Our take
What does Eau de Pamplemousse Rose smell like?
Hermès released Eau de Pamplemousse Rose in 2009 with Jean-Claude Ellena, then the in-house perfumer. It joined the Colognes Hermès line, a family of short-lived, sparkling scents meant to be splashed on. Grapefruit opens with all its juicy bitterness, the zest you squeeze at breakfast. A touch of orange rounds it off. The rose appears next but stays well back. It tints the fruit more than it makes it floral. A rhubarb-like facet adds something green and tart. Vetiver and moss dry the base with a light woody note. Compared with Eau d'Orange Verte, the house's historic cologne, this one is less bitter and more floral. It's also more fleeting. That's the usual cologne problem: an hour of joy, then almost nothing. Keep it close and reapply freely. The bottle is big for a reason.
When to wear it
A summer cologne to spray after a shower or on the way out of the office. Don't count sprays, and top up in the afternoon.
It belongs to the Citrus family. Eau de Pamplemousse Rose is one of 47 creations by Hermès in our encyclopedia.
