Hermès introduced Eau d’Orange Verte in 1979 (the original name was Eau de Cologne d’Hermès; it was renamed Eau d’Orange Verte in 1997). It was created by perfumer Francoise Caron and has notes of bergamot, lemon, mandarin, mint, jasmine, orange blossom, patchouli, moss and cedar.

Eau d’Orange Verte is a citrus chypre, along the lines of Ô de Lancôme or Eau de Rochas. It starts with a slap of citrus, very sharp and acidic. The sharpness fades into a very dry orange under a heavy veil of herbal green and what smells to me like petitgrain. There is a whisper of dry florals, and a lovely mossy woods base.

It is currently marketed as a unisex fragrance, but I believe it was originally introduced as a men’s. When I first tried it several years ago, I thought it too masculine to wear…

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