Moon Tale

The Story

Moon Tale is one of three scents in Journey to China, the Louis Vuitton chapter Jacques Cavallier Belletrud composed with his daughter Camille. Marc Newson's apothecary flacon was reworked here as a Chinese snuff bottle, opalescent glass under a lacquered cap coloured after tian-tsui, the old craft of setting kingfisher feathers and coral into jewellery.

Main AccordsTap an accord to explore it

FloralFruityWhite FloralFreshSweetRose

Accord

Floral

Petals in soft full bloom

The rounded, dewy scent of flowers in bloom, soft and slightly sweet with a powdery, nectar-like glow. It reads romantic and gentle, conjuring a garden in late spring and a feeling of lightness against the skin.

Accord

Fruity

Ripe orchard flush of juice

The succulent sweetness of peach, pear, apple, or berry, soft and dewy with a nectar-like ripeness distinct from sharp citrus. It brings a playful, mouthwatering roundness that feels youthful, juicy, and lighthearted.

Accord

White Floral

Heady blooms, narcotic and creamy

Lush, creamy petals that turn heady and almost narcotic, with a ripe, indolic sweetness edged in green and a hint of overripe fruit. It feels sensual and intoxicating, the kind of bloom that fills a room and lingers on warm skin.

Accord

Fresh

Clean air after cool water

A crisp, transparent brightness that suggests cool water, washed skin, and open air, often laced with a zesty or aquatic lift. It feels clean and weightless, instantly cooling and uncomplicated, like stepping outside after a rain.

Accord

Sweet

Edible warmth on the skin

A rounded, sugary character that suggests caramel, honey, or spun candy without any single one dominating. It reads as comforting and indulgent, the gourmand pull that makes a fragrance feel soft, inviting, and almost good enough to taste.

Accord

Rose

Velvet petals, honey and thorn

The layered scent of true petals, dewy and fruity up top, with a deeper jammy, honeyed heart and a faint peppery, green bite. It feels timeless and emotional, by turns delicate and commanding depending on how it unfolds.

Notes PyramidTap a note to explore it

Notes

RaspberryPeonyMagnolia

Jasmine SambacGeranium

Note

Raspberry

Bright berry sparkle with a jammy heart

What it is

A bright berry note with a jammy heart. Raspberry adds juice and playfulness to even the darkest composition.

How it smells

Sweet and vivid, with a tart sparkle over a soft jammy depth. On skin it settles into a warm, rosy fruitiness.

In perfumery

Raspberry loves rose, patchouli and dark woods, where its brightness cuts through the shadow. A little brings a whole blend to life.

Good to know

Raspberry can lean fresh or jammy depending on what surrounds it. Against oud and incense it turns rich and almost liqueur-like.

Note

Peony

Dewy ruffles, fresh and quietly green

What it is

Peony is the spring bloom of Paeonia species, both herbaceous and tree peonies, grown widely in China, Europe and North America. The living flower yields no extractable oil at usable scale, so its scent is reconstructed by perfumers from rosy, green and watery aroma-chemicals built around a chosen accord.

How it smells

Fresh, dewy and translucent: a soft rose heart lightened with crisp green stems, a watery petal coolness and a faint honeyed sweetness. It feels airy and modern rather than heavy, more pale pink than red, with a clean, just-opened-bud transparency that never turns jammy.

In perfumery

A heart note delivering luminous, romantic floralcy and a contemporary lightness. It pairs with rose, lychee, freesia, magnolia and white musks in pink fruity-florals. Pink peony opens the modern Chloe Eau de Parfum and shimmers through countless fresh feminine bouquets and spring-toned compositions.

Good to know

Because no natural peony extract exists at usable scale, every peony note is a perfumer's interpretation, so two peonies can smell quite different. The flower is also prized in Chinese culture as a symbol of honor and wealth, and was long called the king of flowers.

Note

Magnolia

Lemon-cream petals breathing over a southern garden

What it is

Magnolia is the bloom of trees in the genus Magnolia, among the oldest flowering plants on Earth. Perfumery draws on species like Magnolia grandiflora and Magnolia figo (champaca's relative); fresh petals yield a costly absolute by solvent extraction, though most commercial magnolia is rebuilt with aroma-chemicals.

How it smells

A creamy white-floral scent bridging lemon and tea rose, brighter and less heady than jasmine. It opens with a citric, almost effervescent lift, then softens into milky petal, green stem and a faint clove warmth before drying clean and slightly fruity.

In perfumery

Used in the heart to add a luminous, dewy freshness without the indolic weight of tuberose or gardenia. It pairs with citrus, peony, lily and soft musks in feminine and unisex blends. It scents airy garden-style florals and soft floral compositions.

Good to know

Magnolias predate bees by tens of millions of years, so their tough petals evolved to be pollinated by beetles. True magnolia absolute is rare and costly to extract, which is why the magnolia in most bottles is a clever aroma-chemical reconstruction rather than the natural oil.

Note

Jasmine Sambac

The white flower of warm Eastern nights

What it is

Jasmine Sambac is a climbing shrub, Jasminum sambac, in the olive family, cultivated in India, China and the Philippines. Its small white flowers open after dusk and are hand-picked before dawn, when scent peaks. Solvent extraction yields a waxy concrete, washed with alcohol into the absolute.

How it smells

Brighter, greener and more tea-like than grandiflorum jasmine, with less fruity heaviness. It opens crisp and slightly waxy, almost banana-tinged, then deepens into warm indolic sweetness. That indole carries an animalic, narcotic undertone that turns heady up close yet stays clear and luminous.

In perfumery

A heart note prized for lift and body, blending with rose, tuberose, sandalwood and green tea accords. It anchors white-floral bouquets and rounds sharp citrus. Some night-blooming soliflores build almost entirely on Sambac, and it threads through countless tea-floral compositions.

Good to know

Sambac is the Philippine national flower, sampaguita, strung into garlands and used to scent Chinese jasmine tea. Because the blooms are tiny and picked by hand nightly across a long season, the absolute ranks among the costliest florals in a perfumer's palette.

Note

Geranium

A rose with green stems and crushed mint

What it is

Perfumery geranium comes from Pelargonium graveolens and related rose-scented pelargoniums, not the true Geranium genus. Grown in Egypt, China and on Reunion (the prized Bourbon type), the leaves and stems are steam-distilled to yield a green, rosy essential oil.

How it smells

Fresh, green and rosy with a crisp, leafy bite and a cool minty lift. Facets of lemon, rose and a powdery sweetness weave through a herbaceous, slightly peppery body. Bourbon geranium leans richer and rosier, drying down soft, green and faintly fruity.

In perfumery

A heart-note workhorse bridging florals and fougeres, adding rosy-green freshness, lift and a herbal facet read as masculine. It pairs with rose, mint, clove, bergamot and vetiver. It anchors crisp masculine florals and the rosy-green heart of many classic and soliflore geranium compositions.

Good to know

Geranium oil is a common, affordable stand-in for parts of costly rose, sharing the molecule citronellol and rounding out rose accords at a fraction of the price. Reunion's Bourbon geranium, once the global benchmark, has grown scarce as cultivation shifted to Egypt and China.

Fragrance Character

Raspberry opens it bright and a little tart, the house's translation of cosmetic red. Peony carries the middle, geranium sharpening its edges, while sambac jasmine turns intense and magnolia keeps it airy rather than heavy. The house describes a soft musk closing it, and that is where it goes, powdery and clean against skin.

Performance

Longevity

how long it stays on skin

This gauge reads the expected wear time, how many hours the fragrance keeps speaking on skin before it fades. A marker near the low end means a few fleeting hours, while a marker pushed to the far end promises a scent still present from morning into night.

Performance

Sillage

the size of its scent trail

This reads how far the fragrance reaches beyond you and the trail it leaves behind. Low sits soft against the skin, an intimate whisper noticed only up close; high climbs through moderate and strong toward enormous, filling a room and lingering in the air after you have left it.

Occasion

Experimental

For the bold and curious

Unconventional, boundary-pushing scents for someone who wants to provoke a reaction and stand apart. Suited to artistic, challenging compositions: inky tar, rubber, fermented fruit, metallic or animalic facets that defy easy liking. On this wheel a glowing coin means it rewards the adventurous nose, a dim one means it plays things safe.

Occasion

Office

Polished but never overpowering

Close-quarters professional settings where a scent should be noticed only by those near you. Suited to restrained, clean compositions with modest projection: tidy citrus, soft musk, pale woods that read competent and considerate. On this wheel a glowing coin means it works in shared workspaces, a dim one means it carries too far.

Occasion

Evening

After dark, turned up

Dinners, drinks, and nights out when a fragrance can deepen and project with confidence. Suited to richer, warmer compositions: ambers, resins, smoky woods, or plush florals that bloom under low light. On this wheel a glowing coin means the scent comes alive after sundown, a dim one means it stays better suited to daytime.

Occasion

Romantic

Close enough to be felt

Intimate moments and date nights meant to draw someone nearer. Suited to warm, sensual compositions that hum against skin: creamy florals, vanilla, soft musk, a touch of spice or amber that invites closeness. On this wheel a glowing coin means it sets an alluring mood, a dim one means it leans more practical than seductive.

Occasion

Formal

Refined for the occasion that matters

Weddings, ceremonies, galas, and dressed-up affairs that call for composure and elegance. Suited to polished, structured scents with quiet authority: smooth woods, refined florals, soft leather, nothing loud or playful. On this wheel a glowing coin means it carries the right grx0ybc1jt, a dim one means it feels too casual for the room.

Occasion

Casual

Easy comfort for unhurried days

Everyday wear with no agenda: errands, coffee, friends, a slow weekend. Suited to soft, approachable scents that feel clean and natural, like fresh citrus, light woods, or a gentle skin warmth. On this wheel a glowing coin means the fragrance fits these laid-back moments, a dim one means it asks for more.

Performance

Day to Night

where its mood naturally falls

This slider reads the hour the fragrance was made for. A marker to the left leans luminous and bright, easy in daylight and open air; slide it right and the character turns deeper and warmer, the kind of presence that belongs to evening and candlelit rooms.

Season

Winter

Warmth that carries through cold air

Cold air mutes and slows a fragrance, so winter rewards the dense and the warm: resins, smoke, vanilla, leather, and ambered spice that radiate heat against the chill. The bar shows how strongly this particular scent holds up and glows in cold weather.

Season

Spring

Fresh blooms in mild, rising warmth

Mild, humid air lifts lighter compositions beautifully, so spring favors dewy florals, green stems, soft powder, and transparent citrus that feel alive rather than heavy. The bar shows how well this particular scent matches that fresh, gently warming season.

Season

Summer

Bright and airy in real heat

Heat amplifies and projects scent hard, so summer calls for cool, crisp, breathable things: sharp citrus, salty marine air, aromatic herbs, and watery freshness that refresh instead of cloy. The bar shows how comfortably this particular scent wears in real warmth.

Season

Fall

Spiced warmth for cooling days

As temperatures drop, richer materials read clearly without smothering, so autumn suits dry woods, warm spice, tobacco, amber, and golden fruit that feel cozy and contemplative. The bar shows how naturally this particular scent settles into crisp, cooling days.

Best Worn

Reviewers on Parfumo lean spring and summer, and treat it as an everyday fruity floral that works at noon as easily as after dark. Louis Vuitton frames it differently, as the last gesture before going out into the night. Either reading holds. Wear it casually, or close, on someone you want standing near you.