Jean-Claude Ellena: 42 posts

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Although I enjoy the airy softness of Osmanthe Yunnan and the smoldering sensation of Ambre Narguilé, the only fragrance from the Hermès’s Hermessence collection for which I truly feel strong affection is Vétiver Tonka. Created by Jean-Claude Ellena, this composition is a startling tender vetiver melody. The pungent and woody root is often made even richer and smokier as in Frédéric Malle Vétiver Extraordinaire or the original version of Guerlain Vétiver. Or, in another extreme, it can be rendered as weightless and fresh as in The Different Company Sel de Vétiver. Either treatment can accent the fascinating tonalities of this amazing material, yet it is rare to discover vetiver transformed into a velvety, enveloping veil. This is exactly what Vétiver Tonka succeeds in achieving. …

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Inspired by the introduction of oriental and American spices to Europe, Hermès Paprika Brasil lost me before it even managed to set its sail. The watery and cold effect of the top note was rather anticlimactic, if one expected the vibrancy of spices and the richness of paprika. Instead of searing heat, at most Paprika Brasil conjures a damp morning mist of an autumnal day, a character it retains as the composition develops.

The dominant presence in the composition is that of iris. Its dove grey outlines are noticeable under the transparence of the vegetal top note. However, the iris is pale and sheer, a ghostly shadow of its rooty sumptuousness that one can glimpse in Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist. …

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Osmanthus, the tiny blossoms of a shrub native to Asia, have the scent of ripe apricots and jasmine soap, with osmanthus absolutes also possessing a pronounced leathery note that lends an alluring twist to the already fascinating aroma. By allowing osmanthus to dominate a composition and unravel its many beautiful layers, the perfumer can take a number of approaches. One would be to accent the leathery warmth of the note, as the perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena has done in Hermès Osmanthe Yunnan. Another is to highlight its citrusy top notes. Ormonde Jayne Osmanthus and The Different Company Osmanthus represent the latter treatment. …

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Terre d’Hermès proves that the best non-niche releases over the past year are taking places in the masculine perfumery. Dior Homme, an iris wrapped into warm, sweet leather, Lanvin Arpege Pour Homme, a velvety violet-iris fougere are among some of the recent examples. Likewise, the new fragrance by Jean-Claude Ellena, Terre d’Hermès, has a number of qualities that make it exceptional—chiseled refinement of its elegant structure, unconventional, transparent take on the woody notes and remarkable quality of its ingredients. The composition conjures the intensity of sunlight reflected against the white stones of Roman ruins.

Jean-Claude Ellena’s theme of multifaceted transparency explored in his other creations, from Cartier Déclaration to Hermès Un Jardin sur le Nil, will be immediately recognizable in Terre d’Hermès. Nevertheless, it seems as if the theme has received further polish, luminosity and elegance. …

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

What would one expect a fragrance named Rose Poivrée, peppered rose, to smell like? One is about to wax poetic about dewy crimson roses and warmth of crushed spices. Unwashed body parts probably do not figure in that image, however remarkably this is exactly where The Different Company Rose Poivrée ends up. Animalic and vegetal, the composition belies its floral promise, and yet it captures a facet of rose that is not often associated with it—the waxy and pungent quality.

I have once been told a story by a young perfumer about composing a rose soliflore using very expensive rose absolute during his perfumery training in Grasse. His teacher, Jean-Claude Ellena, looked at the formula and asked him about the purpose of the ingredients. …

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