Our take
What does Hugo Deep Red smell like?
Released in 2001, Hugo Deep Red is one of Hugo Boss’s best-known women’s scents, part of the younger Hugo line rather than Boss. No perfumer has been officially named. The opening is red in a literal sense: blood orange, black currant and clementine, with pear taking the edge off the acidity. The heart goes somewhere less obvious. Tuberose turns fruity and nearly edible here, flanked by hibiscus and freesia. Ginger lily adds a small spark. The base is more conventional. Vanilla, sandalwood and musk sit on cedar, which keeps things from getting too sweet. You can feel the era, when warm fruity scents were for nights out. Next to Dior’s Poison Tendre from the same period, Deep Red is less powdery and tarter at the start. It is an easy, now inexpensive perfume that still has loyal fans.
When to wear it
Best on autumn evenings, when the vanilla base has time to settle. In high summer the tuberose and vanilla mix can get cloying.
It belongs to the Floral, Oriental / Amber family. Hugo Deep Red is one of 35 creations by Hugo Boss in our encyclopedia.
