I've been working from home over a year now, hiding from COVID-19. During that time, several bottles of perfume have joined the family but not one stitch of new clothing has taken up residence in my closets or dresser drawers. (I've not even had the chance to wear clothes I bought in anticipation of last summer.) When I saw the Hermès H24 fragrance ads, my eyes did not land on the H24 bottle but strayed to the H24 model's jacket and shirts, in those beautiful, soft, calming colors of stone, sky and clouds. The clothes interested me more than another bottle of perfume, especially one in such a sporty, Lacoste-type bottle.
The transition at Hermès from house perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena to Christine Nagel has been a bumpy one for me. Since Nagel's arrival and the debut of her perfumes, I've not bought one new Hermès fragrance. Most of Nagel's offerings are simply not my style, but a few I've downright hated: Eau de Citron Noir (sour) and Un Jardin sur la Lagune (out of date "mall cologne"). I certainly didn't adore all of Ellena's output either; Le Jardin de Monsieur Li made me pity Monsieur Li, whose garden had apparently been inundated with soapy runoff from a nearby hair salon that used cheap-smelling shampoos, conditioners and badly scented hair dyes. Ick. But, boy, did I buy, buy, buy when Ellena was in charge! Just looking at the Hermès perfumes we've reviewed here at Now Smell This, I bought full bottles of 15 fragrances created by Ellena.
In PR materials, Hermès calls H24 a "high-tech fougère" and "...the first perfume expressing the contemporary man as seen by Hermès." Huh? Terre d'Hermès (the last "pillar" Hermès men's fragrance, released, gulp, 15 years ago) certainly doesn't smell like a Victorian dandy, WWII vet, 60s hippie or Duran Duran fan from the 80s. Terre d'Hermès smells more contemporary than H24; sniffing H24, my husband said: "It reminds me of Geoffrey Beene Grey Flannel. Old-fashioned...but OK, I guess."
In press materials and Nagel interviews, there's been a stress on "natural" materials used in H24 and I'd like to comment on that first. H24 is advertised to contain clary sage (Salvia sclarea), narcissus and rosewood. After smelling the fragrance, I'd compare those "naturals" to a person who spent a lot of time and money at the plastic surgeon's office — getting lifted, suctioned, plumped, sculpted, frozen, lasered and peeled. After all those technical procedures, the person is still "natural"...but maybe a bit strange to behold. The "naturals" in H24 are likewise tweaked to the point of unrecognizability. For instance, the narcissus in H24 (I assume it's either Narcissus poeticus or Narcissus tazetta) was co-distilled with a "mystery" material to achieve a new smell.
H24 starts with the scents of crushed, fresh leaves, unripe fruit and a glint of citrus peel (grapefruit?); the aroma is neon bright, green and tangy. What comes next is linear and blurred: herbal greens and an indistinct floral aroma (sometimes a bit rosy). And so it goes until a murky water note drips in (metallic and definitely NOT fresh). This note is most likely Sclarene and it reminds me of the scent of a dry cleaning establishment my mother took our clothes to when I was a child (not a scent I'm interested in experiencing on my body). BUT: on me, the Sclarene disappears quickly; if you don't pay close attention and put nose to skin, you may miss it. After that quirky expression (I think Nagel appreciates a dash of "stale" in her scents*), we're back to greens (more realistically sage now), this time with a touch of light woods and amber. H24 in its long-lasting base smells more "traditional," warmer, richer, masculine in character.
I like H24 but it's not to my tastes; it smells like a rich herbal cologne/fougère (with sage replacing the lavender). H24's lasting power is excellent and it has good sillage. For those of you who like the Hermès "jardin" series (and vibe), H24 would fit into that group (a cross between a potager and a greenhouse).
As for my Hermès shirt/jacket combo? It's over 31 times the cost of a 50 ml bottle of H24, and since I'm still not certain I'll be out and about this summer, I'll hold off on THAT purchase.
Hermès H24 is available in 15 ($33), 50 ($80) or 100 ml ($105) Eau de Toilette.
* I remember this from Angie's review of Mauboussin:
For Mauboussin, it feels like Christine Nagel chose only materials that were similarly past ripe but not quite rotten. The peaches, plums, and mandarin oranges seem to have been laid on a radiator for a few days to stew. The roses, jasmine, and ylang ylang were left to decay into potpourri and sugar....
Hi Kevin!
I haven’t yet smelled H24 but when I saw a bottle it immediately made me think of DKNY for Men. It’s the same rhombic shape of the base.
And yes, Sclarene smells metalic, supposedly like a hot, steaming iron.
I might give this new Hermes a try when I decide to venture into one of the malls with Sephora (I reduced my mall visits to mostly online shopping) but in general I am far from being excited for this release.
Lucas: indeed…this is not worth risking your health for!
I scored a sample at the local Hermes store and wasn’t impressed either. Didn’t even bother to try on skin a second time. I think it’s quite uninteresting, linear in its development but most of all I think it’s difficult to find some beauty in it (and by that I don’t mean that a perfume should smell smooth). It’s far removed from anything of what I would associate with a house like Hermes. More fiction than non-fiction and I for one would like to wear my perfumes in the world of today. Easy pass for me.
Turtje: so curious to see how this sells….
I got a sample of this and I honestly dislike it immensely. I am a woman who is not afraid to wear cologne sometimes and I really like Terre d’Hermes. This one has notes that are screechy metallic on me. I love the smell of real narcissus flowers and they turned into something weird and artificial smelling. (BTW-I think you could recreate the model’s outfit for less money.)
Tea Thyme: I could not detect narcissus or rosewood as I know them; I’m sure people at Hermes thought that would be retro at best…yet they still produced an old-fashioned-smelling perfume.
khaki/beige jacket, nice blue shirt, white collar. Head over to a Ralph Lauren store, or any preppy store.
The poor man seems to be leaning up against a window wall office building and looking down, rather sad. Did he just get laid off?
Dilana: no, he just realized H24 was NOT what he had hoped for.
As always your reviews often makes be laugh and this one didn’t fail ?
I liked the fragrance fine, it’s not groundbreaking or full bottle worthy for me. But a friend I’d friend bought it and I was like: you smell nice.
That’s about it.
Haven’t bought any Hermés perfumes in year. But I’m still dreaming if one of their blankets that costs a fortune.
Maybe one day I marry for the money, I will get one..here’s to dreaming ?
A friend of mine**
littlecooling: SO MUCH Hermes is outrageously priced…I think jogging shorts are $800? HA!
It is literally bonkers!
Just don’t marry anyone with a bag obsession; a single day bag will cost the entire fortune.
Great review as always! I haven’t tried this yet but being a fan of the house I am now curious when Hermès releases a scent. I once was thrilled when JCE was still at the helm! I think Galop is beautiful and I do love Rhubarbe Écarlate, but everything Nagel has created since is unlikeable. While I wait to sample H24, I have been studying the bottle which I think is well thought out and relates to the concept of the fragrance – the history of tailoring and the collaboration with the creative director of their men’s ready-to-wear line. That rounded point of the silver metal, when viewed at from above, looks like the soleplate of an iron – a reference to the steam note in the fragrance perhaps? The typeface looks much like the stitching of a garment being constructed. Is it another nod to the scent being inspired by clothing, fabric and the craft of the Hermès tailor? The colours have an urban feel – I suspect this is aimed at younger consumers who seem to be attracted to a minimalistic look in packaging.
viridiaan: good points! And nice that they thought “refillable” and “recyclable,” too.
And this is why I love this community and reviews because, simply put, everything that was off putting to you is interesting to me and you can get it in 15 mls!
stinker kit: yes, you can!
I was shocked by how bad this is! In a blind test, I would never have believed this was Hermes.