“To create this new Hermès signature fragrance, I had to open up other, less predictable paths, to move away from the conventional woodiness of men’s scents.” Hermès perfumer Christine Nagel has been on a journey of exploration sourcing new scents and combinations that combine to create the house’s new menswear fragrance, H24.

Taking cues from Véronique Nichanian, artistic director of the Hermès menswear,  a meeting of nature and modernism lies at the core of Nagel’s latest work for the Parisian house. Consisting of three botanical layers and one innovative chemical compound, this fusion of nature and technology combines to create an ever-evolving and expressive scent. Nagel unpicks these ingredients here.

Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea) – with inflections of hay and cut grass and a rich amber base:

“This variety is far more enveloping and more sensual than garden sage (Salvia officinalis) with its medicinal, camphor-infused accents… “I was thinking of urban nature, the accelerated image of this fragile little shoot pushing through concrete to claim its space. I find the expression of this movement, this life force, enormously moving.”

Narcissus absolute – releasing crisp, green tones alongside nostalgic tobacco notes.

“I like to go towards natural, very classic raw materials, and work them using technologies that give them other renderings, other textures… I have softened [the narcissus] without stripping it of its lively, electric character, by having it co-distilled with another material…” Nagel says, leaving an air of mystery.

Rosewood essence – extracted from a wild South American tree

“I chose it for its simple and natural botanical freshness. We were lucky enough to be able to source it from producers in Peru whose eco-responsible initiative, supported by the house, involves harvesting it and replanting the species in a way that respects the environment.”

Sclarene –  a diterpene chemical compound with an earthy, aromatic body and metallic palette.

Referred to as “a molecule of the future” by Hermès and Nagel, Sclarene offers an earthy, aromatic body with rich metallic undertones that evoke the “heady aroma of hot irons on fabric in the workshops.”

H24 is available online now.