Our take
What does Eau de Citron Noir smell like?
Christine Nagel created Eau de Citron Noir in 2018, two years after Eau de Rhubarbe Écarlate, her first cologne for Hermès. The starting point is loomi, the dried lime used in Middle Eastern cooking. Drying turns it black and gives it a smoky, slightly fermented taste. The scent opens on bright lemon and a lime that almost stings. Then the loomi shows up with its toasted bitterness. A woody black tea pushes the smoke further, while citron keeps a thread of light running through. The guaiac wood base adds a woody depth that is rare in a cologne. It all stays light and fades fast, as the genre demands. Compared with Eau d'Orange Verte, the house's historic cologne, this one feels darker and more grown up. It keeps the same crispness, though. The Hermès touch shows in the way a citrus fruit is handled like a kitchen ingredient.
When to wear it
A summer cologne to spray freely on skin or a linen shirt. Plan to reapply in the afternoon.
It belongs to the Woody, Citrus family. Eau de Citron Noir is one of 47 creations by Hermès in our encyclopedia.
