The Moon by Frederic Malle

Starts with a faecal opening and plastic-like red fruits, nothing like Promise which smells of green apple and cypress. The Moon is a faecal oud lightened with berries and incense. It lasts and projects more than Promise, it’s madness: I sprayed it four times and had to shower and change clothes. If you like Indian oud and it’s cold, use it with moderation; more than that, it’s a public health crime.

It works terribly on my skin. The opening is horribly faecal, and although after an hour I can enjoy its leather, rose, sandalwood, and some red fruits, I barely wear it for several hours because it’s not worth suffering through the first half-hour. As an occasional treat a couple of times a year, it’s acceptable, but unless my skin chemistry changes at some point, wearing it is not an option.

It’s my favourite fragrance in my entire collection. It’s very expensive, but the investment is worth it. It lasts for weeks on clothes and even fills the wardrobe with its scent.

If you’ve only just started in the world of perfumes, The Moon marks a milestone. It breaks chains: there’s a before and after to trying it. This changes perspective and makes previously impressive scents seem different. The quality of ingredients is high and exclusive, which explains the high price (in my opinion it shouldn’t exceed 150 euros, but everyone chooses). It opens with a strong and sweet raspberry, accompanied by other fruits. I’ve never felt the raspberry with such intensity as here, compared to Tuscan Leather or La Yuqawam. The oud is finely interwoven, smoky and well-dosed. The association with stables and horses only appears at the beginning and then disappears, leaving a seductive veil. The incense is a light touch and the rose subtle. As it develops, an elegant leather appears that rounds off the scent. Thanks to these components, the perfume embraces you for hours. The presence is comfortable, but not for everywhere. Julien Rasquinet shows how to unite contrasts harmoniously. It’s not for everyone, neither by price nor by experienced nose. If you try it without prejudice, it’s a fun and complex fragrance.

1) This is capitalism and personal enjoyment, ergo if you like it, buy it, total freedom. And what others think, reviewers, YouTubers, notes that range from influencers, pen-pushing types from Fragrantica, get informed several times, loud-mouthed ‘wow’ easy-busters, it is superfluous. 2) In a commercial product, everyone has the right to give an opinion, friend, and not everything has to be happy fan or followerism pancake content. If something smells like a dirty sheep’s hoof or cow dung, it must be said. If it smells of roses to you, say so. 3) I never give an opinion on impulse, nor out of misanthropic hatred, for going against the grain or snobbery. I have smelled and tried before, either because I own the fragrance, or because I have been able to smell it in a perfumery, or I have bought decants or received samples. I never buy blind, and even less so with expensive niche scents; that would be the act of a fool or an easily influenced child with a pacifier. 4) Niche perfumery, although there is everything, is by definition more expensive than designer perfumery, less commercial and more propositional, sometimes risky or experimental. The issue of whether it is more natural will be left for another debate. Therefore, foolish hypes, no thanks, ladies and gentlemen. And finally, let us come to The Moon by Frederic Malle. Among fragrances with an oriental wood note to agar or oud, where there are many differences, this is a niche of quality, nothing synthetic, and one of the hardcore ouds, animal, with the scent of what some call ‘stable oud’. As you can imagine, eternal longevity, Gestapo-level torture if you do not like it, for the brave or the capricious or the rich, never better said. Being a Frederic Malle, it is worth a field in a millilitre (approx. 500 quid for the 50ml bottle). Be careful that The Night is worth double and stirs things up even more. If you like the pistol, go ahead. Rest of the world, the 99%, go live.

It’s not to create hate. I quite like The Moon, although I understand it’s not for many noses. This explains the niche concept: there will be more people who dislike it. For seasoned olfactory palates it will be the reverse. Many will appreciate the quality beyond whether it’s for them. I don’t understand what head allows buying something like this blind. If you’re a newcomer, I apologize for the ignorance, but if you’re an expert in niche and criticise that it smells of poo because you don’t understand the hype, it’s childish. You’ve shit and you eat it with chips. Another thing is whether the price is reasonable, but that’s another debate.

Hello everyone! I agree with the YouTubers: The Moon is a beast by Frederic Malle, one of the best in the world. If you aren’t trained, it will seem like a horror, just like trying to lift 200kg without preparation; you get injured and say it’s impossible. Give your nose a chance! The first time I tried Dior Homme, I thought it was rubbish, but now I have 10 bottles for life. I applied it four hours before the end of 2023 and filled the house; my relatives said I’d splashed half a bottle, but it was just one spray on my wrist and it was enough. Absolute madness of wealth! That resinous, woody oud with a sweetness of red berry jam. I went to bed at 4am and it was still strong at 12pm, and at 11pm it was still present. It lasted 28 hours intensely without touching my nose, then softly close to the skin. Atomic potency, complex but pleasant, although the first hours give a headache due to the strength. Like with all FMs, they last and last, and as they warm up, the scent comes out with more force. A 100ml bottle (1200 sprays) for €720 will last you years if you use it twice a week (9 years). No one uses it daily because it’s suicide; in a week, you’re overwhelmed. Compared to Million, where you spend €100 a year and smell like a million, here you spend €720 and smell like The Moon; the difference is abyssal. If you think it’s expensive, look carefully on Wallapop (fakes) and you’ll find FMs for €100, as I did with Uncut Gems and Musc Ravageur.

I bought a decant due to the hype and reviews about how wonderful it smells. Normally I use sweet, woody, or citrus perfumes, usable and pleasant for everyone. But this, which is unisex, is very unpleasant. It’s like being in a wooden stable with intense horse manure and then someone puts overripe red fruits on top. Exactly like that it smells. I don’t understand people who enjoy it; I imagine they have super-developed noses that see it as art, but I can’t imagine going out into the street smelling of horse manure with strawberry. Definitely not for me.

FREDERIC MALLE THE MOON: I warn you that I am not sure if I am ready to review this authentic masterpiece, but I am willing to share the sensation it produces when you have it in front of you. Before starting, I must warn you that this is not for understanding at a glance; it is for people who are immersed in this world or who know how to appreciate quality. Just opening the cap floods you with a sensation beyond the normal, like walking in a humid, single-coloured red fruit forest, with raspberries, lychee and a spicy saffron note; simply, pleasurable, fruity bliss. When sprayed, it is an explosion of red fruits and saffron alongside a real oud, animalic but wrapped in exquisite incense and red fruits in the style of a sherbet, which will leave you astounded. After a minute, the fragrance settles and leaves a balanced aroma: oud and incense wrapped in magnificent roses which do not prevail on my skin, and a fine layer of red fruits that lose their brightness, allowing the enveloping and dark incensed oud to take over, evoking imposing elegance. It is not that one prevails; everything is aligned, but once settled, we have a dark opulence, like a battle between the darkness of the oud/incense and the bright light of red fruits that seem to expel drops of intense colour until they fall into a lychee on the verge of collapsing; it is wonderful, a real synaesthesia. The only drawback, aside from the price, is that everything happens very quickly, a frenetic battle of about half an hour; once settled, the opulent aroma lasts more than 10 hours.

Very good but overvalued in my opinion, nothing you can’t find in private collections or other niche houses. The price is obscene and the FM presentation is quite average and generic for what it costs.

One of my favourites. Brutal opening of red fruits, sweet and spiced. The oud is incredible, a real treat, it has a medicinal, faecal part, with a resemblance to a stable at the start but always wrapped in that fruity layer and an elegant leather that adorns the oud. The rose is perceived in lower intensity. Longevity and projection are impeccable. The only drawback is the price, expensive but not outrageous. Maximum quality in ingredients, noticeable from the start to the end.

One of my favourite perfumes. A brutal opening of red fruits, sweet and spiced. The oud is incredible, a real treat; it has a medicinal, faecal side with a resemblance to a stable at first, but always wrapped in that fruity layer and an exquisitely elegant leather that adorns the oud. The rose is also perceptible, albeit in lower intensity. Longevity and projection are impeccable. The only drawback is the price, which I believe is not outrageous but is certainly expensive. Maximum quality in ingredients; it is noticeable from start to finish.

The last of the collection, the moon. The Moon: opens fruity and sweet-sour, lychee (sweet) – raspberry (bitter) combo with very marked and smoky incense, the dirty oud is present although it lasts only a few minutes. When drying it marks a leather accord in the background. It’s very chameleonic, many facets. After a few hours it leaves a sweet scent and the smoky character doesn’t disappear. Outstanding quality, I loved smelling it, but under my perspective it has a problem: the phases last little, everything happens very quickly and I would like to enjoy each phase more (opening, development, dry down). Unisex with a masculine inclination (oud, leather, incense). Limited versatility, moderate performance. 850 dollars for 100ml, an expensive offer (prices have risen) and it’s worth every penny. Great perfume by Rasquinet.

I cannot think of a situation where I wouldn’t wear it, perhaps only for something sad: not funerals or funerals. For everything else—dancing, walking, dining, kissing, sunbathing, or taking a siesta—it is unbeatable. Its astonishing evolution; every time you smell it, you discover another layer. Along with its longevity, we almost talk about a three-for-one deal. There are expensive things you regret buying and others you don’t. The Moon is a treasure.

The Moon is a masterpiece. I have nothing to add to what has already been said.