Elixir des Merveilles Hermès 2006

Bottle Design:
Serge Mansau

7.7 / 10 416 Ratings

A popular perfume by Hermès for women, released in 2006. The scent is spicy-woody. The longevity is above-average. It is still in production.
Pronunciation

Main accords

Spicy

Woody

Sweet

Oriental

Resinous

Fragrance Notes

Orange zest Caramel

Caramel

Amber

Cedar

Frankincense Oak

Oak

Patchouli

Peru balsam

Sandalwood

Tonka bean

Vanilla sugar

Perfumer

Jean-Claude Ellena

Ratings

Scent

7.7416 Ratings

Longevity

8.2330 Ratings

Sillage

7.5323 Ratings

Bottle

8.4332 Ratings

Value for money

7.494 Ratings

Submitted by Sani, last update on 06/25/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Elixir des Merveilles Édition Collector

Eau des Merveilles Eau de Toilette

Sunrise in Cadaquès

L'Ambre des Merveilles

Ayurveda

Eau des Merveilles Bleue

Reviews

15 in-depth fragrance descriptions

01/28/2014

10
Bottle 10
Sillage 10
Longevity 9
Scent

Fanny
66 Reviews

Fanny

Very helpful Review 9

More is More

O mama.
Here is a scent for the bold and the cozy all in one.
Never encountered a scent so contradictionary nor excentric.

Elixer des Merveilles feels like wearing lots of diamonds on the beach, having strawberries and chocolat for dinner and wearing a tuxedo while shopping late at night in a supermarket.

I love it, but it took some time to grow on me:
Rebellious and Chique!

07/15/2012

jtd
484 Reviews

jtd

Helpful Review 6

Works in a way probably not intended.

Elixir des Merveilles is an almost, almost, not-quite. How fun that Hermès, with its emphasis on luxury, taste and class distinction, the first step to which is clear identifiability to those who desire them, would make such a neither/nor fragrance. Orange peel, but not edible (almost gourmand.) Chewy, resinous woodiness (almost oriental.) A tonka basenote that takes the edge off the sweetness (not quite fougère.)

There is a density, a viscosity that suggests something highly caloric, but I think is more of an illusion of orange over a dense peru balsam, incense and a cedar-like sandlewood. (Assumedly Australian sandlewood. If so, a wonderful use of what has been consdered the poor cousin to the depleted mysore sandlewood.)

The risk is that Elixir might read as indistinct. The upshot is that it suggests an ambiguity that can be very alluring, and as most men tend to steer clear of ambiguity in fragrance, perhaps Elixir would make a great men's fragrance.

01/09/2012

7.5
Bottle 7.5
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 8
Scent

Sherapop
1239 Reviews

Sherapop

Helpful Review 6

Luscious Golden Satin

Hermès Elixir des Merveilles manages to roll together the best qualities of amber and gourmand perfumes into one scrumptious creation. The amber is golden, shimmering and viscous, while the orange facet is sweet and somehow resinous. The vast majority of fragrances boasting orange as a note wind up as citrus colognes, and many amber perfumes smell alike in the drydown. Not Elixir des Merveilles, which manages to roll amber and orange together into a unique and compelling perfume.

This extraordinary creation, like everything Hermès makes, exudes quality, and this perfume in particular verily oozes sensuality. Vanilla sugar and patchouli may sound like you're in for yet another instantiation of a trite and overdone fad, but in this composition they are perfectly measured and balanced by balsam, incense, oak, and cedar, with the result that the final perfume product is essentially a seamless piece of satin effortlessly piled upon itself both to reflect light and to create shadows.

A gorgeous perfume and a great pleasure to wear.

08/23/2014

7.5
Bottle 7.5
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 9
Scent

Karinoula
82 Reviews

Karinoula

Helpful Review 3

Sweet orange treat!

Wonderful sweet perfume, highest quality with exquisite bottle. The packaging is to die for. This is my first perfume from Hermes and I was happily surprised with this unique smell. I tried this under an enormous heat while at summer holidays and the perfume never turned bitter while the aroma followed me all day long. I am sure Hermes has a lot of fans with such creations. The smell is like orange peals covered in sugar and dipped in brandy. Super perfume indeed !!!!!

10/27/2012

7.5
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 6
Scent

Missk
1357 Reviews

Missk

4

A spicy orange gourmand

Jean-Claude Ellena is a genius, especially in regards to composing his fragrances using a wide range of ingredients, some that you would never believe could go hand in hand.

Elixir des Merveilles is a lot bolder and richer than Eau des Merveilles, and in some ways, a touch more masculine. It opens with aromatic orange peel, foody caramel and chocolatey accords. Before jumping on the gourmand bandwagon, Elixir des Merveilles settles rapidly into a musky, and slightly soapy woods and orange blend.

This complex blend keeps me intrigued throughout Elixir des Merveilles' development. The soapiness that I'm referring to is not necessarily clean smelling, but more like the sharp scent of laundry powder. This is the point where I praise this fragrance to the high heavens, but admit that it does absolutely nothing for me when I wear it.

I've worn Elixir des Merveilles twice now, and I can honestly say that it's unique and beautiful, yet disturbing at the same time. It's that mish-mash of sugar meets masculine citrus, then along the way bumps into bitter dark chocolate and earthy woods. Confusing at best, but still an absolute masterpiece, but unfortunately one that isn't for me.

The drydown was a lot more powdery than I thought it would be, but I openly welcomed the slightly more feminine finish. Due to its heavy nature, I would personally wear it in the cooler months, but if applied with a light hand, I suppose it could wear well during Summer too.

Despite Elixir des Merveilles not turning out to be something that I personally considered bottle-worthy, I'm not at all disappointed. Sometimes it's the scents that don't quite work for you, that stay in your mind the longest.

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