Christine Nagel: Perfumes, Career and Creations

Christine Nagel perfumes, from Jo Malone to Hermès

Christine Nagel leads perfume creation at Hermès after a long career composing for other brands. We rank Narciso Rodriguez for Her first, co-written with Francis Kurkdjian, for a musk that became a benchmark. Twilly d'Hermès follows with its ginger-spiked tuberose. Jo Malone's Wood Sage & Sea Salt completes the top three with a spot-on coastal sketch.

6perfumes reviewed

Career: from chemistry to Hermès

Swiss-born Christine Nagel came to perfume through chemistry before moving into composition. She worked for several large fragrance houses and wrote scents for very different brands. Narciso Rodriguez for Her in 2003, co-written with Francis Kurkdjian, and Dolce & Gabbana's The One in 2006 show her taste for sensual feminines. With Jo Malone she changed tone. English Pear & Freesia in 2010 and Wood Sage & Sea Salt in 2014 are short, legible colognes. Giorgio Armani's Sì, from 2013, went back to a rounder chypre. In 2014 Hermès brought her in alongside Jean-Claude Ellena, whom she later replaced as head of creation. Twilly d'Hermès, released in 2017, was one of her first big feminine launches for the house. That range makes her comfortable anywhere, from carnal musk to salty cologne.

Style: materials you can almost touch

Nagel likes to make a material feel physical. The sea salt and driftwood of Wood Sage & Sea Salt, the crunchy pear of English Pear & Freesia, the sharp ginger of Twilly: each scent starts from a concrete sensation. She is not afraid of fruit either. Peach and lychee in The One, blackcurrant in Sì, pear at Jo Malone. On her feminines the bases run warm, with vanilla in The One, Sì and Twilly. Her colognes end on musk or amber instead. The weak spot depends on the register. The Jo Malones fade fast, rated 2 out of 5 for intensity, and Sì ends up dominated by its sugar. Our take: she is at her best when skin becomes the subject, as in Narciso Rodriguez for Her. Twilly shows her other side, the one with a sense of humour.

6 perfumes, in order

Narciso Rodriguez · 2003 · Floral Musky

Narciso Rodriguez for Her

First in our ranking. With Francis Kurkdjian, Nagel put musk at the very heart of the perfume, between rose and orange blossom. The patchouli and vetiver base adds an elegant shadow. It suits women who want a sensual, minimal signature from office to evening. Some find it too dark. More carnal than The One, it has also aged better.

Hermès · 2017 · Oriental Floral

Twilly d'Hermès

Sharp ginger and cheeky tuberose, knotted like a silk scarf. Nagel freshens a flower that is often heavy with pink pepper and bergamot, then sets it on vanilla sandalwood. It suits women who prefer wit to grandeur, by day or on a date. The ginger can feel shrill at first. More playful than Sì, it is the cheekiest scent on the page.

Ginger Pink Pepper Bergamot Tuberose

Jo Malone · 2014 · Woody Aromatic

Wood Sage & Sea Salt

A cliff swept by sea spray. Sea salt and grapefruit open onto sage and red algae, before a base of driftwood and musk. It is a cologne, with the staying power that implies, so reapply during the day. Perfect in summer, at work or on weekends, for anyone. Drier than English Pear & Freesia, it is our favourite Jo Malone.

Grapefruit Ambrette Sage Musk

Giorgio Armani · 2013 · Chypre Floral

Sì

Modern chypre with soft edges: blackcurrant nectar up top, rose and osmanthus in the heart, vanilla and patchouli below. Sì works at night and at the office, especially in cool weather, with an intensity of 4 out of 5. The vanilla sugar ends up taking over and blurs the chypre side. Tamer than Twilly, it is still flawlessly executed.

Black Currant Mandarin Bergamot Rose Similar perfumes

Jo Malone · 2010 · Floral Fruity

English Pear & Freesia

Ripe pear, melon and quince, then freesia and rose over a light patchouli and amber base. English Pear & Freesia has the charm of fruit bitten in a garden. It suits the office and autumn or spring days. Very discreet, it does not last long. Fruitier than Wood Sage & Sea Salt, it is also softer.

Pear Melon Freesia Rose

Dolce & Gabbana · 2006 · Floral Oriental

The One

Peach and lychee over plum and golden vanilla: The One plays Italian glamour, warm and fruity. Nagel wrote an easy floral oriental for evenings and winter. It takes few risks, though its charm is real. Sweeter than Narciso Rodriguez for Her, it comes last because it surprises less.

Peach Bergamot Jasmine Lily Similar perfumes

Frequently asked questions

Who is Christine Nagel?

She is the in-house perfumer at Hermès. She joined in 2014 alongside Jean-Claude Ellena and later succeeded him as head of creation. Before that she wrote perfumes for many brands, including Narciso Rodriguez, Jo Malone and Giorgio Armani.

Which Jo Malone scents did Christine Nagel create?

Two colognes in our catalogue carry her name: English Pear & Freesia from 2010 and Wood Sage & Sea Salt from 2014. Both are short and easy to read, with limited staying power rated 2 out of 5. Wood Sage & Sea Salt is our pick.

Did Christine Nagel create Narciso Rodriguez for Her?

Yes, together with Francis Kurkdjian in 2003. The perfume made musk its main subject, set on rose and orange blossom over patchouli and vetiver. We rank it first on her page and it also sits high on Kurkdjian's.