Hermès
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
A shocking brightness of bergamot and geranium cuts through like daylight through a stable window, with cassia adding dusty spice that feels almost peppery. The hyacinth rounds the edges with a delicate, slightly green sweetness, but this opening is unquestionably brisk and businesslike.
Iris blooms with cool, slightly chalky restraint while lily of the valley drifts in with its powder-dry character, creating a floral centre that's contemplative rather than indulgent. Jasmine adds depth without sentiment, anchoring the composition with a touch of animalic warmth that prevents the florals from floating away entirely.
Oakmoss and vetiver build a sophisticated, slightly peppery woody foundation whilst cedarwood's dry resinousness dominates, accompanied by amber's soft golden warmth—it reads almost herbaceous, like leather goods stored alongside dried herbs rather than a sweetly ambered embrace.
Amazone Hermès arrives as something of a paradox: a 1974 chypre that somehow manages to feel both austere and sensual, structured yet decidedly undomesticated. Maurice Maurin's composition opens with a sharp bergamot-geranium combination that immediately establishes a crisp, almost herbal temperament—this is no softly feminine floral. The cassia adds a whisper of spice, a subtle warmth that prevents the top notes from becoming aggressively citric. What's remarkable is how quickly the iris and lily of the valley emerge, creating a conversation between the green spice of the opening and a powdery, almost slightly metallic floral heart. This isn't the saccharine lily of the valley you might expect; it's tempered by jasmine's indolic depth and the iris's earthy restraint, producing something distinctly intellectual rather than immediately comforting.
The base notes reveal Maurin's real stroke of genius: oakmoss and vetiver provide an earthy, slightly peppery foundation that refuses to soften into sweetness. There's ambered warmth here, but it's filtered through cedarwood—drying, resinous, faintly tobacco-tinged. This is a fragrance for the wearer who gravitates towards Hermès' equestrian heritage without needing to be told. Amazone suits someone who appreciates restraint, who understands that true sophistication whispers rather than declares. It's morning application before a demanding day, or the scent you reach for when you need armour disguised as elegance.
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4.1/5 (97)