Reviews of Eau d'Orange Verte (1979)
by Hermès

I just hadn’t gotten around to this one before. I remember walking past it in duty frees and wondering if I should try it and then passing it up to try something else. Well… this is excellent. It opens with such a great orange / orange blossom note augmented by a clear, crisp lemon. It reminds me of some of the great colognes, but there’s a real “now” attached to Eau d’Orange Vert that is missing from the older greats. When I read the middle notes I want to groan, they sound so out of place: mint and papaya and mango… I don’t really like any of them in my fragrances. But the middle is so well done… the papaya and mango notes are controlled and lusciously balanced and the mint note is perfect for accord. I love the drydown. It presents such a rich combination of patchouli and oakmoss. Sure, Eau d’Orange Vert hugs the skin, but it has a stronger character than the traditional colognes. I have no complaints about longevity. Eau d’Orange Vert performs nicely on my skin and I get about three hours from it, which is much better than I get from the more traditional colognes. This is a winner: great smell, refined accords, excellent progression, and pretty darn good longevity for a cologne. I’m looking to buy.

This is in my top 5 favorite EDC creations. My other favorites being Cologne Sologne, Guerlain EDC, Eau Savage and Eau Provence. It is the epitome of class and freshness. I can't help being in a good mood when I wear it. I just need to make sure I have a bottle handy when I do wear it since the longevity is very typical of an EDC, thus reapplication is necessary if I want it to last. There are so many EDC's to choose from but this is one of the best, and worth every penny.

The Concentrée is actually a very good adaptation of this scent into a chypre concept.

This is how heaven probably smells like. It's the most refreshing perfume you will ever find. It exudes class, innocence and beauty.

Not to be confused with an EdT from which one expects longevity and complexity, EdOV is fantastic for what it is - an old time cologne 'tonic' - and this is reflected in the low price. I acquired a bunch of 1oz travel bottles and I keep them cold in the fridge. When I come back home from walking the dog in 100 degree Texas heat, I splash it liberally on my face and head. The tangy citrus is a perfect refresher and I am instantly cooled down. I suppose it's a little obnoxious, washing up with water made by Hermes, but whatever.

When I go through my 1oz bottles I will buy the 13.5oz flacon.

Top note: Orange, Lemon, Mandarin, Orange Blossom
Middle note: Mint, Papaya, Mango
Base notes: Patchouli, Oakmoss


Eau D'Orange Verte (EDC) is a classic citrus scent which exhibits characteristics typical of such scents: its fresh, its tangy, its fun, and it suffers from poor longevity. It has also been offered as part of a gift package in various airlines to cure passengers of air sickness and smelly co-passengers.

The lemon and orange top provides an inviting opening - its a bitter citrus blast but is not bitter citrus. Rather its a top quality citrus note punctuated with lemon edges to give an aromatic and bitter but still refreshing aroma. From there the scent unravels into a "smelling the fruit and the whole tree with twigs and all" phase.. the mango and papaya salsa comes forth with a light fruity vegetal freshness to temper the bitter citrus opening but in the background the march of mossy undertones can be heard. And it stays that way .. quite distant. The alluring moss and patchouli combo never increases in intensity; instead, Orange Verte silently peters away to a very light mossy drydown which wont be perceptible unless you splash 1/4 of the bottle on your head. Which you should anyways, considering how refreshing and wonderful it feels. That said, it does share some characteristics with Chanels pour monsieur, which is more dense, spicy and mossy. Eitherways, splash on a bottle and jump out into the 98 degree heat...let your body heat conjure the wonderful aromatic-mossy aroma of Orange Verte.

Rating: 8.0/10

Eau d’Orange Verte is marvelous. It has a beautiful, even ‘yummy’ lemon-orange opening. It is crisp, fruity, tasty, invigorating, and refreshingly acidic. The citrus mellows with the floral and green tones which follow. It drys into a lovely light moss, with mint and bergamot. There is also a light wood tone with a hint of patchouli. There is also some kind of very tangy green note in the dry-down that I can’t identify. It may be due to the patchouli/moss interaction. It is something like celery leaves: a nutty-sweet aspect, slightly tangy. Eau d’Orange Verte is not as herbal or complex as Eau de Rochas pour Homme or O de Lancome pour Homme, which are other citrus-chypres. But it is much greener and crisper than Concentrée d’Orange Verte.

Smelled it in the store yesterday and was instantly beguiled. I'd gotten to the point of expecting to crinkle my nose and cringe at everything I smelled, but this one was a huge surprise to me. Love at first sniff. Salesman said the scent fades very quickly. My cousin said it smelled like an old man to her. Discouraged, I tried something else. I was wrong. like MacArthur, I shall return.

When I smell this I want to DUMP it on my body, swim in it, bathe in it... I HEART this fragrance. It is a crisp with the natural sweetness of a cut-open orange, yet PERFECTLY bitter citrus. I mean seriously, ladies and gentleman you could put this on ice and serve it as a cool, refreshing summer beverage. Incidentally, I have a splash bottle and spread a palm full of it on my chest, neck, inner elbow area and wrists making sure to get some on my shirt, too. And it rewards me by reminding me of itself for hours, without ever being offensive.

A brilliant and happy frag for bright spring days and balmy summer evenings. Modest sillage and miserable longevity, but well worth the $ if you just want a classic, light eau de cologne. For a little more oomph, steer toward the Concentrée version.

I love this stuff. Maybe my alltime favorate. I can remember smelling it years ago on girls and wondering what it was. I loved it then! If you spray it in the exact same place over and over,it will last longer between sprays.

Spray.

Feel happy.

Time how fast it fades.

Feel sad.

Remember you have more.

Repeat all day.

Feel the tug-of-war between happiness and sadness while quietly wondering how an unassuming fragrance has ensnared you in such a profound dichotomy.

Understand that nothing good lasts forever.

Find reluctant comfort in that.

Some reviewers have expressed a 'masculine' perception of this elixir. I don't agree with that opinion. For me, Eau d'Orange Verte possesses a similar drydown to Christian Dior's Diorella. The patchouli and oakmoss create a dry warmth that brings topnotes of citrus into balance. It also wears close to the body, which is fantastic for a physically active day, or the scorching heat of summer. True, it's not a girly-girlish blend, but I find it can be totally appropriate for a woman. While many other citrus topped scents evolve into a woodsy base, refreshingly this Hermes strays from the pack. Can be worn for any occasion, and as with all Hermes offerings, this fragrance is 100% classy too!

Eau D'Orange Verte is an exhilarating citrus scent, full of freshness. To me, it breathes life and I wear it on days I want to feel enlivened. As the experience of many reviewers, the opening fades quickly. The pleasant mossy note remains for many hours. While I would like the citrus blast to last longer, I have come to be content with what Eau D'Orange Verte gives me in its opening. Interestingly, I find that the opening does survive in (or migrates to) a cotton shirt and I will get a good whiff of it at the end of the day when I take it off. Alas, I am a man of flesh – if only I had flesh of cotton! I consider this scent to be masculine. If one is interested in the middle papaya note, consider the Concentrée, where tropical fruitiness dominates.

Water of green oranges eh? It does exactly what it says on the tin for me, it smells like it says, it is an EDC so lasts for a couple of hours and it livens you up no end.
One of my staff did keep saying "Why do I keep smelling gin?" but for summer this stuff is the business.

Eau d'Orange Verte is, in my opinion, the jewel in the crown of citrus fragrances.
With strikingly sharp freshness, here the acidic lemon and zestful mandarin notes are delicately balanced with an unusual bitterness suggestive of the tight, aromatic rinds of unripe citrus fruits.
The benefits of wearing this fragrance are realised almost instantly - I find it embracing, uplifting and rousing; perfect for everyday use, but especially on the weekends as a refreshing morning splash.
Eau d'Orange Verte is both remarkably simple, yet surprisingly profound. As with all 'eau de colognes', its longevity is lack-lustre, however the EDC concentration I prefer over the newer EDT which I find a little synthetic in its dry-down.
Ed'OV is the noble partner to Mugler's contemporary 'Cologne' - another of my preferred summer splashes.

For a citrus I was surprised at how long the fragrance lasts. It gave me a good 6 hours solid from just a sample wipe. It starts off with a clear citrus blast of mandarin with the patchouli needling from underneath and as it try downs it becomes a little less sharp and more rounded. Very classy.

It's funny - contrary to just about what *everybody* seems to be saying, I find that this, the EDCm lasts alot longer than most EDT I've been wearing lately - those being Cool Water, Cool Water Deep, Cool Water Summer Fizz and Drakkar Noir. One spray seems to last about three hours, even on a hot humid day like today, whereas the Cool Waters is gone from my skin inside an hour (it stays alot longer on my shirt!).

It's very bitter and makes me think of strong grapefruit juice, though the only citrus listed seem to be lemon and mandarin. It starts off with a very sharp, old lady kind of scent, but then as it settles into the skin, it becomes warmer and alot manlier, though in a very different way than what I'm used to in cologne.

I just got it and have yet to see how a woman reacts to it, but I'm just dying to get close to myself...

Eau D'Orange Vert is pure class in a bottle. The lemon and mandarin uplifts the spirit. I tend to bypass the mandarin and papaya and go straight to the mint and woods. The mint and woods is a deep green smell that is tantalizing and audacious! It has repsectable longevity on me. I highly recommend without hesitation! It is very masculine.

Often stated as the best example of extremely poor longevity, you simply cannot hate this zesty tonic. As long as you treat it as a cologne and have the opportunity to reapply lots of times during the day, you will be rewarded with the sparkling freshness of squeezed lemon and mandarin - truly uplifting. Eau d'Orange Verte is better blended than most Eau's, and has a recognizeable edge to it. The concentrated version lasts a little longer, mostly because of added mint, but the gain in staying power comes with the loss of the sparkling, refreshing quality of the original. Both are essential for summer though. Perfect for nice play in Nice a sizzling july day ;) .

This is much older - but sold under another name (same bottle).
Great stuff for that "clean & fresh spring day" feeling.
Have had disappointments with the EdT - the bottle sprays fine for a few days, then turns into a water pistol stream that doesn't even spray straight, but rather at a wierd, unpredictable angle. Oh well, when that happens, my left ear lobe smells great - as does the wall behind me!

This fragrance has been around far longer than 1979. I remember it in the 60s, when it was simply "Hermes." It was the first really good fragrance I ever smelled and my affection for it remains undiminished. True, it fades quickly, but, for this, I don't mind. It's a rush while it lasts.

Firstly I like the smell; at first you get an overwhelming scent of orange and citrus which is very refreshing. However this fades quickly to something altogether more warm and mellow. It's a very natural and casual fragrance.

Unfortunately the Eau d'Orange doesn't seem to last long at all and this I think is it's major drawback. A definite shame for such a good smelling fragrance.

One of my favorite citrus scents. Like most of its kind, it doesn't last forever, but it is no worse than most. Also, it was formulated to be non-staining on clothes, so don't be afraid to spritz a little on your shirt or t-shirt. Extremely natural smelling and of superior quality, this is a great luxury that won't smash the piggy bank. As has been noted, use of the full product line does help the scent last, but then it really DOES start to get expensive.

An exhilarating and tonic-like burst of orange and mint with a little bit of bitterness to it. Funny, I find this more masculine than feminine, though in general I think even Hermes' women's fragrances veer dramatically from what's considered trtaditionally feminine. Eau d'Orange Verte is like an invigorating slap and seems almost more of a "treatment" fragrance or aromatherapy product as it smells so natural and un-perfumey; it really reminds me most of those very zesty Kneipp herbal bath products. In addition to being enjoyable to wear, d'Orange Verte is one of the best gift-giving fragrances ever because it's pretty much universally appealing. The packaging makes it look all the more expensive and high-end, too, which has delighted every one of the dozen or so people (mostly men) I've given it to over the years.

L'Eau D'Orange Verte is fantasticand seem s very French. It is definitely better suited to warm weather and casual wear. It does not last well at all. L'Eau OV is wonderfully citrusy-- sweet but not too sweet orange. Really though, I like the subtle, green oakmoss and patchouli creeping in the back the best. In my mind, poor longevity surely justified the purchase of an orange, leather Hermes atomizer, scented shower gel, and FABULOUS SOAPS (boyfriend and his AMEX disagree). There, problem solved! I stylishly refresh my Orange Verte aura on sunny days in June, and wake up to a divine, energizing shower. Love it!

I love this scent, even though it doesn't last. It's defintiely one of my top 5, I go through a 3.4 oz. bottle about every 3 months, but thats ok. If you really love the scent and want it to last, The clerk in Hermes Las Vegas instructed me to buy the bath line and use all the products. I did and he was right, the scent lasts the day when you use the all over shampoo, wake-up gel and the eau de cologne. Expensive trick, but worth the pleasure and the aroma.

The fragrance formerly known as Hermes Eau De Cologne. Smells at first very deliciously citrusy, but unfortunately as with most citrus scents that part doesn't last all day. There is also a great mint note in it and a subtle note of exotic fruits like mango and papaya. I personally love Orange Verte, and it's in my Top 5 all-time favorite colognes. Recommended!