Our take
What does Eau de Basilic Pourpre smell like?
Hermès added Eau de Basilic Pourpre to its Colognes line in 2022. Christine Nagel, the house perfumer since 2016, composed it. The official pyramid is short. Clear green bergamot opens, then purple basil takes over. It has that metallic, peppery feel of a leaf crushed between your fingers. Geranium rounds off the sharp angle and adds a rosy, slightly minty note. The base shows up early for a cologne. Discreet spices and a very calm patchouli keep it going well after the herbs have faded. Critic Persolaise called it light and charming, with no ambition to rewrite perfumery. He also saw it as a comeback for the Hermès colognes after a weaker Eau de Citron Noir. That's fair on both counts. Compared with Eau d'Orange Verte, the house's historic cologne, Basilic Pourpre is more herbal and a little less fizzy.
When to wear it
A summer cologne to spray generously after a shower, for the office or the weekend. Plan on a top-up in the afternoon.
It belongs to the Citrus, Aromatic family. Eau de Basilic Pourpre is one of 47 creations by Hermès in our encyclopedia.