Charles C. Ebbets 1932 photo from GE building in NYC – edited by Emmanuelle for Hermès H24 

 Hermès H24 composed by in-house perfumer Christine Nagel has been one of the most awaited-wanted-anticipated perfume launches so far in 2021. It is the first Hermès men’s fragrance since Jean Claude Ellena’s Terre d’Hermes 15 years ago. 

H24 refillable bottle -photo by Hermès 

 So, what about Hermès H24? Is it worth the hype? If you are an Hermès aficionado, you might be surprised by its name. Usually Hermès fragrances refer to iconic symbols of the House, to raw materials or to their equestrian heritage. H24 looks like a code name you could use as a hashtag. Soooo 2021. But Hermès did NOT change its philosophy and honors the brand by showcasing both its iconic H and its historical Paris boutique located at 24 Faubourg Saint-Honoré. One might infer that “H” stands for “Homme” (man in French).  In addition, H24 is a common French expression meaning *24 hours a day. 

H24, The Story Behind-  photo via  Hermès edited by Emmanuelle.

Hermès H24 it positioned as a “high-tech fougère, a fusion of three vegetal raw materials: enveloping sage, electric narcissus and invigorating rosewood”. Not mentioned there but key to this fragrance is sclarene, a synthetic molecule that evokes an iron’s warm metallic steam, a scent that impressed Christine Nagel when she visited Hermès menswear Véronique Nichaniant’s tailoring workshops. This experience gave Mme. Nagel the idea to create a perfume that bridges tradition and modernity and nature and technology.

 Collage by Emmanuelle using images from Hermès

Is Hermès H24 a men’s fragrance “democratized” for a mainstream global audience or is it a men’s luxury French perfume? It is both and that is quite exciting. H24 can smell like a totally different fragrance from one day to another. On my first day, the sclarene note was powerful and metallic. Sharp. This wasn’t a fougère at all, but something slightly unsettling: not a “smell good” classic. I could barely detect the clary sage and the narcissus disappeared. The next day it smelled completely different and the clary sage emerged sharing its herbaceousness. After nearly an hour, the narcissus appeared, mysterious and deep, with a whisper of a hay note giving it a floralcy that stayed with me. I could still smell the metallic sclarene note which surprisingly enhanced the natural elegance of the sage-narcissus-rosewood tryptic. Something you want to smell again and again. With overnight longevity and then some it nearly made “*24 hours” on my skin and clothing. 

I don’t like to assign gender to perfume. But H24 is what I would want to smell on a man and it would be his and his alone. Christine Nagel created a new Hermès men’s fragrance that stands on its own and not overshadowed by the giant “scent prints” of Terre d’Hermès. In my opinion, she succeeded and made it her own.

Notes: clary sage, narcissus, rosewood, sclarene.

Disclaimer: samples of Hermès H24 was sent to me by Hermès Paris. The opinions expressed are my own.

Editors’ Note: A few words about the flacon— beautiful, highly architectural and aerodynamic. You can imagine how substantial it would feel held in your hands. It is also refillable, which is a big plus—modern and on trend.

Emmanuelle Varron, Senior Contributor with contributions from Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief

Thanks to Hermès Paris and Emmanuelle we have a sample of Hermès H24 for a registered reader in the EU or US. To be eligible please leave a comment with what you thought of Emmanuelle’s review, where you live and if you have tried Hermès H24 or Terre d’Hermes.  Do you think fragrances can be only for men or women? Draw closes 3/17/2021

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