Barénia, launched by Hermès in September 2024, is the chypre Christine Nagel refined for years without any brief from the house. Named after a saddlery leather, it pairs bergamot, miracle berry and butterfly lily with a base of oakwood, patchouli and Akigalawood, a patchouli born of biotechnology.
Denyse Beaulieu, writing for Nez, salutes the daring of a woody, fruity chypre without calling it love at first sniff; Elena Vosnaki, of Perfume Shrine, finds it an accomplished leathery chypre, one notch below Galop.
Olfastory’s review
Denyse Beaulieu, Nez
In Nez no. 18, in fall 2024, Denyse Beaulieu finds it bold to launch, as a major feminine, a woody chypre, fruity to boot, built around the idea of a leather. The editors put it at the top of their selection, out of respect for its daring more than love at first sniff, she explains.
She recognizes Christine Nagel’s signature in it, from the blackcurrant touch of her fruity accords to the neo-chypre codes she helped establish, and compares its patchouli to Angel’s. She sees an “androgynous, airy and haughty” proposition, evoking a clean body rather than a gallop.
Elena Vosnaki, Perfume Shrine
In March 2025, Elena Vosnaki says she is fond of it and that it achieves its aim: a refined leathery chypre in a contemporary mold, of a kind designer brands hardly offer anymore. She smells patchouli, Akigalawood, an almost metallic peppery effect and a tart top.
She compares it to Kelly Calèche, by Jean-Claude Ellena, and above all to Galop, whose suede base she recognizes. She finds it powerful, diffusive and tenacious, wearable by a self-assured woman as well as by a man. She would gladly wear it, while conceding that Galop is better.