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the new Eau d'Hermès

post #1 of 27
12/28/09 at 6:10pm
Thread Starter 
Today I finally went and bought Eau d'Hermès.

Opening the box I realized that the bottle is different. It has Eau d'Hermès written on it but the shape is exactly like the Jardin series bottles.

I've been sniffing the bottle and am looking forward to a full wear tomorrow but I do wish the bottle wasn't different, not like this one at least. I hope at least it hasn't been reformulated.

How do you think Eau d'Hermès would look in such a bottle?
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post #2 of 27
12/28/09 at 7:08pm
Yup, I have that bottle. A friend of mine bought me it from London a few months ago. I haven't smelled the previous bottle, but the new one is still as animalic as hell and lovely. I guess I'm immune to cumin. I don't find it offputting or animalic. I never have, and I never will. There's also that lovely fat civet note...aaaaahhhhh!!!!
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post #3 of 27
12/28/09 at 8:51pm
I apologize, but feel compelled to share my impressions, as I happen to think Eau d'Hermes is the most heinous reformulation on the market.
A total insult to Roudnitska, in fact.
EdH was a divine, complex, spicy, heady Eau. The new stuff is a bland citrus over way too much cumin, employed to obfuscate the lack of complexity. And the longevity is dismal.
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post #4 of 27
12/28/09 at 9:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hillaire View Post

I apologize, but feel compelled to share my impressions, as I happen to think Eau d'Hermes is the most heinous reformulation on the market.
A total insult to Roudnitska, in fact.
EdH was a divine, complex, spicy, heady Eau. The new stuff is a bland citrus over way too much cumin, employed to obfuscate the lack of complexity. And the longevity is dismal.

I am so happy i read this post. i am down to the end of a generous sample of the vintage Ed'H and was going to splurge. I am so saddened that they reformulated it, how dreadful. Truly an insult to the master of complex yet wearable masterpieces.
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post #5 of 27
12/28/09 at 9:14pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hillaire View Post

I apologize, but feel compelled to share my impressions, as I happen to think Eau d'Hermes is the most heinous reformulation on the market.
A total insult to Roudnitska, in fact.
EdH was a divine, complex, spicy, heady Eau. The new stuff is a bland citrus over way too much cumin, employed to obfuscate the lack of complexity. And the longevity is dismal.

Thank you Hillaire. I didn't know that Eau d'Hermès had been reformulated. Do you know if all previous bottle juices are vintage or has it been reformulated before the bottle was changed?
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post #6 of 27
12/28/09 at 9:33pm
I actually made a post about it a few months back, and I think someone mentioned that the reformulation occurred coevally with the coppery-capped bottle issue.
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post #7 of 27
12/28/09 at 10:22pm
How is the new bottle different thn the one posted in the directory:
http://www.basenotes.net/ID26120489.html

Does anybody have new/old bottle's pictures?
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post #8 of 27
12/28/09 at 10:34pm
Thread Starter 
After some internet search i found out that:

Eau d’Hermès was created in 1951 as a spicy-citric masculine edt and was presented in a St Louis Crystal glass.
In 1987\tit was re-orchestrated and re-launched as a unisex edt. This is much earlier than the introduction of the new bottle.
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post #9 of 27
12/29/09 at 1:12am
I think what we call "vintage" is the 1987 juice, when Hermes started to release (or re-release ) fragrances
I've got a new bottle and it has not thing to see with the vintage juice : it's now a pale citrus with shy animalic notes and inimaginative basenotes
so disappointing
but all the Hermes have been reformulated:the new Bel Ami is a shame !
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post #10 of 27
12/29/09 at 3:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mudassir View Post

How is the new bottle different thn the one posted in the directory:
http://www.basenotes.net/ID26120489.html

Does anybody have new/old bottle's pictures?

Yes I would be interested to see the new bottle if it is different from the one posted on the Basenotes reviews section. This was very nearly a blind buy for me .
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post #11 of 27
12/29/09 at 5:08am
All this talk wants me to try the vintage stuff. I really do enjoy the new juice, and the reviews really do reflect on what I've been experiencing with it. I wish someone who has had experience with both vintage and new would chime in; it would be really enlightening.
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post #12 of 27
12/29/09 at 8:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by germanomio View Post

I think what we call "vintage" is the 1987 juice, when Hermes started to release (or re-release ) fragrances
I've got a new bottle and it has not thing to see with the vintage juice : it's now a pale citrus with shy animalic notes and inimaginative basenotes
so disappointing
but all the Hermes have been reformulated:the new Bel Ami is a shame !

It's hard to discuss reformulations when we don't even know how the original 1951 scent smelled.

This 1987 release could be a "total insult to Roudnitska" as well. As we know, reformulate is their job. We'll never know how many times they changed it since 1951.

And I suppose searching a 1951 well-kept bottle of this stuff would be an impossible task.

BTW, my EdH bottle (which is pretty recent and it's the same on Basenotes directory) smells great to me, and I don't think the new Bel Ami is such a shame, especially when compared with lame reformulations like Égoïste, Fahrenheit, Azzaro, the more recent Envy for Men, and so on.

My point is: expecting this kind of integrity from this "houses" is a bit insane. They are not museums, but commercial enterprises, 100% profit focused. I agree it's not the ideal world, but perhaps the best move is trying to find out a closer alternative between more recent releases (don't ask me what... Kingdom? Déclaration?)... or accept the reformulations... or become an amateur perfumer and do it yourself...

We know they DON'T bring the original formulations back.
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post #13 of 27
12/29/09 at 12:08pm
Balthazar - how does your bottle differ from the one in the Basenotes Directory?
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post #14 of 27
12/29/09 at 3:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by germanomio View Post

I think what we call "vintage" is the 1987 juice, when Hermes started to release (or re-release ) fragrances
I've got a new bottle and it has not thing to see with the vintage juice : it's now a pale citrus with shy animalic notes and inimaginative basenotes
so disappointing
but all the Hermes have been reformulated:the new Bel Ami is a shame !

Were all these reformulations made be J.C.Ellena?
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post #15 of 27
12/29/09 at 4:40pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeperez23 View Post

Balthazar - how does your bottle differ from the one in the Basenotes Directory?

Here is my bottle:

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post #16 of 27
12/29/09 at 7:18pm
Ah, I see what you mean...about the cap being clear. It's silly that the official Hermes website, doesn't show this bottle shape at all.

So, this is the 2009 reformulation, eh?
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post #17 of 27
12/29/09 at 7:54pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeperez23 View Post

Ah, I see what you mean...about the cap being clear. It's silly that the official Hermes website, doesn't show this bottle shape at all.

So, this is the 2009 reformulation, eh?


It seems as if they stopped producing the old bottles or and decided to use the Jardin series bottle instead, without any coloring and with Eau d'Hermès written on it. Even the box is fatter, with some empty space on each side.

I was hoping that the juice hadn't been reformulated. Does a new bottle usually follow a reformulation?

I gave it my first full wear today and I liked it very much. But on the other hand I wonder if I should to go back and exchange it for an old bottle, or even return it if possible. Any Suggestions?

I should mention that the tester they have does not look like this. Isn't that ironic?
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post #18 of 27
12/29/09 at 8:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Balthazar View Post

...I was hoping that the juice hadn't been reformulated. Does a new bottle usually follow a reformulation?...

Yes. Usually.

Enjoy your bottle. If you like the way it smells, don't let those who're bemoaning the reformulations to ruin your enjoyment. When you get a chance to sample the vintage, prior-to-reformulation juice, do so. Maybe then, it will enhance your love of the scent, that you already love?

The same thing happened to me with Shalimar (Eau de Cologne) by Guerlain. I fell in love with a bottle from the 1990's and then when I got ahold of a vintage bottle from the '60s and wore it, I was blown away. I didn't fall out of love, for my original (newer) bottle, instead I found that I could love both of them for slightly different reasons.

Hope the same happens for you.

I think Eau de Hermes (which BTW - I own a decant of it, from a bottle from the 2000's) is a fantastic scent. Smells so sexy on a guy.
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post #19 of 27
12/29/09 at 8:37pm
Thread Starter 
Thank you Mike. Your posts have always been very useful.
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post #20 of 27
12/30/09 at 7:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Balthazar View Post

Thank you Mike. Your posts have always been very useful.

You're welcome - glad I could help.
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post #21 of 27
1/2/10 at 9:39am
I love Eau de H'hermes, haven't tried the new one though. Will soon
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post #22 of 27
1/2/10 at 4:17pm
Thread Starter 
As I said before, I recently bought Eau d'Hermès based on the tester they had at Ogilvy.
My bottle ended up being that of the 2009 reformulation - different bottle, too.

Feeling a bit disappointed, I went back and tested the new and the older Eau d'Hermès side by side and guess what...
The new reformulation was by far superior, both on paper and on my skin.
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post #23 of 27
12/14/12 at 2:36pm
Bought a bottle of the new formulation and have been wearing it daily since it arrived. I love it and have purchased a 50ml of the copper-top formulation so that I can do a side-by-side comparison.

I originally purchased EDH as a "replacement" for my beloved McQueen Kingdom, which is down to its last few sprays. Of course, it's a very different experience, but the delicious dirty ribbon that runs through both makes it a great suggestion.
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post #24 of 27
12/14/12 at 3:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by frostiblack View Post

Bought a bottle of the new formulation and have been wearing it daily since it arrived. I love it and have purchased a 50ml of the copper-top formulation so that I can do a side-by-side comparison.

Please do tell your thoughts/preference when you have a chance.. copper top vs clear cap bottle.

- - - Updated - - -

Quote:
Originally Posted by frostiblack View Post

Bought a bottle of the new formulation and have been wearing it daily since it arrived. I love it and have purchased a 50ml of the copper-top formulation so that I can do a side-by-side comparison.

Please do tell your thoughts/preference when you have a chance.. copper top vs clear cap bottle.
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post #25 of 27
1/1/13 at 8:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CapriDog View Post

Please do tell your thoughts/preference when you have a chance.. copper top vs clear cap bottle.

Received my copper top bottle over the holidays and have been comparing the two formulations this week. I like both, truly - there is certainly less of a citrus presence in the old version - it's heavier, and feels a bit dated in comparison with the reformulation. I feel as if the reformulation was just a beefing-up of the citrus notes to help lighten and modernize the scent - but it's the same cumin/civet beast lurking underneath. The vintage juice just cuts to it and brings the cumin/civet right off the bat.

I really like them both, but if I had to choose one to take to a desert island, I very well may choose the reformulation; I find it a bit more wearable.
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post #26 of 27
1/1/13 at 8:09pm
I happen to like both also, but personally prefer the earlier.
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post #27 of 27
1/2/13 at 10:40am
I have the bottle just like in the Directory except or it's 200ml splash.
Bought it about the year 2008. It's been sold out everywhere, now it's hard to find in Moscow.
Btw not seen any newer versions yet.
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