Eau de Rhubarbe Écarlate

Likewise, for several years now the house has paid tribute to Colognes of old through a collection. Each year, two fragrances of this type are thus created and highly anticipated by the public. Until now they were signed by Hermès's official perfumer, Jean-Claude Ellena, but today it is Christine Nagel who has taken over from him. She has thus chosen to create a perfume named Eau de Rhubarbe Ecarlate.

The passing of the torch between the Hermès perfumers

Since 2004, the nose Jean-Claude Ellena has held the position of exclusive perfumer for the house of Hermès. The house owes him a wealth of successes, notably the creation of the Parfums Jardin collection, of Terre d'Hermès, or of four Colognes drawing directly on one of Hermès's greatest successes: L'Eau d'Orange Verte. He has also recently decided to retire and pass the torch to a woman: Christine Nagel. She can be described as a nose in love with freedom. Thus, whether in her personal or professional life, she displays a very pronounced character and a desire to stand on her own, in complete independence. Having worked for the greatest names, she feels she learned a great deal from Jean-Claude Ellena, a nose she describes as more cerebral, whereas she herself works more by feeling. While he magnificently enriched Hermès's heritage over 12 years, 2016 marks a particular year for them both. Indeed, Jean-Claude Ellena presented his very last perfume there, named l'Eau de Néroli Doré, while Christine Nagel created her first. The idea is particularly daunting, so let us take a closer look to see whether it lives up to all its promises…

The green and fruity facet of Eau de Rhubarbe Ecarlate

Eau de Rhubarbe Ecarlate is a perfume striking in its simplicity and boldness. Indeed, it plays on duality. While rhubarb is predominantly green, this fragrance appears in a bottle of vivid red. Likewise, its green facet at the opening quickly transforms into a more fruity gourmand quality. Christine Nagel explains these choices as follows: when working rhubarb stalks, when repeating simple, age-old gestures, the scent explodes. She has always loved the duality of rhubarb. A double duality: visual and olfactory. Its green color transforms into red. From tart and crisp, its scent becomes suave and velvety. Thus, the scent of Eau de Rhubarbe Ecarlate opens on the very green, rustic facet of this ingredient often found in our grandmothers' gardens. Then, a more gourmand and fruity scent of red fruits takes over. Raspberry, strawberry and blackcurrant are notably featured. The base finally arrives brighter, composed of solar notes, white musks and cedar. The whole is very pleasant, at once simple and imaginative. In sum, Eau de Rhubarbe Ecarlate is a sun-kissed, gentle fragrance.