Frederic Malle The Moon Full Review: Because The Earth Is Not Enough

Frederic Malle is one of the greatest Niche houses whose work I consider the perfect interpretation of the word Niche perfumes. All their releases are quite unique and eccentric. In 2019, they introduced an oriental series of fragrances. This collection was given Arabic names which translate to ‘The Moon, The Promise, The Night, and The Dawn.’ This collection was priced higher than all other Frederic Malle’s fragrances thanks to its rare and top-notch ingredients, not to forget the remarkable creativity factor.

The Moon has a price tag of about 875 USD, which is considered a high price tag for any juice. There are much higher price tags out there but they are usually for gold or diamond packages. I first smelled The Moon upon release to decide whether it was worth that price tag or not, and, in all fairness, I did not really like it. The only release from the collection that caught my attention was The Promise. Having said that, in 2022, I decided to give The Moon one more shot and to my amazement, I was blown away by its underappreciated beauty and its perfect note blend.

The perfume comes in 50 ml and 100 ml bottles, and comes in the regular Frederic Malle package which is already amazing on its own. The fragrance is a very heavy Oud-based oriental, so it is better suited for cold open-air outings if you don’t want to suffocate anybody!

Before getting into my take on the note composition, you need to understand that The Moon is a Middle Eastern oriental in every sense of the word. Even if you sense fruity or floral notes, bear in mind that they have a very toned down effect next to the heavy oriental notes.

The moon starts off with a huge blow of rough saffron along with playful raspberry and Lychee, an unlikely combination that is quite harsh in the opening as the saffron, along with the incoming Oud, give animalic vibes, but rest assured as this animalic vibes are very well-accounted for. The heart comprises Olibanum and Turkish rose which is really flying under the radar if I may say. Afterwards, comes the dry down, and what a dry down! The transformation from the somewhat fruity opening to a natural-smelling animalic Agarwood (Oud) along with elegant leather give dimension to the fragrance.

Although The Moon offers notes that may be present in other orientals, however, I believe Julien Rasquinet has done it better than anyone else, and to blend these animalic notes in such a captivating manner takes a real genius of a perfumer.

The performance leaves nothing to be desired. The Moon has superb longevity and sillage along with beauty and character. The perfume bespeaks elegance and royalty. I only wear it on formal occasions, so do not wear it on a shirt and jeans.

Have you had the chance to try the Moon? Do you own it? Is it really worth its high price tag? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

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