Nose Republic Moon Child review
Nose Republic Moon Child, photo via the brand
Nose Republic began as a personal journal – a Telegram blog where its founder, Ksenia Golovanova, a well-known Russian perfume writer and translator, shared her scent obsessions, discoveries, and reflections. From these fragrant musings, a brand was born. The brand’s slogan, “Smells like a good story”, reflects its philosophy- creating perfumes that are inspiring stories told in the rawest, most genuine language of all, the language of olfaction. In her words: “The stories I want to tell with perfumes are simple, too – but genuine. Originally rooted in my culture, these stories are universal – again, on a primal level – and will vibrate through many souls. The longing for space, the thrill of running free through the woods, the rush you get when viewing the city at night, from the top of a high building, – some of these feelings, I’m sure, have passed through the rooms of your mind. Let them pass again with Nose Republic – and leave fragrant traces on those imaginary door handles.” Ksenia Golovanova
Ksenia Golovanova, photo via official website
I first came across Nose Republic this past winter – and let’s just say, it was an instant click. I got that unmistakable giddy feeling, like finding a secret message written just for me with a brand that mixes irreverence, fantasy, and a touch of mythology, all sprinkled with the raw Eastern European mood that felt deliciously familiar. The big Bad Wolf, which I’ve covered in detail, became my go-to creature of comfort for the cold season – a dark, magnetic, and deliciously feral green leather scent. But as the days grew longer, it was Nose Republic Moon Child – with its eerie, translucent charm – that slowly made its way under my skin.
Grimes photo in Vegas, fairuse
The first time I sampled Nose Republic Moon Child, my mind shot straight to the Vegas Sphere – otherworldly, massive, alive and alien with flickering lights. I pictured Grimes on stage, bathed in lasers, wearing this exact scent: a surreal mix of raspberry, lily, and gunpowder, like stardust caught in a star explosion. In winter, it intrigued me. In summer – I’m in love!
The perfumer behind the scent is, who is responsible for many of my fragrant crushes throughout the years: Jul et Mad Fugit Amor, Gallivant Accra, MDCI Invasion Barbare – to mention but a few – is Stéphanie Bakouche.
Perfumer Stéphanie Bakouche
“Fragrances inspired by space often include cold and metallic top notes. To me, invoking space indeed means some kind of infinite darkness, but also warmth * the one that comes from starlight and the moon cradle in the night sky. I found the warmth I needed to balance the cosmic frost of Moon Child in the Stargazer lily, one of the warmest, spiciest floral notes in a perfumer’s palette. Not to mention that its bright pink, almost fuchsia petals recall the color of raspberry, a fruit which scent has been identified among the smells that can be perceived in certain areas of the Milky Way. In other words, the Stargazer lily is the centerpiece of Moon Child, an accord towards which many space travelers will gravitate” – Stéphanie Bakouche
Beyond Alister Crowley’s occult stories and Led Zeppelin’s psychedelic echoes, beyond even the Tarkovskian Pavlovian effect that kicks in every time my retro-futurism bells start ringing – Nose Republic Moon Child took me somewhere far more personal. Somewhere hidden deep in my own inner mythology.
How many of you remember The NeverEnding Story and the Childlike Empress of Fantasia? That snow-pale little girl in the Ivory Tower, whose very name could hold a crumbling universe together. That’s the fragment that came rushing back, together with a wave of emotions I haven’t felt in … quite some time.
Bastian: How many wishes do I get?
Empress Moonchild: As many as you want. And the more wishes you make, the more magnificent Fantasia will become.
Bastian: Really?
Empress Moonchild: Try it.
The NeverEnding Story (1984) IMDB, fairuse
If you’ve ever watched the 1984 film adaptation of Michael Ende’s The NeverEnding Story, chances are you remember that moment – the one where Bastian, the quiet kid hiding away in an attic with a mysterious book, suddenly realizes he’s part of the story. As he reads about Atreyu’s epic journey to save Fantasia, we watch both timelines unfold: Atreyu fighting to reach the Ivory Tower, and Bastian turning pages, completely unaware that the real task – the real magic – depends on him. When Atreyu finally stands before the Childlike Empress, expecting to be the hero who saves her, she reveals that the power to restore their world isn’t his, but Bastian’s. The one reading. The one who must name her, or Fantasia disappears. And her name is… you guess it: MoonChild. As it was my older brother’s favourite movie growing up, I remember watching very often – and crying a lot – part because of the emotional charge the movie held – and part (and let it be a warning) such fragile minds should not be submitted to so many metafictional layers at such a young age.
The NeverEnding Story (1984) IMDB, fairuse
Nose Republic Moon Child is uplifting – all white light and soaring heights, floating far above the clouds, carried by a breath of aldehydes that keeps everything weightless, imponderable. There’s a flash of cool metal too, like pressing the auryn amulet’s writings against bare skin – “Do What You Wish”. There’s a moondust accord here, too -powdery, otherworldly like it’s been scraped from the floor of the Ivory Tower itself. But behind that celestial stillness, the Nothing is always near: smoky, sulphurous, like an invisible dragon breath that keeps blowing the light out of the few left burning matches. There is crown of white flowers dancing between worlds – cold, surreal, metallic, the scent of a dying world, beginning to fray at the edges. And still… something pulls you forward. A parallel storyline to a place where Artax (the horsie) is never swallowed into the Swamps of Sadness, but eats berries in a forest, bathed in warm light.
AI mood pic by Nicoleta for Nose Republic Moon Child
The real villain in the movie (and in life) isn’t some fire-breathing monster. It’s the Nothing. A creeping, hollow force that spreads as we stop dreaming, stop imagining, stop caring about the stories that once held magic. The Nothing is what’s left when daydreams are dismissed, when make-believe becomes “immature”. Apathy, scroll-induced numbness, “it’s just a story”, “it’s just scented water”, imagination becomes content, stories became “engagement”, and our world is invaded by “beast modes” “clones” “dupes” and algorithm-based flankers.
We can’t let the Nothing win, and with scented stories such as the ones made by Ksenia, I do believe our fragrant Fantasia is safe.
Top notes: dreams, craving Heart notes: utopia, escape, stargazer base: soar, cosmic
Notes: Aldehydes, raspberry, Stargazer lily, cool metal, smoky gunpowder, sandalwood, musk, moondust accord
Nicoleta Tomsa, Senior Editor
Disclosure: A bottle of Moon Child was kindly offered by the brand, opinions are always my own.
Nose Republic Moon Child, photo via the brand
Thanks to the generosity of Nose Republic we have a 50 ml bottle of Nose Republic Moon Child for one registered reader from the USA or EU. You must register or your entry will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what sparks your interest based on Nicoleta’s review and where you live. Draw closes 7/22/2025
Also check out my review on Nose Republic Bad Wolf.
Michelyn’s Note: Nose Republic received an Art And Olfaction award for Best Newcomer 2024 for Queer de Russie
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