Eau De Gentiane Blanche by Hermès, 2009

Almost brutally dry and austere, yet remarkably fulfilling and a real pleasure to wear. Without a trace of sweetness or any hesperidic/fruity notes, Eau de Gentiane Blanche blends the dry bitterness of gentiana (an alpine flower used mostly for flavoring traditional liquors) with a dose of powdery iris and a fair bit of musk that comes through as the scent develops, very successfully achieving an overall effect of noble tranquility, clarity, and depth.

With its olfactory lightness, transparency, and precision, Gentiane Blanche carries all the hallmarks of Jean-Claude Ellena's distinctive style of perfumery. Added to that, it represents one of the most important attempts in recent years to creatively rethink the eau de cologne genre on its own terms, creating a whole new approach to freshness (here as something earthy-green, dry, and bitter), while staying true to the core requirements of the old genre: few and high-quality ingredients, basic freshness, limited longevity, and a seemingly very simple composition.

Gentiane Blanche is essentially a modern minimalist response to a grand tradition and a classic form. And it works! I find it supremely calm, confident, and classy.

Eau de Gentiane Blanche requires a lot of getting used to. It's not what you might expect. In fact I'd go so far to say that it's one of Jean-Claude Ellena's most unique compositions. I initially wanted to test this fragrance because the blend of iris and incense intrigued me. Well, there are hardly any floral notes in this fragrance, let alone iris. Apparently the gentian flower gives off a strong odour of wet earth, and I must say that Eau de Gentiane Blanche does smell very earthy and vegetal. The smokiness created by the incense note is really fascinating alongside the strange, wet earth smell. When I first applied this fragrance to my skin, I was left wondering why on earth I thought that wearing this would be a good idea. It smelt like celery and homemade vegetable soup, not particularly what I wished to smell like. I stuck with it, determined not to scrub it off, and eventually I began to respect it. The strong earthiness dimished slightly and the scent became a touch powdery, with a distinguishable calamine lotion scent. At this point I was enjoying wearing something so alien and odd. Supposedly Eau de Gentiane Blanche is a cologne, yet this fragrance is lasting so well on my skin, almost like that of an EDP. The sillage is rather good too. I sprayed it lightly on my wrist and then read one of my favourite books. I kept getting this beautiful waft everytime I turned a page. All in all, Eau de Gentiane Blanche is perhaps more masculine than feminine, however wearing it myself didn't make me feel like questioning my gender. It's a strange scent that will either repulse or captivate its wearers and the people around you. I'm glad that I gave this fragrance a chance.