For Herm&egrave;s&rsquo; latest launch, Terre d&rsquo;Herm&egrave;s Eau de Parfum Intense, in-house perfumer Christine Nagel turns to the raw, untamed essence of the earth itself to craft a bold, sultry fragrance for the modern man&mdash;grounded yet magnetic, rugged yet refined.

<a href="https://www.hommesmalaysia.com/grooming/interview-hermes-perfumer-christine-nagel-speaks-personal-taste">Christine Nagel</a> doesn&rsquo;t just have a nose for fragrance&mdash;she has &lsquo;the&rsquo; nose. As Herm&egrave;s&rsquo; in-house perfumer since 2016, she&rsquo;s the mastermind behind the brand&rsquo;s olfactory identity, distilling its heritage into scents that feel both timeless and unmistakably modern. For Nagel,<a href="https://www.hommesmalaysia.com/grooming/aesop-s-ouranon-through-the-eyes-french-perfumer-barnabe-fillion"> perfumery isn&rsquo;t just about mixing notes</a>&mdash;it&rsquo;s about storytelling, emotion, and capturing the essence of luxury in a single spritz. While anyone can dabble in essential oils, true perfume-making requires precision, instinct, and a certain kind of creative audacity&mdash;qualities Nagel has in abundance. With the launch of Terre d&rsquo;Herm&egrave;s Eau de Parfum Intense, we step inside her world, uncovering how she redefines masculinity through scent, challenges tradition, and crafts fragrances that linger long after the first impression.

(Image credit: press)

The narrative behind Terre d&rsquo;Herm&egrave;s Eau de Parfum Intense is deeply evocative&mdash;earth and man share an eternal bond. Could you share the inspiration behind this story? Reworking <a href="https://www.hommesmalaysia.com/runway/show-notes-hermes-men-s-autumn-winter-2025-collection">Terre d&rsquo;Herm&egrave;s</a> always begins with an essential question: &lsquo;What fascinates me about the earth?&rsquo; It offers so many horizons, so many perspectives events and visuals. &nbsp;I&rsquo;m always amazed by erupting volcanoes, by the power of the lava gushing out of this black, arid earth. For this new creation of Terre, I wanted to explore deep into the earth. An earth under which a fire smoulders. An earth that is darker, but warmer, more fiery, more intense, but I also wanted to explore a more intimate, more intense side of mankind, one that expresses the inner fire that drives him. An inner fire with an infinite cycle, an elemental force that reminds man of his origins.

How does the essence of the earth shape the character of the new Terre d&rsquo;Herm&egrave;s Eau de Parfum Intense? To evoke this subterranean impulse, this earth exhaling its warm, smoky notes, I worked on a bergamot that was assertive and lively, tinging it with black pepper with a strong signature to give it a more fiery, piquant edge. Then I warmed this vigorous opening with the note of burnt cedarwood I alluded to above. In what ways does Terre d&rsquo;Herm&egrave;s Eau de Parfum Intense capture the elegance and heritage of Herm&egrave;s? The earth is a metaphor for the materials and nature that have always inspired Herm&egrave;s creations. Terre d&rsquo;Herm&egrave;s Eau de Parfum has a strong signature that characterises this house in which the alchemy of materials and their excellence is powerfully expressed.

When crafting a fragrance, what comes first for you&mdash;the concept or the scent itself? I don&rsquo;t believe that creation fits into a process. It is above all a need, the desire to say something, an impulse that manifests itself by giving form to an idea. Ideas are multiple and originate in something you have read, a word, an image, or a scent. An idea can come from anywhere. The difficulty lies in choosing. Choosing is creating. Then it&rsquo;s time to give the fragrance form, to embark on olfactory composition, telling a story with scent by taking it down a personal path.

How does this fragrance perform in humid climates like Malaysia? Could you describe its silage and how the notes evolve on the skin over time? Of course, a fragrance differs from one climate to another and one person to another. This difference is multifactorial and goes beyond the condition of the skin or its temperature. The fragrance will be more or less pronounced depending on environmental conditions, but even if it smells different, it&rsquo;s always recognisable. Just out of curiosity, as a perfumer, are there any foods or drinks you tend to avoid because they could interfere with your sense of smell? I&rsquo;m a bon vivant and I&rsquo;m curious, so I don&rsquo;t deny myself anything. The only foods I avoid are simply things I dislike.

Interview: Head perfumer Christine Nagel on the new Terre d’Hermès Eau de Parfum Intense

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