Osmanthus Fragrances
I was out of town for a week and while gallivanting in Las Vegas, I dropped by Hermès to take a whiff of their latest fragrance, Osmanthe Yunnan. I’ve been intrigued for awhile now with fragrances made with Osmanthus fragrans, a flower native to China that is valued for its delicate fruity-floral apricot aroma.
The scent is incredibly unique and layered. I love it! They only had a 100ml bottle, which to me, is a bit too much since I usually tire of scents before I finish a bottle. They do come in a Discovery Set of four 15ml Hermèssences, which I forgot to ask about.
According to Now Smell This:
Osmanthe Yunnan is the fifth and most recent of the Hermessence series, which debuted in 2004 with four fragrances: Vetiver Tonka, Ambre Narguile, Rose Ikebana, and Poivre Samarcande. Like the others, it was created by Hermès house nose Jean Claude Ellena and is available exclusively in Hermès boutiques. The perfume notes are tea, orange, freesia, osmanthus and apricot… it is only after trying hundreds and hundreds of fragrances that it becomes obvious how rare it is to find something that is really simple but still worth the wearing.
I believe fragrances made with osmanthus are uncommon though I found a few more brand names aside from Hermès:
The Different Company Osmanthus
Ormonde Jayne Osmanthus
Ava Luxe Parfum d’Osmanthus
Paco Rabanne’s Ultraviolet
Serge Luten’s Datura Noir
Keiko Mecheri’s Fleurs d’Osmanthus
I do love Hermès Osmanthe Yunnan’s combination of complex scents while remaining light and unique. Looks like this will be my scent for this spring and summer!
