Our take
What does Eau d'Hermès smell like?
Edmond Roudnitska created Eau d'Hermès in 1951, the saddler's very first perfume. His starting idea was the inside of an Hermès bag where the scent of a perfume still lingers. The first seconds are classic: bergamot and lemon, then petitgrain and sage. Then cumin arrives and everything tips over. It brings a warm skin note close to sweat. Cinnamon, cardamom and clove join it. Geranium and jasmine stay in the background and barely register as flowers. The base is dry leather, led by birch and labdanum, resting on moss and sandalwood. A touch of tonka softens the whole. Cartier's Déclaration, composed by Jean-Claude Ellena in 1998, picks up the same idea of citrus and cumin. Eau d'Hermès stays more leathery and more old-world. The cumin splits people. Some adore it, others can't stand it.
When to wear it
A spicy leather for autumn and spring, best worn in the daytime. Two sprays, and test it on skin before buying because of the cumin.
It belongs to the Leather family. Eau d'Hermès is one of 47 creations by Hermès in our encyclopedia.