In an interview conducted in 2001, Jean Claude Ellena, the house nose at Hèrmes, states:
I admit that there are some materials I dislike, with which I feel uncomfortable, vanillin, heliotropin, all that is sweetened in general. I prefer salty and bitter. Anyway, I always made sure not to confuse cuisine with perfumery.
Did his tastes change between that interview and the release of the Hermessences last year? I find Ambre Narguile downright foody, and Vetiver Tonka is nothing if not sweet and vanillic.
You can read the whole interview at scentedpages.com. The website was created by a member of the basenotes.net fragrance forum, and also has an excellent bibliography of books about perfume in the event that you need a new read. Update: the interview is no longer available online, sorry!
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