Created in 2004 by Jean-Claude Ellena, Hermessence is a collection of unique fragrances conceived as olfactory poems using perfuming’s most exclusive elements. As sober and intense as Japanese haiku, they reinvent a nature that is as precious as it is unusual, as if rendered by the inspired writing of a composer in search of the new. Enriched each time the perfumer discovers a new country, a language, a culture or simply extraordinary new ingredients, as of today the line consists of eight fragrances, exclusively available in Hermès stores.
“Amber, the Western expression of Eastern fragrances, has a warm, sensual, enveloping, almost carnal smell. I wanted to imbue this idea of amber with the memory of the East I love by recreating the ambiance of those lively places where tobacco – blended with the smells of fruit, honey and spices – is smoked in nargiles, or water pipes, and where swirls of smoke diffuse a sweet sense of intoxication.” --Jean-Claude Ellena
Cinnamon, Honey, Rum, Caramel, Tonka Bean, Vanilla, Benzoin, Coumarin, Labdanum, Tobacco, Sesame, White Orchid, Musk
Perfume rating 4.42 out of 5 on Fragrantica