Reviews of Bel Ami (1986)
by Hermès

Has Hermes ever produced anything better than this in the last 25 years -- a moot point imo. There are no shocks for me here -- a lovely rich leather mixed with spices ending in a glorious vetiver mix. Hermes have now packaged all their perfumes in rather clunky and ugly bottles -- the only individuality left is in the scents themselves.

This review is for the vintage Bel Ami in the 'cocktail shaker' bottle.

If I could give it 6 stars I would, and it's really my pleasure to be writing what I can as a testament to this beautiful fragrance. Bel Ami is the epitome of elegance, highlighting 3 of my favorite accords (leather, sandalwood and vetiver).

When I first got a sample from a good friend of mine I fell in love almost instantly. I was able to detect those 3 beautiful notes almost right away, though this isn't to say Bel Ami isn't well-blended. There was a major surprise for me in that with its incredible longevity it morphed into this gorgeous vetiver akin to MPG Route de Vetiver (vintage) on my skin - though softer, warmer.

Longevity is superb - sillage is just about perfect with a few sprays to key areas. It has been said that Bel Ami doesn't take many risks... it doesn't need to. I think it works best for formal/semi-formal but I've worn it with a t-shirt and jeans and loved it just the same. This will be a "holy grail" fragrance for many people. I put it right next to L'Instant PH, Creed BdP and Vetiver Extraordinaire for "versatile elegance with tolerable opulence". 5/5

Bel Ami is a big, spicy leather scent with a heaping dose of dark woods in its base. It’s neither so lithe nor so risqué as its lascivious oldest brother Eau d’Hermès, and it doesn’t share middle brother Equipage’s taste for tobacco. This leaves it the most staid – stolid, even – of the Hermès leather brethren. Bel Ami is a guy you can depend on, even he’s not the most charismatic one in the room. When I'm looking for a leather scent in this general style, I'm more apt to reach for the more challenging Knize Ten or Parfum d'Habit, but Bel Ami works just fine if you're after something more congenial.

An intense and pungent woody fragrance that made me jerk back my head in initial disgust. However, it does settle down to something warm and spicy. Although this would have been nice to wear in the ‘80s, I definitely can’t see myself wearing it now (and this is its main downfall).

I still love the re-vamped bottle, though.

[Original submission date: 29 December 2007]

I started wearing this powerhouse from 1988. I was completely in love with it and many many older women (and some men) during that time would sidle up to me and say... "That is an incredibly masculine scent you're wearing it's so sexy!"
I just last year broke open the first and then the second (and last) of my old style, round bottles from the 90's that I'd been saving and revisited and fell in love with it all over again.
It IS a strong, powerful, reasurring scent and initially can come across as having no subtlety.
BUT, allow it to work it's magic over a few hours, over a week or two's usage and you'll find that its incredibly resinous, woody, smokey, leathery, castoreum and beeswax heart and base do NOT add up to brash but actually ...
religious, archaic, literary as well as powerful, manly, bold....
it's hard to explain... u need to firstly not be someone who only loves ozonic or marine scents but other than that... its also a pretty serious scent. Seriously sexy, seriously into books (the name is also a direct homage and reference to Guy de Maupassant's novel) and seriously unafraid to be smelled wherever you go.
I have always preferred it to that other 80s powerhouse comparison Antaeus. It is the drier, more disciplined of the two and, (sic) unlike Antaeus, has a rigorous tight poetry to its power.

Today I just got a bottle of the new reformulated Bel Ami from the Hermes Boutique.
It IS different, but it's somehow still Bel Ami.... there are definitely certain things I love about it MORE and some things I MISS....
There is less of a lemon blast at the top (that I might miss) but that nice resinous Bel Ami quality emerges more quickly and more beautifully to my nose.
Definitely on the whole... it has managed to keep its personality strong and powerful. And yet, it feels like its moved quite well into the 21st century.
Only time and use will tell if I am as much or less or more in love with the new touchup but so far SO GOOD.
A heavenly scent still....

The Eighties are over ! Move over for Moss Breches!

Starts out really fresh, lemony and citrusy, (ala YSL Pour Homme or Versace L'Homme) then settles into a spicy leather (ala a classier Halston Z-14). The ride includes florals (ala Givenchy Insense) and yet it's all men's territory, while retaining a sensitive and floral aura. This powerhouse is rich and sweet...a good comforting scent in cool autumn days. Also a good starter leather scent for newbies...Way smooth and classy.

Hermes Bel Ami

Hermes introduced Bel Ami in 1986 and according to many websites and posters on Basenotes was reformulated recently. I believe the bottle I have is the old formula because one area of agreement in the new formulation is there is more citrus on top. On me, the bottle I have is more a mix of pepper and what I would call cardamom but cardamom has a sort of lemon character to it and so it might be lemon but it feels like a dried lemon. After the spice fades a raw cedar note appears like a newly hewn piece of wood has been heaped on the olfactory fire. Then the leather shows up and this is a quite beautiful and deep leather and it lasts for a long time. Very slowly the well-balanced base of vanilla and patchouli mix with the leather and by the time all three are on equal footing the transformation is elegant and sophisticated. If the alleged re-formulation is more citrus prominent and less pepper and lighter lemon, like I experienced, I could see that I might not enjoy that as much as what I just wore. I hope that it isn't another case of changes made for the worse, as the version I'm wearing is beautiful.

Spicy florals and a deep sandalwood base. Sometimes it comes off as a citrus and leather but for me, it's all about the sandalwood. Opens up a tad off-putting with a bitter/sour lemon. I'd wear this for formal events.

What a wonderful name for the fragrance, "beautiful friend". I love it.

The scent itself isn`t bad either, although I don`t wear it myself anymore. To me Bel Ami has always been a borderline case. It smells good and fascinating, mysterious too, but at the times it can be quite offputting because of the weird combination of animalics, vanilla, flowers and smoky woods. Also, Bel Ami has a capability to remind me of Aramis, and that my friends is a huuuuge minus.

Bel Ami is very raunchy fragrance. It`s sweet and animalic. It`s very much "love me or hate me" type of fragrance, so I feel little bit strage giving this one a neutral rating.

An attempt to make Equipage more macho, or at least have stronger sillage and longevity by adding notes not listed on the pyramid that could be curry, onions, sulphur or mud. Nevertheless I can't bring myself to give Bel Ami a thumbs down--it's still too good for that-- and shall contain myself to pointing out that the earlier Equipage was better, though it demanded a bit more patience before socking you on the nose. Furtthermore, the early supposedly unisex original leather beast, Eau D' Hermes is still the best of the three. When it comes to leather, Mercury--or Hermes has been going retrograde.

Bel-Ami is definitely a male fragrance. The scent is great but do not overspray it since it is very heavy and long lasting,
According to me this fragrance is very suitable for in winter.

Bel Ami is a leather chypre scent which opens with a citrus/herbal accord dominated by bergamot tempered with lemon, petitgrain and a slight orange (mandarin?), there is a hint of herbal green as well; the heart is a floral wood accord with a jasmine center and some slight orris and carnation overlaying the woody tones of vetiver, cedar and patchouli. Lest you think that Bel Ami is a woody floral scent be aware that this is a base-note dominated fragrance. The base is leather. The leather in Bel Ami owes its character primarily to a birch tar and castoreum accord which is lightly sweetened with labdanum, tonka and vanilla and a slight oakmoss/storax undertone.

I find Bel Ami to be a very wearable and "friendly" leather scent, of great distinction.

Bel Ami opens with sour citrus, but not refreshingly sour, it's an oddly stale sourness, perhaps like old lemon juice or lemon water standing in a glass for days. Add to that dusty old herbs and spices rather than fresh ones and you get a pretty musty concoction. This smells nothing like the sweet and floral notes up there suggest (can they really be correct?) - I'd say it's a citrus, herbs, spice and leather fragrance. A pretty classic aromatic/leathery men's scent - yes, quite 80ies, but not quite as macho-extreme as some 80ies scents, this could be an older composition still I think. I have to say it walks a very fine line between the dated, herbal mustiness I detest and a pleasant spicy/leathery accord reminiscent of Yatagan. To its defense, it's actually getting slightly fresher as it develops on skin and that oddly stale citrus note disappears.
As so often with me, I get two completely different scents on my wrists and in the crook of my elbows. In the crook of my elbows, scents stick longer but they also turn sourer, sharper - those notes that tend to turn to soap or powder do so galore, herbal notes get extra musty... On my wrists, scents are fainter and more short-lived but prettier, truer to their original self, drier, fresher, spicier... Hence, with Bel Ami, I get mostly warm aromatic spices on my wrists and musty leathery herbs in the crook of my elbows!

I love the smells of real leather, but I often am repulsed by “leather” notes in fragrances: After all, leather notes in fragrances are synthetic re-creations of genuine leather aromas. Bel Ami is one of an extremely few strong leather fragrances that I do not have adverse reactions to, but that is only one of the reasons that I think it’s an excellent fragrance. I don’t get the sharpness in it that some talk about: The citrus opening, to my nose, is very well done and is not one of those many that have that Lemon Pledge note. The middle notes are rich, refined, and deep, but what I really like about it is the strongly floral middle notes. Even with the patchouli / green notes / vetiver, the carnation and jasmine excel. The carnation comes through with a beautiful clarity and preciseness that lifts the entire fragrance to a higher level. The dry down is the dry down of a typical 80’s power scent, except that it has the addition of a potent and excellent leather. Assuredly it is a strong fragrance with strong output (I am told that it been reformulated and it is not as powerful as it used to be). It is not for the faint of heart or, probably, it is not for the young; but my “Beautiful Friend” is truly a refined, elegant, masculine, and classic fragrance.

They don't make them like this anymore! The 70s-80s seem to produce my favorite fragrances and this is one of them.

Bel Ami is a very masculine fragrance that bleeds sophistication, I think it best suited for romantic evenings or winter days.

The opening is remarkably similar to Yatagan, I believe this is due to the presence of wormwood, after that it changes into a very different leathery-herbal scent with a touch of lemon to top things off. The balance between the lemon and herbs seems to shift throughout the wearing and constantly brings you in for closer sniffings.

This will see heavy rotation in my wardrobe. An easy 5 stars for this one.

Certainly one of the classic of the uber-fragrance era of the 80's. Classy, masculine and powerful. Not for the faint of heart, but if you can carry it off it is a keeper.

I recently revisited Bel Ami (it was my first Hermes). Leather dominated on my skin - an offputting mixture of indian masala, raw green lemons, and artificial plasticky leather. To my at-the-time inexperienced nose, it was a little too much to handle. I may have been less shocked by the urinal masterpiece that is Kouros. A 100 fragrances (from 10 different houses) later, its still too much for me to handle. I don't get much vanilla. It was my first Hermes and put me off the line for a long long time - till I sampled Terre D'Hermes and Hiris.

Sorry Bel Ami, there are many other top tier leather fragrances which need more love from me.

The EDT from the top of the bottle is sharp and smells of lemon furniture polish. The topnotes are rather harsh - there's definitely some lemon and waves of black peppery heat (which is probably helped along by the alcohol). It feels warm on the skin, too - I've seen pyramids on this scent that say cardamom and I woudn't be surprised. The heart of this fragrance is a massive wave of warm and spicy sandalwood and tobacco - this radiates and is only noticeable as it warms on the skin - I read once in 'The Emperor of Scent' that there's a compound called Osyrol that smells of sandalwood and was accidentally discovered by a chemist who dumped something down the sink and flushed it with hot water. There might be some flowery notes in there, but they're hidden well. As it dries, the sandalwood and tobacco persist, joined by the warmth of pepper and other spices. This has massive sillage and seems to last forever on my skin - I've gone to bed with it on and woken up the next morning with it still there. It's a warm, safe, comforting fragrance for cooler weather. It's the favorite scent that I own right now.

This scent makes me feel like I can take on the world. True, the topnotes are a little overpowering, but about around 20 minutes, you have a spicy, leathery, manly aroma with just a hint of lemon to make it more wearable. The trick is to wear very small amounts, and definitely apply to skin.

I owned this for a long time, and frankly it was THE fragrance of my "wild and wooly" bachelor days in New York. (Not a drug taking, disco dancing, or "all night raves" wild and wooly, a different wild and wooly. Not debauched, think trying to be debonair. Lots, I mean LOTS, of girls liked the ballet, the musuems; the theater, and gin and tonics, at least back then they did. And they really liked boys who liked those things too. Boys who were not kids, boys who worked hard during the day and who wore Bel Ami.) Anyway, Bel Ami smells dated to me now and is associated with other times and other places, so even though my wife liked it and bought it for me last year(not knowing Bel Ami was my good friend when I dated other girls), I surreptitiously got rid of it. True it is has an exceedingly rich and spicy/woodsy smell; with a great incense and citrus on top; and, true it will make people see you as sophisticated and cultured and maybe the proud possessor of a well- endowed preppy's trust fund, as far as I am concerned enough is enough. It's a new millenium. Time to move on and build up the 401K. I am a dad now, and my fragrance thoughts and inspirations should be about other things. By the way, however, if you are into your "wild and wooly" early to mid 30s and living a really fun money spending lifesyle in a major metro area, and you DO like to go to the theater and the symphony and to foreign films as well as places like the Hamptons this could be your sexy but serious scent of choice. It will attract the right kind of ladies to your money.

I just bought this scent a few days ago. It is absolutely lovely. Perfect depth. And it is what you usually calls not in your face - but definitely noticeble. That describes this scent perfect. It is masculine, elegant and playful. Just like I want my scents to be. Hermés is definitely my favourite brand from now on.
benb

It took me a few weeks to get accustomed to Bel-Ami. It is sharp, potent, direct, and very spicy. The sandalwood notes in it remind me of the interior of old Buddhist temples and the hundreds of years of accumulated incense odors that have seeped into the wood. Nevertheless, the lemony notes add just the right touch of freshness. So, now it has become one of my favorites, but I know it isn’t for everyone. It is probably the polar opposite of something like Issey Miyake or Chanel Allure Homme Sport.

I swapped for Bel Ami blindly, based on some positive reviews I had read about it. I was needing something assertive and masculine in my collection, and a lot of people swear by it. Upon receiving the bottle, without even spritzing, I sniffed the top portion of the bottle, and instinctively turned away and muffled a gag. I have never reacted this strongly to a frag before in a negative sense. It is insanely sharp, overwhelming, relentless in its attack. Albeit, I am not a fan of leather scents to begin with, but this was beyond anything I had encountered. I don't think I could be within 10 feet of someone wearing this scent. Infact, just thinking about it makes me want to curl up in the fetal position and suck my thumb. I should probably bring up my Bel Ami exeperience in therapy.

I rather liked the spicy and smokey leather feel from this scent, but I got nothing but negative feedback regarind this one. The best of which were being told by kids that I smelled like "their Mom's pepper grinder" and a coworker asking me if I was standing near a campfire that morning. Too bad, because I used to like to wear this one.

An absolute powerhouse is right. Unreal stuff - smells so powerful, not for the faint of heart. A powerhouse 80's scent - Kouros, santos de cartier, in the same line. A great purchase - but very expensive.

One of my favorite leathers, it's as if someone made a slightly toned down version of JHL and added a leather note to it. Classic and masculine, a must if you love leather.

Another '80s powerhouse, Bel Ami has the added distinction of being unique. A spicy leather with some floral notes, Hermes calls this their "bedroom scent". Long lasting, with great sillage and of typical Hermes quality, it can be an acquired taste for some. Me, I loved it from the get-go. Any fragrance enthusiast owes it to himself to at least sample it.

Loved big time by most basenoters, Bel Ami just isn't for me. Watching the pyramid + adding the strong leather it should be close to the fragrance of my dreams but it isn't. It smells stuffy and dated to me, If in the mood for smoke, check out Eaud de Fier or Bulgari Black instead. Bel Ami is very unknown in my country, which is great - cause frankly I think I'd be sick if I was on a bus or subway with someone wearing this. The only Hermès I clearly dislike.

Bel Ami is a wonderful spicy floral scent. It’s in a class of its own in my wardrobe. Rich and deep floral notes mingle with rich and masculine spices. This is great for formal wear, casual wear, anything. It exudes a kind of confidence that really can’t be found amazing. Every time I wear Bel Ami the memory of that day is tattooed into my memory. That’s how amazing it is. I also have one of those special edition leather travel editions.

This is my favorite scent, period. Love at first sniff! To help, I generally enjoy unique scents, and I principally favor Hermes, Dior, and Chanel offerings. This bold fragrance reminds me of frankincense, and, as such, deserves to be venrated on the high altar of fragrance. It also has a very Eastern feel. Not for the office or clubs--too sultry; too daring.

Great scent. last all day and get many compliments. Wear it at office or out on town. Truly, a masculine scent

All I can say is it's a Classic. I payed $100
at Nieman Marcus. It does smell like Creed Portugal. That's a good thing.
I can't say More.

Bel Ami among the very unique Hermes fragrance family is a knockout. I first experienced this irresistable rich and leather fragrance when I first met my parnter. Leather, amber and ylang ylang this fragrance is unmistakeably sexy, warm and confident. Like most Hermes fragrances Bel Ami is elegant and confident. Great for colder weather seasons.

Really strange fragrance! I had never smelt something like Bel Ami! Pretty strong top notes, remind me medicinal drink!! Maybe some kind of licour too... I smell a lot of herbs here!Strange herbal fragrance! Not for me!

What's with all these thumbs-down here?
Bel Ami is a very nice flowing Chypre. Yes, it has an offbeat mix of florals and leather. That is what makes it so appealing. Maybe someone sprayed on a little too much.
So, maybe I didn't exactly love Bel Ami at first sniff. Maybe I even repelled when I first opened the box and let it hit my hand. Maybe you shouldn't wear it to the office - I do. I'm wearing it at the office right now. Hope they won't boot me out. Sure, it's more of a night out scent. But nothing smells quite like this.
When the weather is cool enough Bel Ami is really cool.

So elegant, so warm, so confident. I wore this to my graduation recently, and it lasted all day. It has such a classic, woodsy, musky scent that few can duplicate nowadays. Glad I didn't have to plunk $100 for it at the local Nordstrom. >8-)

Gotta disagree with the majority here. This really smells rotten to me. Whatever floats your boat. keep it far away from me please.

This was an all-time favourite of mine in the late 80's and still is - perfect fo rthe leather/spice/oriental fan like myself. I have seen this fragrance repeated in Commes de Garcons unisex fragrance as well.

Perfect spicy leather scent!!! Luxurious and excellently blended. To my mind, one of the most masculine scents ever. Greatest for evening special occasions in colder temps.

What a beautiful scent. A nice Chypre/Floral/Leather scent is nothing like Anteaus very very different the leather notes are so nicely soften.
The scent does NOT have the lethal edge that Anteaus which can hit you over the head like a bat. The scent is very subtle stays close to the skin. It is unique how the leather is blended with smokey like notes not a heavy notes but you can smell it in the background which reminds me of oak leafs being raked and burned on cool crisp autumn day.
A very classy scent and I am totally glad to have added this to my collection. Just a while ago I smelled from the bottle big mistake, I'm sure this is what turned me off to it years ago you need to smell this one on the skin.
The scent is so subtle that it is wearable for both dress and casual in cool fall weather. The bottle I received from Scentiments is fresh stock, I can tell by the box.