Christine Nagel, the creative director of Hermès perfumes, designed a captivating scent composition for Hermès‘ first chypre fragrance, Barénia. The fragrance, which took almost 10 years to complete, combines the delicacy of butterfly lily and miracle berry with warm oakwood notes and a patchouli seal. The combination melts into the skin timelessly, leaving an unforgettable scent, a trail that will ignite an imprint and lasting memory.
Introducing Barénia, Hermès’ First Chypre Fragrance
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The sensual texture may mesh with skin contact beautifully, but the chic exterior is also a noteworthy spotlight. Designer Philippe Mouquet, a longstanding partner of the house, drew inspiration from the iconic Hermès Collier de Chien bracelet to create a bottle of crystal-clear curves and precious metal. These heritage pieces harmoniously create a powerful, symbolic piece that is bound to be a signature fragrance.
“To be sincere, it’s a perfume I like the most in the whole world, truly. I was feeling very free creatively, and the process was really a soft one,” Nagel says. “I was feeling totally magnetised, and this attraction I had for this perfume pushed me to work hard on it—it’s something really unique.”
In 2014, Nagel joined Hermès Parfums as an exclusive Creator-Perfumer and, in 2016, took over the reins of creation and olfactory heritage at Hermès. “The Hermès woman is driven by curiosity. Guided by her instincts, her sidesteps are never missteps,” Nagel says. “When you think of the Hermès house, there’s not really a philosophy, but there’s a common line that is applied to everything that is produced—which is attention to detail.”
The Barénia line also includes a perfumed body cream in an elegant glass jar, extending the lasting scent to the body. The experience is accompanied by a scented soap engraved with the signature H.
Barénia Eau de parfum (100ml), Hermès, $212
