Everything
In her latest fragrance for Hermès, Christine Nagel wanted to capture a moment. A specific moment, where nature and the city collided in one burst of freshness. “I was inspired by the happy smell of nature after the rain, an aroma at once vegetal and earthy, fresh and musky,” she says in the official statement for H24 Herbes Vives, the new flanker to her groundbreaking H24.
“That unique moment when nature and the city, still drenched with water, release new scents and take on new colours.”
The result is a verdant flash of green, grounded in a fresh earthiness that isn’t too far from the smell of petrichor, although more like the aroma of water evaporating on the heat of concrete. A blend of fresh herbs, including savoury, sorrel, hemp, and parsley, Nagel’s vision for H24 Herbes Vives captures the essence of a man in sync with the natural world, even amidst the concrete landscapes of the city.
These ingredients, which intensify in aroma after rain, are combined with the unique notes of pear granita and Physcool®, a sensory molecule with minty undertones that leaves a refreshing trace on the skin. This innovative mix results in a fragrance that is vegetal, earthy, fresh, and musky all at once, mirroring the complexity and dynamism of urban nature.
When the original H24 first launched in 2021, it became a groundbreaking move away from the traditional woods and citrus that underpin most men’s fragrances. A vegetal floral, Nagel described it as. Rosewood, clary sage and an overdose of narcissus that often has the wet green aroma of tobacco to it. The resulting fragrance was neon, yet neon seen through the window that has been wet with rain.
The design of the H24 Herbes Vives bottle, crafted by Philippe Mouquet, reflects this new vitality. The aerodynamic, refillable bottle features a brighter, more intense green hue, symbolising the rejuvenating energy of contemporary man. The packaging, in a new shade of green-tinted grey, echoes the look of asphalt coloured by vegetation after rain.
H24 Herbes Vives offers a refreshing and innovative fragrance experience, perfect for the modern man who appreciates the subtle interplay between nature and urban life. With this release, Hermès continues to push the boundaries of olfactory art, blending tradition with modernity in a seamless, sophisticated way.
