Most fragrances start with a perfumer imagining something beautiful. This one started with NASA trying to solve a training problem.
A scent designed so astronauts wouldn't be surprised
Spaceflight training aims to eliminate surprises — and one surprise nobody anticipated was the smell. Astronauts returning from spacewalks consistently reported a sharp odor of hot metal, ozone, and gunpowder. So NASA commissioned fragrance chemist Steve Pearce of Omega Ingredients to recreate the scent based on astronaut testimony, so trainees could experience it before orbit.
Pearce's specialty was recreating impossible smells — he had previously rebuilt the scent of the Mir space station from astronaut interviews. His "smell of space" formulation stayed within training circles for years.
The Kickstarter that went to orbit
In 2020, a small team worked to bring the fragrance out of training programs and into the public's hands. The Kickstarter campaign struck a nerve: over $600,000 raised, exceeding its goal by 32,000%, backed by more than 13,000 supporters, and covered by CNN, BBC, NPR, Reuters, USA Today, Good Morning America, and dozens more — over 35 outlets worldwide. See the press coverage.
What it actually smells like
Wearers and backers describe Eau de Space as opening with hot metal and ozone, with smoky, gunpowder-like depth — bold, industrial, and unlike anything else on a shelf. Its companion, Eau de Luna, recreates the Apollo astronauts' descriptions of Moon dust: drier, smokier, quieter.
They're formulated as wearable unisex fragrances — but many customers buy them as gifts for the space lover in their life, as classroom tools for STEM teachers, or as conversation pieces that answer the question every astronaut gets asked: what does space actually smell like?
Experience it yourself
Eau de Space – The Smell of Space, 100 mL
Eau de Luna – The Smell of the Moon, 100 mL