Oak moss, a musty-smelling lichen, has historically been one of the four main components of a chypre perfume. [...] Ms. Nagel, who described the smell of oak moss as “humid,” said she wasn’t interested in using it. Instead, she used an ingredient derived from toasted oak wood.

“It smells almost like rum,” Ms. Nagel said with a smile. “Like rhum arrangé,” she added, referring to a flavored version of the liquor.

— Perfumer Christine Nagel talks to the New York Times about the new Hermès Barénia. Read more in Her Nose Sees and Feels Scents.