Leather ) is mixed with the perfect dose of the smoke, bolded oud and just a touch of turkish rose which are presented on a same way as into "Une Rose". It smells smoky, smooth, sweet and dreamy... Even if is strong as thunder it is really sophisticated and that confirms the beautines of the strenght of this scent, there is not much fragrances like Moon on the market, believe me. Through the big sillage it leaves so sexy and luxury smelling sensation, i would call it a smell of million dolars. Its match perfect with the formal special ocasions. Easy 10/10

I have a love/hate relationship with this juice. Truth be told, this is my 4th bottle of The Moon. 100ml---sold. 5ml---sold. 50ml---sold. I now have another 100ml full bottle. Here's the problem. Until today, I could NOT figure out how to apply it. This juice is---BAR NONE, the strongest perfume I have EVER come across. Seriously, this sh*t is NO joke. If you apply one spray, you've applied TOO much. It will choke out the room. The raspberry accord is HUMONGOUS. Forget about the Oud, it's a secondary player. Reviewers, who complain about a fecal smell need their olfactory noses adjusted. It's the FRUITY smell that will permeate and put people off. NO MORE! I have figured out how to apply this juice and can even wear it to the office. I take a Q-Tip and spray ONCE. Then I can DAB the juice on a few specific spots on my skin. NO CLOTHES! You may ask, why bother? Well, because The Moon is THE most mesmerizing stank I have ever experienced. If I never interacted with humanity, I would spray with abandon, but seeing is I don't. This technique allows me to enjoy this gorgeous creation.

The Moon has been on my wishlist for years. I went to meet with friends this afternoon and occasionally saw a Frederic Malle boutique around. I went in and surprisingly found The Moon on the shelf. After 5 years, I finally tested it out! It starts with a thick layer of oudh, with a touch of raspberry shimmering to my nose. This layer of oudh is in a similar vein to other rose-(patchouli)-oud combo fragrances, though not entirely the same. What distinguishes it from others in the genre is its subtle resemblance to the signature scent of Frederic Malle's Monsieur, or TF's Patchouli Absolu (animalic woody patchouli). There's something old and something new in this scent. As it transitions to the drydown, it settles into a somewhat average oudy fragrance, reminiscent of some oud fragrances from Montale, merging with the essence of FM's Monsieur. Considering I already own Monsieur and several oud fragrances, I find The Moon to be somewhat redundant for my collection. Nice try though! Rating: 7.5/10

This fragrance is a force of nature! The sillage is insane and so is its longevity. Very nice but as for it selling on eBay for $1250.00 for 100ml ... it's not THAT nice. Although, there isn't any need for reapplication unless the opening is what You like best about it because it really evolves. At first the dominant note is leather with the raspberry and litchi faintly behind it. Then as it dries down the leather takes a back seat to the fruitiness and the oud & patchouli notes. I feel the rose, oud, and saffron are on the same level mingling to give this that rough more masculine edge and rich depth to it. Highly pleasant and very much leaning masculine and cold weather, which is somewhat unique given the playful fruitiness that is intertwined. The fruitiness is that kind that usually stars in warmer weather compositions. Overall I'm not sure I can recommend spending so much money on it but it's a must try if you can find a decant or sample for a fair price. 8.3/10

The more i wear this the more this smells like what portrait of a lady should be. We all know that portrait does not smell as it once did. The rose and incense in the mid were weakened and replaced with a more camphorated patchouli that tips the balance unflatteringly, distracting from the beauty of the shorter lived rose and base However, the moon opens with juicy red berries, and glides into a fantastic mix of smoky incense, singular subtle rose, desert like leather, and the beginning crackling of a fabulous oud This is what i thought i was getting from portrait of a lady, except with oud subbed for patchouli. As an oud fan, this is even more preferable and although it is pricey, the oud really is lovely and this smoky oud note lasts a very long time. I still smell it on my skin subtly after a shower! It is blended super well and is pretty unique for whats on the market, it really does remind you of a hookah sort of scent but much more sophisticated and smooth

The G.O.A.T Out of my vast collection which contains around 30 "ouds", this is the one. This is the one I would take with me if my house was on fire. I have a variety of niche and designer ouds including LV Ombre Nomad, Roja Dove Oud, heck even M7 the OG oud and also The Dawn by FM which is more expensive. This beats them all and is my favourite fragrance in my collection. What starts off juicy and fruity with a lychee note evolves into a dark smokey, gassy leathery oud. Never have I experienced a fragrance with such drastic transition from opening to dry down. And it contains real oud, hence the price tag. You can sense it. Anyone who has experienced real oud will tell you the same. Beastly performance and complex and balanced. It is a true work of art and needs to be smelt. Starts of animalic but after it settles it may please even the most sensitive around you. It's a special fragrance, date night and formal events only.

The Moon is a fabulous representation of a fruit oud perfume. Raspberry is one of my most hated notes of all time, in fact I hate almost all raspberry fragrances and could probably count the ones I do like on one hand - this is one of them. Whilst it’s not my favourite of the Desert Gems, it is gorgeous. The raspberry is intensely sweet and ripe, almost sugary like a purée, accompanied by other red berries and forest fruits. This sweetness is made velvety and exotic by an overdose of jammy saffron and rose, before developing into its thick, dark, almost powder oud and leather base. It’s not as bold or daring as The Night, which may be a relief to some, but that stinky-ness was a characteristic I loved. I would say this is my least favourite from Malle’s Desert Gems collection, but that doesn’t take away from the fact this is an absolutely stunning perfume.

Best among the FM Desert Gem Collection. The Moon and I love it - the combination of fruits and smoke with oud is magic! Julien Rasquinet Masterpieces FM The Moon and Histoires de Parfums Fidelis. Very strong and long lasting. The only difference with The Moon is that it moves towards raspberry and Fidelis goes in a coffee direction. Both are classic blends have depth and transitions. Definitely not a fragrance for beginners, you have to be ready to understand the complexity as it has step by step transitions. But if you are and appreciate the complexity, it's simply a delight! It is costly, but really worth as max 6-8 sprays are enough, and 100 ml bottle easily lasts very longtime. Scent: 10/10 Silage: 7/10 [ 4+ Feet radius] Longevity: 9/10 [ 6+ Hrs afterwards it evaporates to minute skin scent] Bottle: 7.5/10 Price: 7/10

wow! what a stunning release from frederic malle, props to the perfumer too! initial spray, you will be greeted with raspberry, lychee & saffron. very fruity and slightly polarizing too but it calm downs after awhile. the red berries & frankicense really shines in the mid, abit of rose nuances here & there. but it is in the base where this fragrance really shines! the oud is slightly dirty/funky, def not a mass appealing sort of oud & leather notes are pretty heavy in this but the leather note seems to die down after the 6-7 hour mark so that's fine with me as im not a big fan of leather. you will get fruitiness from the very top till the end of this fragrance, really interesting fruity dark oriental scent from frederic malle! the retail price for this is insane though 😂. 9.5/10 (-0.5 for ridiulous asking price)

Kimse beni bu kokunun hacı yağı olmadığına ikna edemez. Tamamen avrupalılar için yapılmış bir parfüm. Kokusu çok kötü değil ama orta doğuda alışılageldik kokulardan olduğunu düşünüyorum. Portrait of a lady ya da musc ravegeur var iken bu parfüme bu kadar para vermek akıl kağrı değil. Sadece spesifik bağzı durumlarda kullanılabilecek bir parfüm. Meyvemsi notalar ilk başında yüksek dozda gelirken ardından oud, gül ve muhtemel meyvelerden kırmızı meyvelerden gelen aşırı hafif bir tatlılık bastırıyor. Açılışının muhtemelen meyve ve ouddan dolayı hafif şarabımsı bir kokunun geldiğini düşünüyorum. Yüksek derecede indirim bulamazsanız almanızı tavsiye etmem şayet ki bu parfümün dekantı bile pahalı. Almak isterseniz en küçük miktarda dekantını alın zaten bitiremeziniz. Edit: Legend!

This fragrance was my first time smelling real concentrated oud, and it was phenomenal. The red berries project strongly in the opening and this is as sweet as this scent gets. As it takes a backseat, the rose and incense come through as well as the nuances of the oud (smoky, leathery). Seeing how different eastern oud was from the synthetic, medicinal nature of western synthetic oud was something that will remain burned into my mind. The comparisons to fruity shisha smoke are an oversimplification, but a good way to describe it succintly. This is a scent that every enthusiast should aim to get their nose on at some point in their journey. It's simply such a complex, constantly evolving, and opulent fragrance that will command everyone's attention around you. 10/10

I did not think I was going to find even an ounce of challenge in this perfume. I’m very used to wearing and enjoying oud Assam, which is known for its cheesy and qualities. However, the first 5-10 minutes of the moon revealed the heaviest, densest, and most earthy and chocolatey oud that I’ve smelled in a long time. The oud mixed with the other notes creates a gorgeous Oud+fruity rose combo. The sweetness in here is the perfect counterpoint to the earthy Oud. Super well done, I would love a bottle at some point. edit: I'm pretty far into the heart of this perfume now, and it's such a treat. The oud is still prominent, but there is no more challenging aspect to it. I think this is the type of perfume that a 10ml decant would scratch my itch for a bottle.

The Moon is the fourth Middle Eastern-inspired fragrance published by Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, as part of the Desert Gems collection. Following its three illustrious predecessors, The Night and Promise by Dominique Ropion, and Dawn by Carlos Benaïm. The Moon explores a different facet of Oriental perfume, cultivating a more colorful approach to its generous opulence. Touching on the language of love, The Moon expresses both sweetness and voluptuousness. Sumptuous, warm and refined, rose, oud and incense are supported by a lively abundance of red berries. Subtly evoking the fruity scents of hookahs, notes of blackberry and redcurrant bring a colorful sweetness. A real masterpiece in my nose.🌹🪵🍓🍒🍇 The first 9,5/10 in my book.📝📓🏆👑🥇💛🤴🏽