Reviews of Eau d'Hermès (1951)
by Hermès

I must applaud the effort put into this early Hermes cologne. The opening is similar to Caron pour un Homme with creamy lavender and fresh citrus, but soon after the cumin and light woods (possibly pine) creep in and darken the waters. It does smell strongly animal for a few minutes, but this dries down to a light orange and civet, which is bearable and decent.

This review is under revision...

animal notes combined with a cologne style head and some white flowers
the animal notes have been tempered down but it remains elegant and very unusual mix

Hermes have some of the most interesting Eaux around, and this one ranks top in my list. I cannot wait to get hold of a bottle and try it on my man's skin too...

Aye. 'Tis a beauty of a beastie.
It may not be advisable to wear it over the moors at night when the forces of evil are exulted, lest you start howling like a wolf.
On the other hand, if you're over 40 going about your mundane business, do not be surprised if you order a cup of coffee and the lovely waitress half your age approaches you cautiously, like a slow caress.
This is leather for the full moon.

Hermes Eau D'Hermes

When it comes to Eaus I'm beginning to think that Hermes just knows how to do them. Starting in 1951 when Edmond Roudnitska created Eau D'Hermes. I love when a perfumer takes a very known entity and turns it into something that feels their own. Hermes seems to make a cottage industry out of it especially with eau de colognes. Francoise Caron did it with Eau D'Orange Vert and Jean-Claude Ellena did it most recently with Eau de Pamplemousse Rose. Roudnitska did it first, however, and Eau D'Hermes is a testament to his ability. The top of this starts off with the classic Eau de Cologne mix of citrus and lavender, the twist Roudnitska added was cumin. This takes the sparkling usual top off into a much more earthy, grounded direction. This same kind of top would be repeated very similarly in Cartier Declaration with less lavender. The cumin is also less than in Declaration which might make it easier on the cumin averse among you out there. For me the cumin makes the top very special and different. Eau D'Hermes comes to end on a slightly leathery note mixed with a little moss to give this a fougere feel at the end. This is a true Eau de Cologne and therefore will not have a lot of longevity on most people. It fares about the same on my skin as most of them and lasts for a decent period of time. It is always a pleasure to see an artist re-interpret something and Eau D'Hermes shows Roudnitska's skills in top form.

The name, Eau de Hermes conjures up an image of a somewhat 'house' cologne for Hermes. Something that is classic to the brand and smells like eaux cologne (citrus top notes, quickly refreshing, short longevity). I was completely unprepared for the scent that I sprayed on. Happily unprepared.

EdH is just a wonderful marriage of citrus and cumin - and this lovely, animalic combination is clearly evident from the beginning all the way to the base notes. It manages to wear extremely close to the skin yet its conservatism fools the wearer since animalic whiffs of the scent can be detected all day while wearing EdH.

I've seen many people recoil with a smudged up facial expression when first smelling this scent (including a Hermes SA), only to become a fan of the scent once it's dried down.

Masculine. Very sexual. Extremely ahead of it's time. And still wonderful and non-reformulated by Hermes after all of these years. What more can a Hermes fan-club-member, like I, ask for?

Wow. I was surprised by this one. To think that in 1951 a major house wasn't afraid to put something like this out! Or maybe things were more daring then. This starts off with a typical, commercial citrus zing, but quickly turns dirty and anamalic in a very good way. Although it stays fairly linear on me, I still love it. If you see this one at a good price, buy it!~

The story that Roudnitska was trying to create the smell of the inside of a well-worn Hermes handbag when he created this frag is a cover. Imagine a very sweaty man in a wife beater. He's back from the gym. Doesn't wear deodorant. He strips down and has hours of sex with his workout partner. Could be a man, could be a woman. About an hour after they've finished, our man gets up, throws on some Eau Sauvage instead of taking a shower, and there it is: the smell of his skin is Eau d'Hermes. Strong body odor with a pronounced fecal accord that gets stronger with time, with some very light floral-citrus in the background. It's a compelling scent. It's a funk. I wouldn't wear it because, frankly, I'd worry that people would think I hadn't showered, it's that realistic, with that fecal accord adding the unmistakable implication that the sweat was worked up between the sheets. If you haven't smelled this, run don't walk to Hermes and try it. Astonishing. And if you want to play a mean practical joke, spray some on a married friend's clothes. Guaranteed that when he or she gets home, their spouse will be convinced infidelity is afoot. Giving this a thumbs up because it's so astoundingly real and not the kind of thing anyone else would have had the balls to bottle.

Timeless masterpiece that is to my mind more suitable for men. I guess it says something that there is only one review made by female as I type this.


Top: Cardamom, Lavender Herbs, Cinnamon, Caraway, Bergamot
Heart: Jasmine, Bourbon Geranium, Vanilla, Tonka Bean
Base: Sandalwood, Cedar, Birch, Leather, Tonka Bean



To me Eau d`Hermes is almost on the border for being too heavy on than cumin-y sweat note, but it stays on the better side after all very easily.
EdH has also dangerous resemblances to my much hated Aramis Classic, but fortunately the differences with the two are very significant at the end of the day.

EdH smells very vintage, but I don’t think it’s dated. It smells “old” but its also very lively scent. Warm, sensual and very deep.

The animalic cumin-like note (Cardamom, Caraway) is prominent but is nicely accented by the highly notable cinnamon plus sweeter notes of vanilla and tonka. Birch gives it a nice, campfire-y smokiness.

Marvellously executed fresh animalic scent with very natural “animal skin” feel to it.

On the other hand, as weird as it may sound, EdH has always reminded me of the smell of certain cinnamon bubble-gum that I have chewed many times in my life.

This is a work of rare beauty. Anyone who knows even a few of the frangrances by Edmond Roundnitska will recognize his fingerprint.
It is a classic leather composition. Without any doubt a brilliant play on an aldehyde. I guess it is also built around coumarin. It is dry, spicy and animalic. Many have smelled a cumin note but I think it could be something more like neroli and clove.
I would be very interested to know if it has ever contained anything like natural civet musk or castoreum. I have the intuition that it could have been replaced by a synthetic material when the perfume was first mass produced. I could be completely wrong but it could explain its weak strength and short longevity. It may very well be simply the aesthetic of the eaux of the time.
I wear it as a discreet, subtle and supremely elegant cologne. It is ideal in conservative contexts where a strong fragrance would be judged as distasteful.

This fragrance is almost two fragrances in one. The first isn't terribly remarkable - a pleasant, lemon-centered eau de cologne with a slight musky tinge. The second is far more interesting - a cumin-heavy animalic fragrance with a leathery side.

Sadly neither of these two last at all long at all on me, and once the citrus has vanished, the sillage is poor. The top notes last ten, fifteen minutes at most, and the fragrance is gone in an hour or two on me.

I can imagine this fragrance being wonderful in hot weather, where the frequent re-applications to keep it going would be welcome and refreshing, but for most of the year, I don't have much of a use for this.

Thumbs up for a refreshing cologne with a funky animalic side, but be advised it has the faults and virtues inherent in the Eau de Cologne genre.

An incredibly smooth, slightly leathery eau chaude-style of EdT. The top notes are classic eau-de-cologne formulation, citrus with a dash of lavender for an herbal-floral effect. The middle notes combine spicy notes (among which cinnamon predominates) with green-herbal sage and florals. The base is a conflation of chypre (labdanum and moss) and fougère (tonka bean), but the lavender in the top tilts this to an overall spicy fougère modality within the eau chaude family. Good longevity and sillage. Warm, full, yet not quite rich, it is elegantly confident; nevertheless it is quite genteel in its restraint. Very much a "class act."

Interesting take on the normal lemon and lavender eau de cologne formula adding in a drop of Jicky and cumin into he mixture. I was hoping for a Eau d'Oragne Vert but "better" kind of thing but it's not what you'd expect. I go back and forth between thinking it stinks and smells like sweat to this is a wonderful animalic cologne.

A truly fascinating and unique fragrance, Eau d'Hermes is a study in contrasts and balance. More than any other fragrance I've experienced, EdH smells very differently depending on how much you apply and whether you're wearing it or just sampling it. Someone on the BN message board made the analogy between EdH and scotch whiskey - they are both acquired tastes that are beautiful to the acclimatized but very unpleasant to the casual user. This is incredibly apt. The most important thing you can avoid with EdH is to judge it based on a spray to a piece of paper. The second most important thing to avoid is to judge based solely on an arm or wrist spray (the mistake I initially made).

I first experienced EdH by spraying on my arm and breathing in deeply. The cumin was overpowering, and all I could smell was, as another reviewer put it, "sex". It's dirty and animalistic, with cumin and civet predominating. I did not give up on EdH because I could tell that something was going on under the cumin, something very beautiful. I kept waiting for the cumin to subside and meld into the background notes, but it persisted well past the heart and into the basenotes, loosening its grip as the primary accord at the very end to reveal a soft, woody leathery base. "Nice base" I thought, but could I wait 4-5 hours to smell like that? Also, the strength of the cumin, smelled up close, bordered on being sour enough to smell like urine at times, and I wondered if I'd be walking around reeking of either Kouros or the men's room at Grand Central Station.

I took the plunge and gave it a body-wear. What a difference! When sprayed over a wide skin area and not smelled up close (in other words, diffuse sprays not inhaled from 1 inch away as smelling on the wrist), EdH is an entirely different animal. The citrus becomes much more evident and vibrant, and it is balanced perfectly by the cumin, which no longer reeks like an indian restaurant but rather cinnamon and clove. EdH projects class and a slight formalness, but with a touch of quirkiness, like driving an old Jaguar Vanden Plas. The woody/leathery drydown is gorgeous and lasts forever. You won't smell like anyone else wearing this, that's for sure.

Final thoughts, I can't really picture a woman pulling this off unless it's for the express purpose of getting naked.

Imagine that you have a tiger as a pet. You want your tiger to smell nice, so you spray Eau D'Orange Verte on him.

Eau D'Hermes simulates how your tiger would smell, after being sprayed with that perfume. It is a mix of sweat of beast, leather and oranges. It is certainly a work of genius. I would put it into the same league of Eau Sauvage. The difference is that Sauvage uses lemon and Eau D'Hermes uses orange, and Sauvage is less savage (no pun intended).

Everyone should try this perfume. Thumbs up!

oh dear heaven....THIS IS AMAZING! I have been searching for YEARS for this scent. I got my sample today, and can't stop smelling myself. At first it's nice and spicy, but turns to a woody, warm almost musky patchouli-like scent...and has a slightly powdery drydown. This is a complex, amazing scent that I could wear every day to work or to a special event....with heels and a black dress, or with nothing at all! I am completely in love....

I'm pleased to hear that others have the same love/hate relationship with this strange elixir as I do. To me, it smells like sex- pure and simple. Like the way your body smells after a good, sweaty romp. It walks that fine line between bad body odor and sexy body odor. And unisex my butt- this fragrance is totally unsuitable for a woman unless she is a total sexpot, like maybe Angelina Jolie. I don't wear it often, but I'm glad I have it if only because it's Hermes and so exclusive. Disclaimer: Hermes is my holy grail. If they put an Hermes label on a dead rat I would HAVE to have it.

This is one of my favorite fragrances and certainly my favorite unisex fragrance.
Eau d’Hermes, on my skin, has two very different faces. Sometimes it is dr Jekyll (a delighted unisex scent) and sometimes it is mr Hyde (a gloomy male scent). Happily, more often it’s dr Jekyll.
Pretty often my office gets the smell of a scent I’m wearing that day. Several days ago I was wearing Eau d’Hermes. During the day I had to leave the office and I was absent for about 10 minutes. When I returned the office smelt so good. Then I was sure: I love this scent.
I didn’t get any compliments for this one, but I have one very simple maxim: my pleasure is beyond compare more important than a pleasure of the people around me;-)
Definitely, the soul of this fragrance is cumin.
Animal? I don’t know… if you say so.

Complex, sophisticated, and suggestive all at once, Eau d’Hermès richly deserves its status as a classic. Others here before me have analyzed this scent and described its development better than I ever could. I think the genius of Eau d’Hermès lies in the way it combines frank animal notes, spices, and tobacco into something that’s at once rich and “dirty.” It’s the smell of a living animal; none in particular, but clearly one with power, grace, and an element of danger about it. In this respect it’s much like Ungaro II, though the two fragrances have hardly a note in common.

The much-discussed cumin note is certainly detectable, but never discordant. It’s only one component of the racy, animal accord that gives Eau d’Hermès so much of its punch. The scent is lasting, with good projection and quite a bit of sillage. After a solid eight hours it dries down to a slightly sweet leathery base that persists for hours more as a skin scent. I find it quite “masculine” (whatever that means) though no less appropriate for women than that other classic leather, Tabac Blond. Eau d’Hermès is a great fragrance, and while it’s certainly not for everyone, it is something anyone who enjoys fragrance should try at least once.

I love this, the cumin is detectable but not overpowering and overall this scent is just pleasing. Although I feel it might be a little too masculine for a woman to pull off.

I had to drive all the way to the Manhattan Hermes Boutique to smell this. No one sells it. Being the great masterpiece everyone's raving about, from professionals in the field to the end user, I wondered how that could be.

After spraying some on my hand and neck - to fully appreciate the fragrance - I discovered why you won't find this fragrance anywhere.

I came very close to puking my guts out.

The stuff is positively repulsive. It smells like dead cats. Like manure. Like things that are left to decay and rot.

But hey! Wait! This is the masterpiece by the great Roudnitska. Everybody says it's great. This is one of the great ones for sure.

Well, people are afraid to disagree with the majority opinion. There are psychological studies that prove this.

How anyone can like this fragrance is beyond me. I just had to wash my neck with soap, after having to smell this for about an hour with no escape. It stinks!

Manly ? Yes.
Rare? certainly
The dog's boxxox?
Without a doubt.
It's a love it or hate it thing.
I love it.
Personally Eau D'Hermes smells like your favourite Uncle.

Great and involved fragrance with a perfect base notes.
I found it my wonderfool every day substitution for Guerlain's "Mouchoir de monsieur", which I think to be too gala and for quite feminine "Jickie", at least on my skin.

Grace Kelly's handbag stuffed with Robert Mitchum's jockstrap. Pretty-dirty.

This is just lovely, balanced, wonderful stuff. The citrus, floral, and spice qualities of Ed'H are beautifully intertwined, so that even the exhilirating first minutes of the topnotes are more like breathing clarity than breathing a bergamot wakeup call. The olfactory equivalent of an old friend, a conversation that is at once stimulating, honest, and comfortable. Thank you Mr. Roudnitska.

Heureka! I have after many years of looking found my holy grail scent that I will make my Signature Scent. It is both complex and simple at the same time. I love the bottle and the name. Naturally I think it is a lovely scent. Both Intense and discreet, complex and simple at the same time. It also last long on me. I really dont know what would be wrong with this one. It is relatively easy to get hold of if you know where to look for it - but definetely not something that everyone else is wearing. The cummin is well done. It doesnt disturbe me at all and it gives it charachter. It also prevents the scent from becoming to conservative. At the same time noone can call it a Hippy Liberal kind of scent either. You can wear it at all occasions. Both at work and at home and at partys. If I dont find anything I like better - this might be my last review. But then you never know do you. I might review other scents just for the fun of it. But I want the world to know it is this scent who is my nr 1. Ten thumbs up.
benb

These were still times.....the great Edmond Roudnitska probably had the freedom to create whatever he had in mind-independent from marketing strategies etc.This great artist demonstrates once again his class and high standard:Eau d`Hermes is a warm, spicy, rich flavoured perfume-as it has been said-a bit powdery, soft and sweet.It reminds me of JHL of Lauder: distinguished,classy and longlasting and powerful.Mr. Roudnitska-have a look at all the other great perfumes he created-leaves us a tasteful and perfectly composed eau-it has been launched in 1951 but this one will last for ever and keep it´s class forever-it does not smell dated or old-it is timeless.But!!!do not take to much-the more you take it can become very intense and exhausting and nerving!It is a very rich and intense perfume that may change as it has been already described-a few drops-not more!The sad thing is that even hermes is slowly losing it´s exclusiveness and luxury-hermes was alway still very,very special but unfortunately hermes is beeing copied allover the world and have a look at market places or bazars specially in asia....sad...if you are seeking a special perfume that may give you the feeling of being the only one wearing it then have a look at the great relaunches of chanel( for example)......

Sometimes the more impressive a fragrance is, the more difficult it is to discuss. I guess it has something to do with the ‘awe’ factor. I am in awe. I was so looking forward to testing Eau D’Hermès because it took me a year to obtain a sample of it. It was worth waiting for. I was expecting to like it: I have always liked cumin in fragrances (and in food), so I was sure I would go for Eau D’Hermès. What I wasn’t prepared for was the depth, symmetry, and artistry contained in this fragrance. The extent of its finely tuned presence and substance challenges believability and induces that ‘awe’ response in me. Balance, equilibrium, and nuance rule every accord. As old as it is, it is not an instant out of date. It lasts for hours, and it is superb! Another one that I have no choice but to buy!

So it's cumin, eh? Who woulda thunk a spice for chili would end up in an Hermes bottle? I don't know what I think of this fragrance. I like the way it starts off, but then something happens and it's not altogether pleasant. Either that or I am just not sophisticated. I am staying neutral on this, with a slight down-turn, because--whatever this stuff is--it doesn't last very long.

I hate, I love it - my good friend Susie looked at me with a perfectly straightface and offered, "That has to be the msot disgusting thing I've ever smelled. Wash it off. Immediately." Yet somehow the scent of sweet leather and armpits in this scent is strangely interesting

Cumin done right. Probably the only fragrance with detectable cumin that doesn't smell like bad BO. Eau d'Hermès is just so perfectly balanced. Perhaps not a surprise since the Great Roudnitska is it's creator. Dries down to a sweet, super-pleasant almost bubblegum-ish base that surrounds you for hours and hours. One of the best "ancient" creations still available.

This is what Kingdom SHOULD have been! This is such a rich and mysterious fragrance. It’s loaded with cumin, but doesn’t have that harsh and grating personality that Kingdom does. It’s powdery and soft, but complimented perfectly by the abundant cumin. I love this, and it’s a wonderful evening fragrance in my wardrobe.

The beginning of the great Hermes legacy--unexpected, brilliant, daring fragrances. To help, my favorite producers are Hermes, Dior, and Chanel. Contrary to another poster's assertion, this is, if anything, too masculine for a unisex fragrance. Hints of tobacco, leather, spice--it's very seductive and rich. But, then, these are balanced by soft, hot feminine sensations. The result is an exemplary unisex fragrance. Unlike the cheap "club" unisex gimmicks we see today (i.e. CK One, et al), which are boring and nondescript, suitable for neither sex, Hermes has masterfully concocted a scent that integrates a myriad of nuances.

So unusual. On me, the spice comes out first and seems to warm up the air around me. Then the floral elements sneak in and toy with me a bit. The diverse elements blend beautifully in the drydown providing a calm, subtle, and unique scent.