In any case, Hermes Eau de Basilic Pourpre is among the fragrances that will score positively. It is truly basilic, juicy, crisp, and its level of naturalness brings it close to sophisticated niche compositions. It is worth mentioning that basil plays almost solo here. Other notes barely highlight it and add character. This apparent simplicity does not take anything away from the quality. There is strength in it.
I remember that during the first test the sincerity of the basil note reminded me of Cartier Luxuriance, in which rosemary played similarly to Hermes basil. Hermes basil is also quite dark, encrusted with wood, without sweetness, but also without elaborate side threads. This sets Eau de Basilic Pourpre apart from the basil masterpiece O de Lancome, but at the same time makes this year’s launch memorable. The level of originality here is really high.
At the very beginning, a scene of citrus and pepper is added to the picture of basil (although pepper is not officially found in the list of notes), and then somewhere a shadow of a’la lavender with herbal geranium sneaks through. The latter accent shifts the center of naturalness a bit in the direction of an herbal store or pharmacy. It’s an interesting impression, though. Other than that, there’s not much going on here, although the basil itself is various shades of green and can change on its own. And this phenomenon again makes me think that perhaps Christine Nagel used other “green” ingredients here, such as vetiver, oak moss, other herbs… This, however, is just the realm of conjecture.
Final opinion on Hermes Eau de Basilic Pourpre perfume
A beautiful, simple, but incredibly noble and natural interpretation of basil in perfume.
KEY FEATURES:
character: herbal
- natural sound
- an original, yet simple interpretation of basil
CHARACTERISTICS:
Notes: basil, geranium, bergamot
Year of release: 2022
Creator: Christine Nagel
Price, availability, line: cologne available in 50, 100, 200 mL.
Persistence: low, about 2-3 hours
