HERMES
TERRE D’HERMES PARFUM

2009

PERFUMER
Jean-Claude Ellena

Orange
Grapefruit

Flint

Woody Notes
Oakmoss
Benzoin

Terre D’Hermes is the fragrance that started my perfume hobby. I was wearing the same Armani Code and Armani Acqua di Gio for over a decade and when I finally sought out a new ‘signature scent’, Terre D’Hermes is what I landed on. In that search, my interest in fragrances was sparked. Several years later, Terre D’Hermes remains one of my favorites and one of my all-time favorite designer fragrances.

When I wear Terre D’Hermes I always have a clear picture in my mind that it transports me to. It’s an orange grove in Italy, after a thunder sturm. Standing there, with feet in the slightly muddy, but dry ground, the smell of petrichor in the air and the vibrant, slightly dirty orange zests pushing through that.

Throughout the years of wearing it, I find it noticeably more sweet now. Compared to for example Roja Parfums Oligarch / Isola Blu, the sweetness of the orange in Terre D’Hermes is clearly noticeable. The vetiver used here is the perfect woody balance; not as soapy as Tom Ford Grey Vetiver, nor nearly as green and heavy as Lalique Encre Noire.

The Parfum version remains my favorite, although the difference with the EDT is almost negligible. Their scents are very similar, although the EDT might be better suited for high heat, whereas the Parfum pushes through the colder seasons better. For a fresher take, check out the later released Terre D’Hermes Eau Givrée flanker for an excellent take on this DNA (which is even closer to Oligarch/Isola Blu).