Terre d'Hermès (2006)
by Hermès

I really don't get the fascination with Terre d'Hermès. Granted, it's a unique composition but definitely nothing to get overly excited about. The whole rotten oranges and mineral combo is far too anemic for my tastes, and just leaves me wanting something more substantial.

This is yet another minimalist creation by Jean-Claude Ellena – a release that's deliberately aimed at tapping into the psyche of those who are gradually being brainwashed, by the mass media, into believing that smelling faintly like fabric softener is the way to go.

A neutral rating only due to its groundbreaking composition.

[Original submission date: 25 May 2008]

People say this smells like dirt, I don't get any of that. All I find are over-ripe oranges, gasoline (reminicient of Fahrenheit), and vetiver. Initially you will get the orange and gasoline (is this what people call dirt?) and in the drydown you'll get a tad bit of citrus, gasoline, and lots of vetiver. Being the fragrance with the 2nd most reviews on Basenotes, it would seem to be popular, but thats simply not the case in the US (It was #5 seller in France though lol), Macy's and some other department stores don't carry this. If real-world popularity was directly linked to reviews numbers on BN, than AdG, Code, Issey, CKs, and D&G Light Blue would dominate the top 10. Anyways, its not a safe blind buy, you gotta go try it out. Its earthy, masculine (not spicy or sweet), and has a whole lot of character so careful with the sprays. One of the top 5 I've smelled.

I find this inoffensive and rather bland in moderation. Irritating and overbearing in excess, and I must admit I enjoy it best when I don't wear it at all. I'm a fan of oranges and pepper--and the house of Hermes but I can't fathom what the fuss is all about. Oh, well. Live and let live . . .

This is appealing. great all-rounder. its dry and woody; another one of those fortunate scents that are sweet, herbal, spicy coming together to be able to attract the masses. This may qualify as a "dirt" or earthy scent

The first thing I notice in Terre d'Hermes is vetiver, tempered with a very light touch of citrus. Dry woody notes soon follow, and I think that these, in combination with the vetiver, create the "earthy" or "soil" accord so often noted in this scent.

The woods and vetiver stay very much front and center, rounded out by some very discreet floral notes. I get an occasional whiff of spice and incense, especially in the remarkably pronounced sillage. There is also an unusual note that suggests ash. Not tobacco ash, and not smoke, but old, cold ash, as from a long abandoned fireplace. The drydown reveals quite a bit of conifer, which melds with the vetiver in a lingering "forest" accord that I find quite pleasant.

I place Terre d'Hermes as a cumin-free, vetiver-seasoned derivative of Ellena’s earlier Déclaration. Terre d’Hermès is every bit as dry as Déclaration, but it’s also a cleaner, less angular, and less aggressive scent, which may account for its great popularity. It’s still a somewhat austere scent, though very easy to wear and very unlikely to offend. For this reason I could see it as a really fine business or office scent. A very good scent, if not something I absolutely have to own.

I purchased TDH when it was first launched and liked very much, especially in the later stages. The fragrance produced an aura of orange, salt and vetiver that diffused everywhere and I was enchanted. I re-purchased last year and pretty much disliked it. It seemed to be very dry, dusty and almost unpleasant. I can't really explain the shift in perception, but moved it on quickly. The average must be a neutral.