Eau de Citron Noir Hermès 2018

On my skin, Eau de Citron Noir is dominated by lemon and smoky notes almost in equal measure.

The opening lemon note is wonderful! Its aromatic, almost herbal peel is the first to greet my nose, and the ripe, juicy pulp soon follows. Its tartness is no longer piquant like that of a fresh lemon, but slightly fermented like the luscious tart-sweetness of confit lemons.

However, the smoky note that appears roughly 20 minutes later, turns out to be a big disappointment to me. It's not the leathery, rounded smokiness of black tea that I had hoped, but the ubiquitous, arid woody amber aromachemicals that are omnipresent in many designer and niche fragrances aiming at a male clientele. I have to admit that this type of ingredients are not among my favourite, but when it's carefully blended within like Mona di Orio Bohea Bohème or Rania J Ambre Loup, at least I can tolerate. However, in Eau de Citron Noir, this smoky note is left in bare spotlight with almost nothing to round its edges, which presents much difficulty for me to appreciate the fragrance in general.

Fortunately, the smoky note finally merges with the lovely lemon note about 1 hour in, and Eau de Citron Noir now maintains this delicious sweet-tart lemon with the acrid woody smoky undertone until it disappears after about 9 hours. The sillage is mostly moderate.

Personally, I enjoy the lemon note very much. Its luscious sweetness balanced by the fermented tartness makes it a rare comforting citrus fragrance for colder months. Sadly, the choice of smoky note is way out of my comfort zone, and its presence actually compromises the beauty of the delectable lemon note instead of creating an unexpected olfactory effect. Therefore, I would recommend it as a warm citrus fragrance, but only to those who are not sensitive to woody amber aromachemicals in general.

The bottle design is beautiful, the fragrance inside is just discreet. I'm not thrilled to smell it. I'm won over by the initial citrus explosion, in which the scent of a quality lemon, freshly squeezed, reigns supreme. If it had been like this until the end, it would have been a good citrus perfume, 8/10. Instead, after a few minutes, the lemon is joined by a smokiness that partly recalls that of the mosquito repellents so in vogue in this summer period. The only accord present is limited to these two notes, it is not despicable, but suffers from the lack of something else. Then, after no more than twenty minutes, only the smoke that lingers for a long time remains perceptible, sprayed at 8 in the morning, it can still be felt 10 cm from the skin, at 18. It could have been something glorious and instead it is an incomplete work.

Love love LOVE Eau de Citron Noir by Hermes. Overpowering citrus scents appeal to me heavily.. My other fave is Verveine Agrumes by L'Occitane. They are the yin&yang of citrus scents in my collection. By nature, fragrances that are very citrus-forward do not last as long as warm, spicy fragrances. I am not someone who can be trusted with longevity reviews as atopic dermatitis gives me skin with an absorbency over twice the rate of others. No amount of lotion or ointment prior to spraying any of my fragrances really seems to change this. These two factors mean that EdCN does not last long on me at all. No matter, I spray it on my clothing instead. Speaking of-

I have a sweatshirt I sprayed EdCN on that I've washed maybe about three or four times since, and the smell is still present. I'm not complaining, just in marvel, especially since I tend to use white vinegar to clean my clothing, which is known for its odor-neutralizing properties.

All the other men in my family also use this fragrance. We are all big fans. My friends would not say the same. They like it but aren't as deeply romanced by it as I am. I wonder if us being Italian has anything to do with our affinity for citrus heavy scents.

I'd say this is unisex leaning masculine. I haven't yet encountered a woman who wears this, but I'd consider it a power move, and very sexy regardless of gender.

A bright, cheerful lemon and citron, rind, pith, zest and all, puts Eau de Citron Noir in line with other in the Hermes Eaux de Cologne series. Splendid and invigorating, I can't deny the pleasure I derive from this—to a point. I do find the wisps of smoky black tea to be a unique twist, however, all else becomes wispy and it all quickly collapses into something thin and unsubstantial.

If only that delicious bitter citrus could've been extended with some perfumer trickery for just a little bit longer...

Not Jean-Claude Ellena. Room temperature 20 degrees, humidity 45%.
When I first put it on, it's sweeter than I'd expect. The sweet scent of amber and lime (citron) spreads a little like soda. Sweeter than gin and tonic. Smells like a cola with a slight citrus dominance.
Then pepper. It's like a quieter version of Bohemian lime. From there... OK, let me be clear.
It smells like the old man's smell that wafts from the ne- of a man in his 60s or older. I think that's probably a masculine scent and it blends in well.
As it evaporates faster, I can clearly tell that it's an incense scent. When it changes from citrus to incense, it smells a little like old man's smell. If you don't like it, this is a little like that scent.
But once it passes, it becomes faintly sheer and I can feel the tonka bean in the background. This is great.
A matte, dry citrus with no sparkle at all. It's amazing that can create that texture in a perfume. This is probably the noir part. I don't feel any black tea at all. It takes about 5 to 10 minutes to get to this point. Then it gets sweeter and sweeter. It's not mentioned in the notes, but I'm pretty sure I can smell tonka bean. I like it quite a bit. It doesn't give me a headache.
Do you know Jintan? It's a mouth freshener, mysterious silver grains like alazan, but it contains various herbal medicines and is used by older people. It reminds me of that.
Well, I don't dislike lime and spices, but I don't think I'll buy a bottle of this. I think people who like tonka bean and pepper will be hooked. It's a very ascetic and chic scent, and although it's light, it has a strict atmosphere.
Somehow, it feels like a spring/summer men's perfume for upper middle class men, who play golf and the like, and the scent comes from their polo shirts. A casual man, but at the same time, a strict man on time.If I were Patrick Jane, I'd profile men like that.