In Chinese mythology, an immortal goddess named Chang’e lives on the moon, along with a jade rabbit and a woodcutter. She is on the moon because she inadvertently swallowed an entire dose of an elixir of immortality that her husband, the archer Houyi, had bidden her not to touch. The whole dose sends the imbiber to the heavens, and Chang’e floated off until she came to rest on the moon. As with all myths, there are several versions of this tale, but all involve ten men turning to ten suns to scorch the earth, and Houyi killing nine of them with his bow and arrow, saving the world. In some versions, the men are the sons of the Emperor, who punishes Houyi and his wife with a mortal life on Earth, and in others, Houyi is made a king, and Chang’e marries him and becomes queen. Desiring immortality, Houyi seeks the fateful elixir to share with his wife so they can live together eternally. Regardless of the origins, the myth ends with Chang’e becoming the moon deity, who is worshipped during the Mid-Autumn Festival with gifts of moon pie pastries.
Natural perfumer Jane Cate, of A Wing & A Prayer Perfumes, was at a loss to name a new osmanthus perfume she had created. Osmanthus flowers are widely used in China to scent tea and delicacies. CaFleureBon Editor-in-Chief Michelyn Camen told her the legend of the moon goddess and suggested that she name it after Chang’e. Ms. Cate was delighted with the idea, and used that for the name.
Mooncake by Christopher Nielsen
Chang’e, the perfume, is one of the most beautiful stone fruit scents I have worn. Ms. Cate lists her top note as Virginia Cedarwood, but cedar-phobes are safe; there is not a speck of the dreaded hamster cage. What Chang’e does on my skin is become a juicy apricot-infused jam that is incredibly compelling. I have worn this for a few days, and the sillage is heady, sweet, and full-bodied. The amber base creates a slightly doughy effect, and since Chang’e the goddess is worshipped with pastries, this perfume would delight her. Imagine the ripest apricots and peaches baked with just a little sugar in a simple crust, just enough crust to hold it together, and you have the aroma of Chang’e the perfume. Osmanthus offers just a bit of complexity that keeps the perfume from being too gooey. I seriously can’t take my nose off my arm when I have sprayed this perfume, and wearing it has been a delight.
Chang'e and The Jade Rabbit by frikibunny8
As is the way with natural perfumes, Chang’e is a bit short-lived. However, that is made up for by the sheer force of its presence while it is on skin. Summer is a perfect time to release this fragrance; I can’t imagine a better scent to wear for an evening of grilling and sitting on the porch, ambling through downtown streets in humid air, or lying on the grass listening to crickets and gazing up at Chang’e and her companions on the moon.
Notes: Virginia cedarwood, osmanthus, apricot isolate, peach isolate, neroli, amber
Chang’e will be available in a 1-oz. bottle or special moon bottle in the A Wing & A Prayer Etsy shop starting this week. I received my samples from Jane Cate of A Wing & A Prayer Perfumes, and Ms. Cate is offering a ¼- oz. purse spray to one lucky reader in the US. Let us know your favorite dish or perfume made with stone fruits (fruits with a pit), or your favorite perfume from A Wing & A Prayer, and make sure we know you are in the United States or have a US mailing address. Draw ends on June 7, 2013.
We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.
-Tama Blough, Senior Editor
Note: Chang’e is also the name used for the various spacecraft in the Chinese space program.