Death Note Gets a Nail Polish Collab With Mooncat

Death Note is getting a beauty tie-in, and it is one fans of the series probably did not see coming. Nail polish label Mooncat has launched a nine-shade collection inspired by the manga, the anime and the live-action film, and it marks the first time the franchise has teamed up with a beauty brand. The launch followed about a week of teaser posts.

Each shade is tied to a specific character or moment. God of the New World is built around Light, the protagonist who presents himself as a straight-laced, ordinary teenager while hiding a ruthless streak. The polish is a thermal formula that shifts between charcoal and burgundy as the temperature changes, a visual stand-in for that split personality. Sugarfuel Brain Calories takes a lighter tone and jokes about L and his famous sweet tooth, packing blue shimmer, star-shaped flitter and holographic and reflective glitter into a semi-sheer base. The rest of the lineup leans on matte, metallic and magnetic finishes. Several magnetic shades reveal a darker base color when a magnet is held over them, which is also how the brand's cat-eye effects are created.

Pricing follows Mooncat's usual model. Each polish costs between $17 and $18, and a magnetic wand, used to apply the magnetic shades, comes free with any purchase. Fans who want the full set can buy a limited-edition collector's box for $139, roughly $20 less than buying the nine bottles one by one. The box comes in a matte black case styled after the series' notebook and includes an exclusive sticker set and a magnetic wand.

Mooncat creator Michelle Lin described the collection as "a love letter to a story whose artistic legacy has left an indelible mark on her creative vision." Over the past week she has posted short videos explaining the thinking behind each shade, which gave the rollout more substance than a typical product drop. Mooncat has also released collections with Star Wars and Avatar: The Last Airbender since launching in 2021, and the Avatar line is still sold on the brand's website.