Eau de Space: A Fragrance That Smells Like Outer Space

Pretty soon, you could smell like outer space.

A fragrance developed by Steve Pearce — a chemist and founder of Omega Ingredients, a company that creates scents and flavors for the food and beverage industry — was originally used to help NASA astronauts prepare for space missions and adapt to the smells of orbit. This unique fragrance is now bottled and set to be sold to space enthusiasts everywhere on Kickstarter.

Pearce told CNN that remaking the scent on Earth started in 2008 when he was originally contracted by NASA to recreate the smell of the inside of the Mir Space Station.

Fast forward to 2020, and the smell of space can become your next fragrance. However, the perfume, aptly named “Eau de Space,” is unlikely to find its way onto cosmetic store shelves next to Chanel No. 5, as the company’s product manager, Matt Richmond, described the smell to CNN as a combination of “seared steak, raspberries, and rum.”

This description is not a terribly far departure from astronaut Peggy Whitson’s recollection in a 2002 CNN interview, where she described the smell of orbit as “hot metal and fried steak.”

For astronomy enthusiasts who can’t afford the price tag of a $250,000 Virgin Galactic trip to space, this could be the next best alternative.

The four-ounce bottles are starting at $29 and are now available for preorder, with expected delivery in October 2020. Each purchase will also contribute a bottle to a K-12 school, enabling students to learn about the smell of space.

The company, which has already raised more than $200,000 in contributions, does not plan to produce additional bottles once the one-off production from the fundraising campaign is complete. However, based on the buzz surrounding Eau de Space, Richmond mentioned that Eau de Moon might be on its horizon.