SENSUAL CLARITY
A men’s fragrance designed to be unlike any other men’s fragrance.
To create this new Hermès signature fragrance,” Hermès perfumer Christine Nagel says about her latest creation, H24, “I had to open up other, less predictable paths, to move away from the conventional woodiness of men’s scents.” She did this by observing the work of Véronique Nichanian, artistic director of the Hermès men’s universe. “When I attend one of Véronique’s runway shows, I am always struck by how I am able to feel the texture, the very weave of the fabric, with my eyes.”
To make an aromatic, botanical note of her own, without revisiting well-trodden ground, Christine chose clary sage (Salvia sclarea), with its inflections of hay and cut grass, alongside this highly distinctive, slightly animal amber base.
“This variety is far more enveloping and more sensual than garden sage (Salvia officinalis) with its medicinal, camphor-infused accents.” This clary sage, essence and absolute combined, refuses to blend into the background. It is a botanical backbone: it is dominant, expressing itself from start to finish.
A flower that is in fact not quite a flower, the narcissus absolute is a botanical wildcat that defies its fragility. In addition to its renowned green, crisp and edgy side, it exhales a certain memory of nocturnal tobacco. This stylized and rather disconcerting narcissus, with its wonderful implicit bitterness, lends the fragrance not only elegance but also the patina of a classic.
The third piece in a flawlessly symmetrical puzzle is rosewood essence, a rose in name only, extracted from a wild South American tree. This rare ingredient has the ability to make enthusiasts quite feverish; such is the folklore that surrounds it. It is sourced from producers in Peru whose eco-responsible initiative, supported by the house, involves harvesting it and replanting the species in a way that respects the environment.
The finale is delivered by a molecule of the future: sclarene. Initially green and earthy, this aromatic body very quickly develops its sensual tang reminiscent of a hot iron. An alternative aromatic note, a wood without the scent of one, and an impressionist molecule, it offers the composition its metallic vibration, a rich and intense pleasure, and links with the Hermès men’s ready-to-wear universe, evoking the heady aroma of hot irons on fabric in the workshops.
The refillable bottle, designed by Philippe Mouquet, has aerodynamic lines that appear as if it had been altered by the firm grip of an invisible hand. The box, made from 100-percent recycled and recyclable paper, makes reference to the fragrance’s composition. A mineral gray base is enhanced with a fine line of lime green that simultaneously delimits and opens up the space beyond the lines.
Sprays are 100ml and 50ml while refills are 125ml and travel sprays are 15ml at Hermès in Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati, and rustans.com.