Reviews of Terre d'Hermès (2006)
by Hermès

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 Elléna’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 fragrance, 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 perfectly good, if not a terribly exciting fragrance, and certainly nothing that I have to own.

It is time for me to revisit Terre d’Hermes; when I first reviewed it I had unresolved issues. Those issues are no longer present.

My feelings about Terre d’Hermes have been all over the map. That makes it unique among the fragrances I have tested. On my first wearing (2006), I hated it. All I remember is it was excessively peppery and I couldn’t wait to wash it off. Subsequently in 2007 I obtained a sample vial and gave it another try: and I absolutely loved it. This time I appreciated a potent grapefruit with a dry earthiness. I emptied the sample vial and wanted it for myself. So I bought a bottle.

But the magic disappeared. I don’t get the potent grapefruit anymore. Just an earthiness and a synthetic orange-like note. It is okay, but there is nothing special to me anymore. I have decided this isn’t for me.

Aw, crap...it's another Terre d'Hermes review:

It is true that Terre smells like orange peels and a little sand. It is also true that it is transparent: seemingly weak when you sniff the spot you sprayed, but strongly present from time to time out of the corner of your nose, so to speak, as you move around during the day. Unfortunately, it's a bit perfumey, which I know is a vague word that will cause some consternation around here, but I use it to mean over-produced or over-polished with too many ingredients, or at least the illusion thereof. I feel like Terre was hyped to be somehow profound and different, perhaps a vision of citrus and desert sand as portrayed by someone who doesn't live with those smells on a daily basis, but has only fond memories from a one-week trip long ago. I tried to figure out just what makes Terre so deep, and eventually realized that it isn't particularly deep at all; it's just a very Zen cloud of orange peels, and orange peels smell nice.

This review is under revision...

I really wanted to like this when it first came out , it had everything going for it ,orange,dirt ,vetiver sounded like something I would like;and I am a real fan of JCE's work and Hermes. But I felt he had dumbed down too much for the mass market appeal with this one,loved the top notes,though far too short ,then it started to turn nasty and synthetic on me,couldn't wait to wash it off,great sillage though despite the vigourous washing it stayed ! Ended up smelling like a hundred other mens scents on me !
The SA in Hermes told me it is being launched in EdP very soon and was stunned when I told her I didn't like it !!

Bitter orange peels, red pepper and vetiver over a heavy base of cedar (Ie. Iso E super) and something that smells a bit like dirt. Although the cedar and dirt notes in Terre D'hermes are the most enjoyable part, they give me a headache and they make the fragrance smell very chemically over time. The composition here by Ellena is impeccable and people always seem to compliment me when I wear this, but like I said, there's some sort of synthetic note in this that bothers the hell out of me.

As I've mentioned in my review of Red Vetyver by Montale, that synthetic annoyance isn't present in Red Vetyver, making it the preferable one of the two for me. If you try Terre d'Hermes and you like it, don't bother trying Red Vetyver. If you like Red Vetyver but haven't tried Terre d'Hermes, give it a shot, you might like it. Finally, if you didn't like Terre d'Hermes, give Red Vetyver a try, it's smoother and less annoying.

7.75/10

Edit: Since originally reviewing this one, I've worn Terre d'Hermes a few more times and it's just too synthetic for me. I can't take the overdose of Iso E Super in it, let alone the other synthetics and that dirt note I mention above. So I'm changing my review from a thumbs up to a neutral. Nice composition, but not wearable for me.

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]

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 . . .

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.

I'm scared of this fragrance. It's like a very sexy but abusive lover: addictive and repulsive in equal measure. It is a terrible bully and whenever I wear it I feel overpowered by it. I worry that it is too strong and may offend those around me and so I'm selfconscious about it. And for once the amazing longevity is unwelcome - after a few hours I start to feel sick when I smell it on myself.

When I first tested it in a store I loved it. Enough to buy a bottle. Which I am using very slowly... just to prove I'm not a total wimp and also to enjoy the dazzling, spicy opening. I do tend to wash it off after a while though.

I bought a bottle of this on spec after reading so many good reviews. It certainly smells like old oranges in dusty desert dirt. And that bit is nice enough. I'm still not convinced, however. It's strong and cloying in a way that I don't love. I wear it from time to time but at the moment I just can't quite give it the thumbs up.

A transparent orange and woods that is something of a paradox - distinctive yet equivocal, hasn’t much sillage, yet is frightfully tenacious, obvious but mysterious. It’s very linear; the orange keeps unpeeling throughout its life cycle on the skin. This fragrance is rather cloying and may be the most melancholy scent I’ve ever tried.

It ain't too scientific, I know, but a quick scan of 185 reviews probably won't convince anyone that fragrances smell about the same on everyone regardless of skin chemistry--at least if you assume that people who care enough about fragrances to spend time reviewing them are able to discern TdH's listed notes from bug spray, straight snadalwood oil, lime candy, cigarettes, dirt, rotting oranges on park benches, gasoline, or plastic. As interesting as it would be to smell any of the above in TdH, I have no suck luck. What I get is pretty typical turn of the Century citrus/wood stuff: a perfecly pleasant orange opening, a faint tinge of something metallic wehen the citrus burns off and a bit of vetiver along with very usual woods. Guess I have boring skin, a dead nose or, most likely, both. But if the day ever arrives when I can't possibly risk offending anyone's nose, I will confidently wear Terre d'Hermes.

This really smells no different than $5 sandalwood oil that street vendors sell along with incense and cheap romance novels. It's not a bad scent, but it's not really special in any way.

New to the world of fragrance, this was only the second scent I bought. A blind buy based on the ratings the scent received, I was not disappointed. The opening is very strong and almost to 'old' for me, however the scent becomes much more appealing and modern as it progresses.

Not bad, but it would be so much better if it did have some real earthiness. The subtle, dusty floral notes are good but the citrus and pepper are far too sharp and shrill, and there doesn't seem to be enough wood to balance it all out. I guess I wanted it to be a bit deeper and dirtier.

Already a classic. Has gained the admiration of conneissaurs as well as the big sales.

To me it`s just one of those "nice" scents, meaning, I think it`s very pleasant wear and very well made, but without any shaking under my feets.

Smells very natural, not artificial in a slightest bit, and it fits in every situation all year round. Another wonderful choice if you want to use only one scent during the days, without any rotation or collection of different kind of fragrances. In this case I suggest you to get those supporting products in whole.

Good stuff, but too vague for me personally.

hmmmm i feel like boxer knocked out by.... pepper. pepper, pepper and some orange. it makes me dizzy

It smells like blood oranges and sweet spice. I like this fragrance but it's overly strong to my nose, even when using only a single spray. There's also some type of metallic property that just doesn't work with my chemistry. I really wanted to like this one, as I LOVE the smell of oranges, but something about this makes me gag when I spray it on myself.

To get my "orange fix," I think I'm going to give Clinique Happy for Men a try instead.

I bought this blind and while I do think it's a high quality, long lasting fragrance, I'm still getting used to it. The orange really is overwhelmingly strong and candy-like and combined with the spiciness it has unfortunately given me a slight to moderate headache the few times I've used it, even with just one spray. Maybe they should give away free samples of advil with every purchase because I've had to take a couple every time I spray this! Anyways, I'm still going to keep trying with this but I fear it may not suit my personality or skin type.

i first tried this a while back on a card, and was underwhelmed. thought i'd try it on my skin today to see how it warms up with my chemistry.

the first thing i get from terre d'hermes the orange, but it's a candied orange-peel orange note. there's something unusual after a few minutes, a note which emerges as the orange becomes surprisingly more citric. it's as though what was originally preserved orange is now becoming fresh orange (plus a faintly bitter lime), like watching some process in reverse, and the 'preservative' is now present separately. it's a pleasant note slightly reminiscent of unscented moisturizer (if that makes any sense), and it gives a weird quality to the citrus, and to me the first hour or so of terre d'hermes is dominated by this weird/citrus accord combining and separating again. at one point i felt certain that it smelt to me like a lime jelly baby (english candy), almost feminine in it's sweetness, and then suddenly i started becoming aware of something organic, the 'after the rain' shrub-like smell that others have noted. i simply dont get the cedar that others have mentioned, nor any pepper whatsoever (a shame, as a good peppery kick would fix the sweetness for me i suspect)

it has good staying power (my skin can positively drink fragrances) and even a couple of squirts is still quite noticeable now. now it has a patchouli tone to it, again with this odd vegetal/wet/moisturizer smell (is this the mineral note?) that is actually the main thing that keeps me interested.

my current thoughts are that i wouldnt mind smelling this on someone else, but that perhaps its not for me with it's overly candy-sweet fruit in the opening. the drydown is beautiful, thoughtful and cool and very faintly soapy (perhaps vetiver, lovely though i dont normally like soapy) but is it worth hours of orange candy?

i'm going to have to keep trying this one. not sure.

NOT SURE ABOUT THIS FRAGRANCE.I WORE IT TO WORK BEFORE,SOMEBODY TOLD ME I SMELLED LIKE VICKS.I STOPPED WEARING IT.

The opening is great. YThe opening is great. An orange dirty of earth.
All day long TdH will be like an storyteller ending with a long lasting nice orange smell.
Unique but not agressive therefore good to for office.

Terre D'Hermes is a real Beast. It's totally different which is good; and because it is an exclusive scent I reign supreme here in MississippiI(LOL). I did not like this at 1st whiff ,but went back to it 5/6 months later and I'm kickin myself for blowing this off for so long. The patchoulie & fruit mix is really workin well in combination. Try it. I know you'll like it!

a citrus juice spiked. warm oranges ,warm grapefruit juices spiked with spicey warm v8 juice. its different a spicey citrus individual.

I like Terre d'Hermes on paper, and I like the citrusy/peppery/woody concoction when I first apply it, but I find that the bracing freshness I first find so appealing really gets on my nerves when wearing it. It's oh so strong and oh so linear - might be a good choice to wake you up in the morning but you'd have to be slightly masochistic. It's "refreshing" like working out is "refreshing", or like that annoyingly cheerful and energetic friend... Some fresh scents cheer you up on a grumpy day - this one would just annoy you more if you weren't in the mood for it. But it might be that I don't particularly like grapefruit as a fragrance note, it has always struck me as unpleasantly shrill and synthetic.
I've seen people rave about the "mineral" note in this one, but they must be the same people who are all over Eau des Merveilles, because I find the scents remarkably similar, like the men's and women's version of the same scent. Yes, they do share a sort of mineralic note that's quite unusual, but more than that they share the same aggressively artificial quality - so much so you can literally TASTE the perfume in the back of your throat. (Perhaps the mineral note and the assaulting perfuminess are really the same element in the scent.) That's what gets on my nerves and makes me slightly queasy with both of them.
That said, I can definitely see the appeal of Terre d'Hermes (more so than with the slam-you-in-the-face-with-a-perfumed-piece-of-driftwood Eau des M., even though the quirkiness of the latter should appeal to me more). It's neither dull nor weird, it feels elegant rather than cheap, it's fresh without being sinus-assaultingly ozonic/aquatic, it has a pleasantly peppery wood note without being too rich and warm for casual everyday wear... If I smelt it on a strange man I'd probably think he was a gentleman with impeccable taste in fragrance (provided, of course, he didn't overapply this sillage beast!). I wouldn't want to snuggle up to him though, or even stay around him for very long. This is a scent you'd wear to impress (without seeming to try too hard), not to seduce. Might be suitable for office wear, especially brief and businesslike encounters. Might even be ok to the gym - ONE spritz MAXIMUM. Don't wear it to dinner though - I at least would lose my appetite if I had to "taste" this perfume mingled with food...

I really wanted to like this, smells wonderful on paper but on my skin it smells horrible almost dirty.

a spicey citrus scent. it just didnt work for me.

TdH is an interesting fragrance. It goes on with a sharp acrid citrus and a single spray goes a long way. I really didn't enjoy the topnotes, but once the smell of grapefruit subdued and the patchouli came out more, the drydown becomes fantastic. The scent lasts forever and a day which is a definite plus. Unfortunately, this fragrance gives me a headache so that I can't bring myself to truly appreciate it.

To my nose Terre D'Hermes and Eau Des Merveilles also smell very similar.
I like it but don't love it. Would like to buy it for those not so special days but then maybe not.

The top notes contain a nice citrus aroma, especially orange. In the mid notes, the smell becomes sweeter but the orange remains noticeable. Although a blend of orange and sweetness is one of my favourite aromas, the mix in this fragrance results in a rather lolly pop smell which I don't find very masculine.

A unique fragrance, definitely not uplifting, more so mature and moody, not for the happy-go-lucky types.
I'd wear it in the evening or keep for that special occasion, not for everyday use or you'll get sick of it.
Use sparingly to control the experience.
The jury for me is still out, but I'm getting there.

an interesting fragrance in its topnotes that mix dry mineral notes, woods and hesperids
but the drydown is ... non-existent !indeed, IMO, there's not really a drydown : all notes seem to stay the same in a very linear and boring way
all what the fragrance has to "tell" us is done in the first minutes and then it just repeats itself
and as the staying power is very long, one gets the same "conversation" all daylong;

Am i the only one who finds this to be a rather wan retread of Vettiveru? I'm not as opposed to it as some, but not nearly as enamored as others... still waiting to "get it"

The dry down isn't half-bad, but, there is a rotten, orange peel note that just keeps ruining this one for me.

I wear it if I am unable to make up my mind what fragrance to use that day - is is inoffensive, fades remarkably quickly and can then be replaced with whatever scent I eventually choose (usually X by Clive christian or the all-conquering Yatagan)

A polite, citrus, hint of tangerine and grapefruit scent with no real balls. Top note is bright and actually pretty appealing first thing on a summer's morning, but it dries down to somewhat artificial, sugary ghost of itself within all too short a time.

I tried this today and yesterday in a perfumery. I put the fragrance on my arm and on my neck, but the scent was gone after 1 hour already. Maybe it's just my skin, but this perfume doesnt last long on me.
Because i like the scent, i give it a neutral thumb.

Is it just me or someone else think that this one smells quite alike to eau de merveilles?
:):)
oh well, probably it's just me!

I tryed it last sunday and I though the tester botle was wrong and they bottled the fragrance wrongly,as It smelled exactly in my skin like the female version: eau de merveilles.
So I cross to the woman section and I sprayed in the other wrist the female one and I swear, there mostly the same
Check out for yourself!.

Terre d'Hermès certainly is appreciated by many basenoters and there has been plenty of discussion regarding it on the boards. Personally I find it hard to form a distinct opinion. It´s just so and so. Not bad at all, but definitely not groundbreaking or very desirable either.

The broad shouldered and proud looking flacon however is excellent, as always with this house.

I strongly feel that this theme was done better with Cartier´s Declaration, that also used a tad of cumin (just like the first Hermès) for an added dangerousness. If I´m not misstaken Ellena was the creator of that one too, which would certainly explain the similarities.

TdH is mainly a grapefruit/vetiver combo to my nose. The slightly acidic citrus works well with the earthy grass and that mineral note that sounded like fancy copywriting at first is definitely lurking in there. It creates a salty soiliness making the scent stand out from many other fresh juices of today.

Longevity is decent compared to general stuff, but superb compared to several others from this particular house.

Certainly worth a try. I can see how this can become a easily worn everyday staple scent for some. I´ll stick to the original Bulgari pour homme for that purpose.

This my first review, so please bear with any terminological shakiness or imprecision.

I both like and dislike this edt, though I think more the latter.

Here is what I like: the woodsy, peppery undertones that emerge during the drydown.

Here is what I don't like: the sour, orange bite that is most present in the beginning but, on my skin at least, never quite leaves.

Though it is better than many I have tried, I don't think I make this Hermes one of my standards.

nothimg special,you can't impress anyone with this scent,should be worn fall- winter.

Terre d'Hermes reminds me of a beautiful basket of fresh oranges and Clemetines. I personally don't care for fruit fragrances, but this one, I think, is special in that just three spritzes should give you your daily allowance of vitiman C. Now, what other fragrance could say that?

Joe

This one has me puzzled! All I can really smell is pepper. But it has depth and I keep going back to smell it - perhaps because it's a change from the fruity aquatics I am so accustomed to seeing/smelling on the shelves these days. To me it smells masculine, sophisticated, confident and somewhat mature - not a grandad scent but a little too old for my tastes.

all the positive aspects mentioned above are true and I really liked the fragrance during the first 30 min after aplying it. But after this time the fragrance rapidly melts into a very mediocre mixture and there is no way you could distinguish any particular notes.

It is a shame really because it starts off so well but it is impossible to wear it unless you want tos smell like anybody else's mainstream perfume after a short time.