April is the month dedicated to poetry, my favorite poetic form is Japanese haiku and one of my favorites “noses” is Jean Claude Ellena. What, you may ask, do these three things have in common? Hermes’ in-house perfumer (M. Ellena) has captured the essence of many of perfumery’s most used “notes” in light and ephemeral creations called the Hermessences. These are inspired by different countries and their cultures. These are sold exclusively at Hermes boutiques and through their website. What Jean Claude has done (and rather well, I might add) is to create “perfumed haikus” or poetry in a bottle.

Haiku is an ancient form of minimalist Japanese poetry. A traditional haiku is often the representation of two different ideas juxtaposed with a “cutting word” (or kireji) between them, acting as punctuation. Modern haikus are constructed of three lines with the number of syllables in each line being five, then seven and then five again. Ancient ones were composed of seventeen “on”, these do not correspond exactly to syllables; but get the point across well enough.

M. Ellena was born with perfumery in his blood. He picked roses with his grandmother that were sold to perfumers in Grasse, France (where he was born in 1947) and his father, brother and his daughter also became perfumers. He has gone from an apprentice essential oil maker (at the age of 16) to being a student at the relatively new perfumery school of Givaudan. He was an assistant to Maurice Thiboud and also working closely with perfume legend Edmond Roudnitska and made many very popular scents for many Houses, including Bvlgari, Van Cleef & Arpels, Sisley, Cartier, Frederic Malle and L’Artisan Parfumeur  and others. He became the in-house perfumer for Hermes and created, most notably, the wonderful “Jardin” line, Elixir de Merveilles, Terre d’Hermes, Kelly Caleche and, of course, the Hermessences.

Taking very few words and painting a mental picture is what haiku does. Taking very few notes (or combining many notes with a light hand) and creating a beautiful fragrance is what M. Ellena has done. The following verses I have penned myself, in “modern” haiku form, after sniffing and wearing each of the perfumes in this line. It seemed only right, as this IS poetry month, and they are inspiring…

Rose Ikebana (2004) Notes: “A contrast of rose petals and rhubarb” containing fruit and spices, cassia, musk, orange, rose, tea and lemon; inspired by the Japanese floral art of “ikebana”

 

“Dew-kissed petals sigh

Delicious aromas dance

Floating with dawn’s breeze”

Poivre Samacande (2004) Notes: “Burning pepper rounded with mellow wood” containing oak, oak moss, caraway, peppercorns, green notes, paprika, patchouli and cedar; inspired by the city of Samarkande which was a major stop on the ancient spice routes.

 

“Ancient fallen tree

Warmed by sun and heady spice

Your spirit lives on”

Vetiver Tonka (2004) Notes: “The strength of vetiver softened by delicious hazelnut-comfortable, fresh and confident” containing vetiver, lily-of-the-valley, hazelnut, praline, tobacco, sandalwood and tonka bean; a softer, more rounded vetiver…redefined and reinvented.

 

“Laying in warm grass

Sweet nutty tastes remembered

Brushed by green velvet”

Ambre Narguile (2004) Notes: “Amber honey with swirls of smoke from the East” containing amber, honey, ginger, caramel, labdanum, musk, white orchid, vanilla, sesame, rum and tonka beans; inspired by scent of amber blended with the scents of Far Eastern water pipes, where tobacco is scented with fruits, honey and spices…the scent of intoxication.

 

“Golden resins flow

Sweet and luscious dreams delight

A veil of smoke and warmth”

Osmanthe Yunnan (2005) Notes: “A seductive game of tea, flowers and fruit” containing orange, Yunnan tea, freesia, osmanthus, apricot and leather; inspired by a trip to the Forbidden City’s Imperial Palace in Beijing.

 

“Regal blooms entice

Fruits and leaves play hide and seek

Over garden walls”

Paprika Brasil (2006) Notes: “The ravaging power of paprika and brasil wood” containing clove, paprika, pimento, green leaves, iris, mignonette flower and Brazilwood (reseda or “bois de braise”, a tincture of which was used to color fabrics red); inspired by the wood that gave Brazil its name and “illustrated” with spices, red as the wood itself.

 

“Soft and powdery

Green embraces deep crimson

Warm dust covers wood”

Brin de Reglisse (2007) Notes: “Invigorating lavender dressed in matte black licorice” containing lavender, floral notes, orange blossom, hay and licorice; inspired by the landscape of southern France-dry earth, purple fields and wind of the mistral. *My personal favorite Hermessence*

 

“Wind of soft flowers

Warm hay drying in the field

Cool yet sweet, night falls.”

Vanille Galante (2009) Notes: “A sensual vanilla murmuring gently, all of its depth with an unexpected lightness” containing spices, green notes, lily, sandalwood, vanilla and ylang ylang; inspired by vanilla, yet here the perfumer attempted to catch a lighter aspect of it…unusual, complex and paradoxical.

 

“Playful spices tease

Carefree frolic of pure joy

Creamy silken mist”

 

Iris Ukiyoe (2010) Notes: “An interpretation of the unsuspected scents of iris flowers-lively and delicate” containing iris, mandarin, orange blossom and rose; inspired by Japanese prints using the “ukiyoe” (images of the floating world) style, taking their inspiration from nature.

 

“Still water reflects

Cold crisp purple flowers

Embraced by shadows”

Santal Massoia (2011) Notes: “The magnetic union of two milky woods-sandalwood and massoia” containing  massoia wood resin, sweets made from milk (dulce de leche), sandalwood and dried fruits; inspired by the velvet smooth and supple aromas of both woods.

 

“Majestic trees sway

Sticky sweet sap drips down bark

Tender branches touch.”

 

All of the Hermessence line is unisex, wearable by men and women. Some lean a bit more towards one gender or the other, but all of them are amazing experiences. Even the ones I did not “love” I appreciated for their construction, quality and beauty. Many complain about the longevity of some of these scents. I found all of them to have average to above average sillage and above average to great longevity. Remember, minimalist does not necessarily mean “linear”. They are, after all, perfumes based on haiku. Brief fleeting things of beauty that may not last long, but can be haunting.

 

Disclosure: These reviews were written based on samples sent very kindly and generously to me by the Hermes store in New York City. I was impressed not only by the sales associates’ knowledge of perfumes (both their own and others) but by their willingness to help a potential customer, who had no Hermes store closer than a six hour drive, test and sample all of these amazing scents.

 

–John Reasinger, Editor