Eau de Citron Noir

The collection of Hermès's lovely Colognes began with the beautiful and highly original Eau d’Orange Verte, released in 1978, then continued under the guidance of Jean-Claude Ellena starting in 2013, with other fine bottles that would go on to enrich these Colognes unlike any other with original elements and fresh yet unprecedented scents. Christine Nagel, now appointed as Hermès's in-house perfumer, also composed her own Cologne bottle with Eau de Rhubarbe Ecarlate in 2016. In 2018 she once again manages to surprise us with Eau de Citron Noir and its contrasting effluvia…

Eau de Citron Noir, or Hermès's light and dark swirls drawn by Christine Nagel

The Hermès Colognes collection follows in the tradition of French haute perfumery through its tribute to traditional perfumery. A true exercise in style for a perfumer, Cologne is a pillar of perfume, to such an extent that every perfumer must have composed one in their own image (this is particularly true of the saga of the Guerlain perfumers, for example).

For Hermès, Cologne takes the form of a sparkling Eau d’Orange Verte that can be enjoyed just as much as a refreshing water as a slightly gourmand citrus-woody fragrance. Jean-Claude Ellena, serving as Hermès's in-house perfumer, made this Eau d’Orange Verte the flagship of the magnificent Hermès Colognes collection, in which the waters would become more colorful and original than ever.

Taking up the torch from Jean-Claude Ellena's succession, Christine Nagel also took over the Hermès Colognes collection, presenting in 2016 the contrasted and assertive Eau de Rhubarbe Ecarlate, and now Eau de Citron Noir. Eau de Citron Noir, just like the perfumer's first bottle, does not mince matters in surprising us, moving between its bright, tangy fresh scents and its deep, mysterious balsamic and smoky accords.

When lemon turns smoky, the perfume Eau de Citron Noir plays the nocturnal guest

Christine Nagel, just like Jean-Claude Ellena whom she succeeds, likes to compose perfumes in which she chooses the ingredients, creates the briefs and freely exercises her talents without the constraints of marketing or commercial testing. Hermès has given her the means to fully express her creativity, and with her first two Colognes, Eau de Rhubarbe Ecarlate and Eau de Citron Noir, she stands out through her flamboyant contrasts.

Indeed, Eau de Citron Noir first presents itself as a fine citrus fragrance opening on notes of various lemons that form a festive, sweet flight for this lovely Eau. However, in the heart we discover a candied black lemon that at times turns sweet and light and at other times becomes metallic and smoky, blending better with the powerful, animalic coumarin note. This heart, swinging between light and nocturnal smoke, finds in the depths of oakmoss a strong and sensual woody comfort.

Eau de Citron Noir offers a singular and paradoxical imprint, a surprisingly persistent freshness that is a challenge in terms of longevity: it is the midday-midnight Cologne! Attributed to Catherine Nagel for Eau de Citron Noir.