Concentré de Pamplemousse Rose by Hermès

Bottle Design:
Philippe Mouquet

Concentré de Pamplemousse Rose Hermès 2011

7.8 / 10 194 Ratings

A popular perfume by Hermès for women and men, released in 2011. The scent is citrusy-fresh. It is still in production.
Pronunciation Compare

Main accords

Citrus

Fresh

Green

Floral

Fruity

Fragrance Notes

Grapefruit Vetiver

Vetiver

Rose

Perfumer

Jean-Claude Ellena

Ratings

Scent

7.8194 Ratings

Longevity

5.8148 Ratings

Sillage

5.6137 Ratings

Bottle

7.4155 Ratings

Value for money

6.427 Ratings

Submitted by Altona · last update on 10/01/2025.

Source-backed & verified

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Eau de Pamplemousse Rose

Vetiver Pamplemousse Eau de Parfum

Pomelo Sorrento

Engel Pure

Bois de Vétiver

Dior Homme Cologne (2013)

Reviews

10 in-depth fragrance descriptions

01/13/2013

7Scent 5Longevity 5Sillage

Sherapop
1240 Reviews

Sherapop

Helpful Review 5

Simple and Satisfying

It's hard to believe in some ways that grapefruit colognes have become an independent genre, but their numbers continue to augment, so we can be very selective if we want. Hermès CONCENTRE DE PAMPLEMOUSSE ROSE is a good one, no doubt, and may appeal to those who find that the Guerlain Aqua Allegoria grapefruit entry (PAMPLELUNE) veers too close to dreaded "cat box" territory. I myself do not perceive it in that way, but apparently quite a few reviewers do.

In this Hermès grapefruit "concentrated cologne" (an idea recently turned into an entire line by the house of Atelier Cologne), there is just as much vetiver as grapefruit, and the citrus is both tart and smooth somehow, as contradictory as that may seem. I'd say that the citrus scent is closer to zest than juice, and it smells very natural without being overwhelmingly grapefruity. Is there really supposed to be rose in this creation? Or does "pamplemousse rose" mean "pink grapefruit". That's how my nose reads it...

For better or for worse (better in my case...), I myself do not find very much overlap between this composition and TERRE, as does Greysolon (see below...), and for me this simple yet satisfying composition works very well in both hot and cold weather. All in all, CONCENTRE DE PAMPLEMOUSSE ROSE is a fine and refreshing citrus-vetiver cologne, and I do not believe that one must be a grapefruit nut to wear it, especially since in the drydown the vetiver becomes much more important than the citrus.

I have not tried the diluter version, but this one has pretty good longevity.

07/18/2016

7.5Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

Rickbr
190 Reviews

Rickbr

Helpful Review

A woodier take on grapefruit

One downside of some members of Hermès Les Colognes is a very short duration on the skin. As the aromas are refreshing, delicate and rich in its nuances their scents are just limited to a maximum of 2 hours, which today is something that few expect and even desire, thus more concentrated versions are required even for refreshing ideas and the challenge is to maintain the coherence of the original version and to make it last on the skin.

For Eau de Pamplemousse Rose, one of the first of the new members, Jean Claude Ellena chose an interesting way to make a Concentré version, exploring in the base a contrast that is present in some synthetic materials used to create a Pamplemousse accord. Ellena emphasizes the vetiver root nuances that can be extracted from a synthetic construction around a Grapefruit idea and so almost makes Concentré version a kind of Eau de Vetiver Racine, suggesting aspects of root and earth of this aromatic grass.

Focus of Pamplemousse works between the freshness of a little bitter grapefruit and a musky base with nuances of grass and woods. Depending on your expectations or aroma image of a rose it can be challenging to find it here, as its most green and dewy aspect is explored over the more fruity, honey and silky flower side. The rose for me here plays the role of a connector between the slightly bitter freshness of output and woody and musky base, keeping the theme in a modern citrus cologne.

It is good to note that despite being a perfume called Concentré, this version still retains the more minimalist aura that Hermès often use in their perfumes, so that the initial goal is reached, maintaining the delicacy and consistency of the idea with a better duration and just a little bit more of intensity. This makes it an ideal Cologne for use in daily life or for very high temperatures where it is expected a freshness that can last more than 2 hours.

03/30/2015

ColinM
516 Reviews

ColinM

Helpful Review 2

Nice!

Concentree version: it does what it says, and it does it terribly well. Basically, nearly the smell you’d have on your hands after having pressed grapefruit to make a juice, with just a thin, subtle and irresistibly classy aroma of flowers, which is almost unperceivable and more than an actual smell of flowers, gives just a bit of weight to the citrusy-grapefruit notes, together with Ellena’s signature light woody base. Most of all it’s grapefruit, though, which smells zesty, lively, quite realistic, invigorating but rich in Hermes' “transparent refinement”. A subtle scent, but decently persistent. Classy and versatile, a solid fresh companion for summer nights out. Decent price, too.

7,5-8/10

07/04/2011

8Scent 5Longevity

Apicius
1328 Reviews

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Apicius

Top Review 20

But that's enough now!

With the well-known Terre d'Hermès EdT, Jean Claude Ellena has apparently conjured up such a blockbuster that the Hermès brand just can't let go of it. First came the Eau de Pampelmousse Rose, then Terre d'Hermès Eau de Parfum, then Voyager: all three can confidently be seen as variations of the successful fragrance. It is the peculiar cedarwood-vetiver combination that gives these scents their spicy, bitter, yet earthy character. You either love it or you don't - and at Hermès, they primarily love one thing: sales.

With the Concentré de Pampelmousse Rose, another variant is now being thrown into the mix, and it differs only slightly from the Eau. It seems to me as if they simply brought out a test sample that didn't make it into mass production after all.

As minimal as the differences between the Concentré and the Eau may be - they could be decisive for purchasing. Jean-Claude Ellena has indeed created a truly beautiful top note with the Eau de Pampelmousse Rose: the wonderful, fresh accord smells very nice of the scent of the peels of red grapefruits and is a successful, summery complement to the bitter-earthy cedarwood-vetiver accord. But unfortunately - for top notes, the saying goes: "The best die young," and so there is not much grapefruit left in the Eau after a short time; instead, you end up with a slightly lighter Terre d'Hermès.

This naturally raises expectations for the Concentré, which are unfortunately disappointed. It is exactly the same top note, and thus just as fleeting. It retreats almost as quickly as in the Eau, and whatever concentration has been applied unfortunately does not make it last noticeably longer. I also do not perceive that its remnants communicate any more prominently with the base note. That's a pity because that very fleetingness of the top note is the big problem of the Eau. At least they did not choose the designation Eau de Parfum for the Concentré, as the longevity is equal to or slightly weaker than that of the Eau, namely that of an Eau de Toilette.

What is going on? Are the people responsible at Hermès running out of ideas? Well, I would say that the Concentré still works even when the customer is slightly dazed from the Serge Lutens fragrance bar and quickly stumbles past the Hermès shelf. The Eau requires an unburdened nose to appreciate the beauty of this grapefruit note, but with the Concentré, they simply shifted up a gear. Here, the top note stands before us in all its glory, while in the Eau, the bitter base note already breaks through from the very beginning. I find the Eau more harmonious because it is more subtle. The magnificent top note of the Concentré is just a tad too robust for me. One could almost describe this concentration as candy-like.

Nevertheless: After the release of the Concentré, the Eau will unfortunately likely become a slow seller. Because in a direct comparison - perhaps quickly on paper strips during Saturday shopping stress - only the Concentré can develop the required volume. Of course, Hermès has done everything right with the Concentré in terms of sales. There just aren't many customers who can take the time and leisure for extensive and critical tests. In the spirit of a perfume culture where one takes time to appreciate a fragrance and has a sense for nuances, the Concentré is certainly dispensable.

However, I do wish that Hermès would slowly stop spinning the same old yarn. Jean Claude Ellena can surely create excellent perfumes without a cedarwood-vetiver accord.

Both Pampelmousse Rose variants are for me perfect scents for late summer or for a beautiful autumn day. Here, the grapefruit still conveys the full, fresh summer feeling, but the bitter, earthy notes already hint at winter. For me, these perfumes have something to do with Munich and Upper Bavaria: preferably worn at the Oktoberfest in the best weather or on an outing in the Munich mountains with the most beautiful late summer views!

06/09/2015

9Scent 5Longevity 5Sillage

DonJuanDeCat
2047 Reviews

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DonJuanDeCat

Top Review 15

When the cat starts to meow, this scent is a nightmare for him!

Citrusy, fresh, and simply heavenly
Makes one feel quite cheerful

The grapefruit smells fresh and natural
It makes everyone simply happy

Then it’s the beautiful rose’s turn
And immediately captivates all in its charm

The vetiver is hardly noticeable, unfortunately
Yet this scent is still a dream

Of course, the cat doesn’t like any of this
But now my poem comes to an end

Yes, there’s something to it. My cat, who goes by the name Haydut (which means Bandit in Turkish, by the way), doesn’t like citrus scents at all (just like chocolate scents, but that’s another story…). Yet the very perfumes he finds so repulsive, I and probably many others find simply wonderful. So here we have another scent from Hermès, which in my opinion delivers absolutely fantastic fragrances. And Concentrè de Pamplemousse Rose is a delightful scent, especially for the warmer days.

What do you smell:
The scent starts with a very strong grapefruit, which smells very fresh and natural and is always well noticeable throughout the entire fragrance journey (*meow* grumbled the cat and ran away...). The rose, which appears in the heart note, makes the scent a bit sweet/floral from the background and thus milder. After that, it fades away, allowing the grapefruit to smell stronger and more intense again (and preventing the cat from coming back…). However, it doesn’t smell as intensely citrusy as the Eau Pamplemousse anymore, but rather softer.
The vetiver, which is supposed to appear in the base, is hardly perceptible, or it is simply overshadowed too much by the stronger grapefruit. And so the scent ends as it began, namely with a citrusy-fresh and very pleasant grapefruit, just in a milder form at the end.

The longevity is quite good for a Cologne scent. It lasts a few hours longer than the regular Eau de Pamplemousse, and I think you can get about six hours out of it. The sillage is also quite successful and projects well (much to the cat's dismay...), but of course, it weakens over time. All in all, pretty good and noticeably stronger than the regular Pamplemousse, but in comparison to, for example, Concentré d’Orange Verte, a bit weaker.

The bottle is beautiful like most Hermès fragrances. An elongated, slender bottle with a bright light green color (you could say neon green, but in a positive way). It has a black, round cap. The bottles from Hermès are all simply wonderful and look great in the cabinet. In my opinion, there could definitely be more of them.

Concentrè Pamplemousse is a superb scent. In terms of fragrance, there are small but noticeable differences from the Eau. Concentrè is more floral-sweet in the dry down due to the rose, almost a bit more feminine, but has a more intense citrus note at the beginning. The Eau Pamplemousse, on the other hand, is sweeter and milder during the heart note, but becomes a bit stronger citrusy again at the end.
But no matter which scent you choose, they are both very nice, citrusy, fresh, simply perfect for spring and summer. Concentrè Pamplemousse is definitely more long-lasting and stronger than the simpler Eau.
Nevertheless, you can’t go wrong with either of the two scents, and you should try both at least once.

But as always with these scents: Your cats will hate you for it!

More reviews

Statements

20 short views on the fragrance

Schoeibksr

2 years ago

7Scent 6Longevity 5Sillage

38

41

The EdC is definitely juicier & better because here the fruit leans towards the green-mandarin, soapy-mossy & bland Eau d‘Orange Verte direction*

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FvSpee

5 years ago

8Scent 4Longevity 5Sillage

13

4

Bright, pretty grapefruit. Not baby pink, but definitely a bit feminine. Cheerful. The peppery base note evolves into a civil vetiver foundation.

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Yatagan

8 years ago

7.5Scent 5Longevity 5Sillage

10

3

Delicious grapefruit, eaten straight from the bowl, maybe with a bit of sugar, but unfortunately gone quickly.

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FrauMieze

4 years ago

8Scent 7Longevity 6Sillage

8

4

Deliciously fruity-citrusy
Slightly bitter
Gently sweet
Enchanting rose
Fantastic pink grapefruit
A hint of vetiver
Sunshine bright

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Turandot

6 years ago

8Scent 6Longevity 5Sillage

7

3

Concentre d'Orange verte or Concentre de Pamplemousse are both a delight in summer. But one is enough, both are not necessary.

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Loislotte

7 years ago

10Scent 4Longevity 6Sillage

7

1

The perfect composition of juicy citrus, delicate rose, and woody notes, W O N D E R F U L!
..and WAY TOO WEAK :(

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Orangensorbe

1 year ago

8.5Scent

5

2

Delicate freshie. Rose syrup & grapefruit juice topped with soda. Too expensive. Vetiver Pampelmousse can compete in terms of scent, longevity & sillage.

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Rieke2021

2 years ago

7.5Scent 5Longevity 4Sillage

5

2

In a gentle, green vetiver grass nest, fresh, juicy, bittersweet grapefruit pieces are decorated, simply delicious to bite into. Roses are only subtle.

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