Moon Dust by QSLD c2004

Moon Dust by QSLD: launched in 2004.

From The Moodie Report published 06/10/04--

"FRANCE. In association with 13 partners, Denis Boudard and Gael Ollard (QSLD New World Design) are launching a new limited-edition fragrance, called Moon Dust, at this month’s Luxe Pack in Monaco.   

Significantly, the Moon Dust parfum is not for sale. A limited number of references have been created and will be offered to selected individuals during the course of the event. “We are designers; this is our vocation,” commented QSLD President, Art Director and Co-Initiator of the project Denis Boudard. “This Moon Dust project was a unique opportunity to express our personal vision of perfection…It’s an emotional response, it is also a harmonious alliance of dreams and passions.”  

“Like the moon, this fragrance has a hidden side that each of us has to discern and capture,” added QSLD Executive Vice President Gael Ollard.  

The juice, created by Firmenich, is described as subtle and authentic. It features sweet spices, freesia, heliotrope, amber grey lunar, vetiver and musk. The colour is a metallic grey. 

The flacon combines traditional glass-making methods with new technology. A half-moon shape is built on a heavy, plain glass base that reveals a complex grid texture. The ringed cap is a dark metallic Zamac. The outer carton has a hologram interior.
The collaborators include:  

Vision, design, communication and co-ordination
Agence QU’ON SE LE DISE and its US branch QSLD New World Inc. (D. Boudard, C. Guichard & G. Ollard)  

The Moon Dust juice
FIRMENICH (R. Herpin & D. Rachmanis) 

 The flacon
HEINZ FLACONNAGE (R. Wurm)  

The outer carton
- LGR-EMBALLAGES-NORTIER (R. Benouville)
- ELECTROPOLI (F. Vignes)
- API-GRP-HLSLAMINATES et CARTAE (P. Henstock and Y. Viaud) 

 Miscellaneous
- M-REAL-ZANDERS (C. Bougoin)
- COSFIBEL CREATIVE PACKAGING et PRIPLAK (C. Pierret and C. Nomerange)
- BIOPACK (S. Frémiot.)
- CLOZUP –Marc Martinon et Fabienne Mille
- FORMES DE LUXE – C. Paufique et S. Denoix  

Note: Founded by Denis Boudard and his associates in 1993, QSLD has been at the centre of the French luxury scene for more than a decade. Today, Boudard and his creative team are making their debut in the US market. The new entity, called QSLD New World, specialises in developing packages that help luxury brands to reach their target markets. The company designs flasks and packages for upscale/premium fragrances, as well as for spirits & Champagnes. Clients to date include Procter & Gamble Beauty, Moet-Hennessy, Lacoste, Paco Rabanne, Lancôme, Escada, Guerlain, Oscar de la Renta, Coty/Lancaster, Krug, Mumm and Piper Heidsieck. The US activities are overseen by Gael Ollard, recently named Executive Vice President in charge of operations."

Article published in 2009 by Ron Romanik:

"It's among the stars that we must seek the beauty of Women and track the origins of life?" is how the dream was born. The dream was an ambition-defining and envelope-pushing one, initiated by Denis Boudard, president of QSLD and QSLD's Gael Ollard and Christophe Guichard. These dreamers simply wanted to see what 13 of the most creative designers they knew could come up with if they all worked together. 

"We are designers. This is our vocation!" explains Boudard. "The Moon Dust project was a unique occasion to express our personal vision of the perfection. It's an emotional response; it is also a harmonious alliance of dreams and passions." 

Modes of seraphic seduction
After coming up with a name, Moon Dust, they also defined their mission: to crystallize the emotions of the woman who considers her dreams, her desires, and her personal accomplishment as her one and unique quest. This moment of inspiration gave birth to an astral fragrance and equally inspired packaging, achieving "a journey out of time where furtive mirrors reflect eternal lights." 

"Like the Moon, this fragrance has a hidden side that each of us has to discern and capture," says Ollard. The Moon Dust fragrance is subtle and authentic, revealing notes of sweet spices, freesia flower, aldéhydée peony, blue jacinth, heliotrope flower, centifolia rose, essence of Bulgarian rose, amber grey lunar, roots of vetiver, and musk. Lightly colored with a delicate metallic grey tint, the perfume naturally captures reflections of lights. 

The bottle design combines traditional glass maker method and savoir-faire with new high-technology techniques. The half-moon shape rises above a heavy plain glass base that reveals a complex grid texture underneath the glass structure. The crisscross surface catches the light and enhances what the fragrance reflects. 

The cap was made in zinc-coated Zamac with a dark and deep metal color. This pipe-cap has been designed with an ostentatious ring on the top to provide an easy catch. The secondary package was printed in a deep black with two layers, and finished with a matte varnish combined with an additional hot stamping glossy varnish, and an extra hot stamping warm red mark. When opening, the box releases a blast of lights provided by a holographic film applied on the inside. 

There is just one catch
A shooting star is ephemeral, priceless and unique; likewise, Moon Dust Parfum is not actually for sale. Only a few thousand bottles were created for the Luxe Pack Monaco show last year. Moon Dust is the result of a unique collaboration of passionate people who contribute every day to the improvement of a certain idea of luxury. 

The creative crew at QSLD convinced 12 partners to bring their passion and their savoir-faire to achieve this exceptional product. As a result, the most talented people and the best technologies have been combined to produce a limited edition keepsake and promotional tool. 

QSLD has been at the center of the French luxury scene for more than a decade, and is now coming to U.S. market with QSLD New World. QSLD specializes in developing packages that help luxury brands to reach their target markets for companies such as Moet-Hennessy, Lancôme, and Oscar de la Renta."

My Review:

I was absolutely lucky enough to find a full bottle of this fragrance on ebay this year, so I figured I would write a review for the perfume. Unfortunately, the bottle did not come with it's original presentation box.

The notes are:

• sweet spices
• freesia flower
• "aldéhydée peony"
• blue hyacinth
• heliotrope flower
• centifolia rose
• essence of Bulgarian rose
• "amber grey lunar"
• roots of vetiver
• musk

This fragrance appears to be an eau de parfum, its sillage is great. It has been 6 hours since I applied this perfume on my wrists and I can still smell it. In the dry down, I get a lot of the musk, the ambergris and the vetiver. I do smell some notes that aren't listed: Cashmeran, orris (lots of fantastic dusty orris), violet leaf. Even though there are flowers listed in the notes, this is definitely a unisex fragrance. This is not a sweet or gourmand perfume. It is dry, dusty and musky. The "Amber Grey Lunar" is a fantasy fragrance accord by Firmenich, it is so beautiful! This smells like something Serge Lutens or other niche house would offer. Personally, I think this is a wonderful fragrance. I will be sad when my bottle runs out!

If you cannot find a sample of this extremely rare fragrance anywhere, you can rest assured that the perfume is very similar (at least to my nose) to Xerjoff's Apollonia fragrance from 2019. Apollonia contains white flowers, orris butter and powdery white musk. I was gifted a sample of Apollonia by my friend Jana over at Fragrance Vault and I sampled it for the first time last night, and it instantly reminded me of Moon Dust! 

In fact, I discovered that the Xerjoff fragrance was inspired by the Apollo 11 moon landing from 1969. A coincidence? Did Firmenich supply Xerjoff with a tweaked version of the Moon Dust fragrance? I will have to sample the two fragrances side by side to see what differences I can detect.

From Xerjoff:

"Apollonia is a homage to the space shuttle Apollo 11, through which the first moon landing took place, on July 20th 1969. 

This essence evokes the charm of the deep space, of a night sky illuminated by thousands of shining stars.

And in its seductive scent one can perceive the yearning of man for infinity, the need to dream every time new worlds, a need that Apollonia perfectly satisfies involving all our senses in an intense imagination process."

Get your bottle of Xerjoff's Apollonia from Jana! 

Moon Dust Flacon:

Illustration by Sophie Grielen / Moon Dust Perfume / Design by QSLD.

 https://www.facebook.com/pages/QSLD-Art-Direction-Design/207209576006097