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Powder From The Moon

Q: Is Powder From The Moon natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: No extraction. Fantasy accord. Actual moon dust cannot be obtained. Reconstructed from astronaut descriptions and metallic-mineral chemistry..

NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC, POPULAR AND WEIRD / powdery · floral · warm

Category	NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC, POPULAR AND WEIRD
Subcategory	powdery · floral · warm
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	N/A — fantasy concept
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	N/A — fantasy concept
Pyramid	Heart

Cold, metallic, mineral dust with a spent-gunpowder edge. What astronauts describe as the smell of moon dust: burnt metal and wet ash after fireworks.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Cold, metallic, ashen. Like air after fireworks without the sulfur. A spent-metal quality, dry and mineral. No organic warmth. The smell of inorganic dust on a world with no atmosphere.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Cold metallic-ashen burst, sharp and mineral

After a few hours

Dry mineral powder, less sharp

After a few days

Faint metallic-mineral dust trace, austere

The Full Story

Powder from the moon is a fantasy accord based on astronaut descriptions of lunar regolith. Apollo crews consistently described moon dust as similar to spent gunpowder, burnt metal, or wet ash. The likely cause is nanoscale iron and titanium particles oxidizing in the module's oxygen atmosphere.

The key odorant is probably metallic iron oxide interacting with moisture on mucous membranes, producing 1-octen-3-one (same as the copper-on-skin mechanism).

In perfumery, this is built from metallic notes (Safraleine), cold mineral elements, smoke-ash qualities, and a dry powdery base. The goal is something utterly inhuman: cold, metallic, mineral.

Explore all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Did You Know?

Did you know?

Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt described moon dust as smelling like spent gunpowder. NASA later attempted to commission a faithful reconstruction. The smell disappears within hours as reactive iron particles fully oxidize.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: No extraction. Fantasy accord. Actual moon dust cannot be obtained. Reconstructed from astronaut descriptions and metallic-mineral chemistry.

Molecular Formula	N/A — fantasy concept
CAS Number	N/A — fantasy concept
Botanical Name	N/A — fantasy concept
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium

In Perfumery

Base modifier for dark, mineral, and sci-fi compositions. Built from Safraleine, metallic aldehydes, ambroxan, birch tar traces, dry musks. Provides inhuman coldness and mineral tension.