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damgarten32 – :
I’m not a fan of Aquatics usually but sniffing from the top of the sprayer ( not the best indication of a scent I know)this always attracts me…the pepperwood and patch are surely there though the rose seems more hidden, but in the end it just gets swamped by Ambroxan.I guess my nose will always have a problem with that as ambroxan always outstays it’s welcome with me…It’s why I don’t like sauvage and it spoils….Archilepo in the end too…That could make this quite popular with some.
banni – :
I felt like I took a shower with my husband’s Old Spice body wash- that’s exactly what I smell here…
definitely more of a guy scent, imo…
toljanr – :
I agree with Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez on almost 95% of their fragrance reviews. This is the one from their new book that I think they did not give enough credit to. I think this is a new, modern twist on two classic themes: green floral and incense. Both genres can be somewhat loud, strong, or heavy. Herman A mes Cotes is done with a beautiful, airy transparency making it smell familiar yet like nothing I’ve ever smelled before. I think the perfumer got the message across, “Herman, by my side, seems like a shadow” I can imagine this being worn by someone you’d like to get to know better, but are a little frightened of their mysterious, dark side. Perfect for me!
MythinlyBiply – :
Real notes as listed on official ELDO site: Blackcurrant buds, black pepper, galbanum, calypsone, geosmin, frankincense, pepperwood, petalia, rose absolute, patchouli, ambroxan…
Some of them are not listed here on fragrantica.
Most i get is black pepper, geosmin, blackcurrant buds…
Nice fragrance much more masculine than feminine, i think.
Earthy ancestral refined smell.
adik3dx – :
Hermann is a popular guy. Everyone seems to like him. He has lots of friends, he gets around. He’s super likeable. There’s something about his personality that most people find hard to figure out, something oddly troubling or mysterious. Does he have a checkered past? Is there a monkey on his back? Is he keeping a secret? What is he hiding? There’s a depth to him that he tries to keep to himself, yet it seeps around the edges of his personality, sets you on edge sometimes.
One of the things I love about a lot of ELDO fragrances is how they play on dichotomy, how they harmonize opposites. Hermann A Mes Cotes Me Parrasait Un Ombre plays on easy likeabliity (black currant, calypsone, ambroxan), complexity (frankincense, patchouli), and perplexing mystery (geosmin, the smell of muddy beets, ozone, camphor). Somehow they all work together here for me. Over the hours of a day, the notes quiet down but shift around a bit. The ambroxan is always there, but the other accords keep peeking up and hiding away.
ELDO’s offerings are often like this: clean but dirty, pretty but muddy, fresh but musty. ELDO is always polarizing. People either love or despise their scents, and I love that about them, too. My husband had to ponder for quite sometime how he felt about Hermann. He finally decided that he really didn’t like him at all for one troubling note he couldn’t decipher. It also turns out that he detests beets, and can smell them from a distance and finds them revolting!
Hermann, however, is my friend… not despite his quirks and his complexities, but because of them.
A most versatile fragrance that can be worn for any occasion at any time of year… as long as you’re not looking for something easy. Challenging, a bit off-putting, but ultimately a good friend.
mr.Saratovski – :
Oh I wanted to like this. Aquatic rose is a good description. It’s unique, perplexing, a head-turner. A mix of black currant, steel, and a “shadow” of the pondscum smell that ruined Soul of the Forest.
But… that smell is still here, and even at the lighter dose, it evokes rot for me and makes this one a scrubber. Try before you buy.
weerceTab – :
green and aquatic to my nose; weird and different but wearable and unique; soil, an odd floral and some peppery wood
freeddevy – :
Great scent with lots of characters…..dark and spicy
Really interesting fragrance.
thumps up
10/10
Olga37 – :
This is a nice aromatic aquatic fragrance.
It’s 90% the same as DSquared Wet Wood fragrance at half the price. Hermann does have better quality and performance.
If you like the sea weed note in Bvlgari Aqva, with niche quality, this may be for you.
This has a nice aquatic colone and seaweed type of smell like Bvlgari Aqua Pour Homme.
Rating: 7/10
God bless. John 3:16
semasem – :
Very unusual scent with a camphorous cloud hovering over it throughout its long duration. Certainly unique and uncommon it needs to be tested before you decide to buy it. At first it gives you the impression of a sharp, cooling, pungent smell of a rub for arthritis but eventually it evolves in a very interesting scent. Absolutely manly, daring and unusual!
an0n1m41k – :
I’m not quite a fan of ambroxan, but somehow ELDO has succeeded in making a beautiful scent with it in this one. When I first tried it on my skin, Hermann did not strike me as something I’d like, much less love, but on my way home in the car, the scent evolved into something that “haunted” me (in a good way) and led me back to the store to buy it. It is now one of my favorites and one that gets quite a few compliments.
It starts out peppery as pointed out by many. But this is a perfect note (for me) to carry the ambroxan. The fragrance eventually develops a “sweeter” accord that leads to quite an interesting warm dry-down. The overall fragrance though is very masculine, I think.
This to me is a unique masterpiece by ELDO!
GOGA1963 – :
It’s listed here as for men and women. As a woman who wears lots of men’s fragrances, this is too masculine even for me.
Hermann is very, very peppery, almost sneeze-inducing. The Ambroxan makes this a very vivid scent with a strong fresh note. The florals are never prominent, I have a hard time finding them at all.
Overall, a scent that many men may enjoy. It has great longevity too.
lysic – :
amazing scent
sillage 100/10
longevity 100/10
the king of longevity and sillage at all
do not judge before you test it and give it more time to discover the magic
i am big fan of this unique niche fragrance house
thumbs up
Fabulous – :
This is about the most underrated fragrance by ELdO. With quite a lot going on if you let it develop for a while. There is some rose, some incense with a definitely aquatic feeling to it (geosmine?). The official website also mentions the blackcurrant buds and I guess it’s also there. It smells as if you wandered in fresh dew but then you can also smell a freshly sharpened pencil if you take a whiff. Interesting.
The inspiration for this one, with its long and quite pretentious name, was the concept of a shadow as an alternative self. Well I think this is a rather extrovert alternative self. Its presence is easily noticeable with surprisingly good sillage and great longevity. Definitely a head-turner, I had loads of people ask me what I’m wearing. This scent lingers and lingers and stays on clothes for days. I would label it sexy and leaning towards the masculine side. It’s a scent of a person who starts the conversation first. Regardless of whether it’s about «À quoi songeaient les deux cavaliers dans la forêt», (What Two Horsemen Were Thinking in the Forest) as in Hugo’s poem or not. Thumbs up.
tum657 – :
Hermann was a persistent presence all day, and the effect was one of incense with a faint hint of rose. The geosmin and pepperwood accords are unknown to me, but whatever is in this, I really like it. Most people will probably think this skews to the masculine end of the spectrum, but I never felt un-lady-like while wearing this. This is one of my favorite from Etat Libre d’Orange. I’d recommend trying before you buy for most people.
aborigen43 – :
I get a bit of an aquatic vibe, but only a bit. Overall, this feels like it could be a sibling of Ted Lapidus, Oscar De La Renta or even Burberrys (1981). That’s a good thing in my book. The different turns this one takes keeps it on the line between mainstream and niche. A good masculine choice for cooler weather, especially if you can catch a sale.
yjtilctfd – :
First review and relatively new to fragrances in general. However,I figured I would review this because my experience with this seems to be different on the whole. First, it lasts FOREVER on me. I’m talking a good 12+ hours. Starts off rather potent and then calms down to a comfortable sphere of projection (arms length?) after about an hour. I have received several complements well into the day when I didn’t even get wiffs of it anymore. If I get it on my clothes … watch out…I have to wash my shirt twice to get rid of the scent!
I am not discerning enough to be able to pick out individual notes but I do think I pick up on accords. This to me is an interesting combination of musk, leathery, and tart(?). I also pick up a hint of rose every now and then. I wear this casual to business casual when it is cool to warm outside. I find myself reaching for this on rainy days more than sunny ones.
vadim00011 – :
Not a bad scent by any means, but also not very original. I agree with JoeMacchiato that upon initial spray, this is extremely reminiscent to L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme by Issey Miyake.
Mecmm995Negeltzex – :
Like a shadow,it slowly evolves… and follows you! This is a different,modern and charismatic perfume! The pepperwood is very strong in the beginning, I feel like when it rains on the asphalt,something ironed by the rain …the wet ground, I even feel a bit of incense. Airy ozone with moderate sillage,in the drydown is a beautiful musk and ambroxan! A nice scent. I’m happy for this great news✩!
Sillage: 6.5/10
Longevity: 7.5/10
Scent: 8.5/10
Overall: 8.5/10
Fialka – :
I’m a little baffled by the negativity around Hermann, especially the claims that it has a mass-market bent. My experience is very different. There are roses, there is fruit, there are woods, but they’re all enveloped in a gauzy, musky half-world that feels just slightly removed from our every day existence. It truly does seem like a shadowy place, where the pretty mingles with underworld. I’m impressed with the longevity, too. Some of the ELDOs are a little more ephemeral than I’d like, disappearing within the hour. Not Herrmann.
fahgraway – :
This smells like L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme. No joke. Coming from ELDO, HErmann is a let down.
egorka918 – :
Cool ozone, pepperish tickling of the nose. Fresh, thunderstorm air. The barest hint of something floral, but not rose. Wet garden after last frost, early spring, before anything has flowered? Nothing warm here. Almost a pre-sneeze sensation. Not so much unisex as asexual.
I like it! But clearly, reading all the reviews, you should try it yourself.
SASHA3967 – :
bello il nome, evocativo anche se un po’ sinistro, (hermann al mio fianco sembrava un’ombra); bello l’effetto: sintetico e superchimico, mescola in modo ipermoderno l’acquatico e il legnoso, con sottotoni di incenso e di resina. le suggestioni sono molto maschili, ma, secondo me, gradevoli anche per un naso e un corpo di donna. non sento la rosa, tantomeno il patchouli, piuttosto percepisco un inizio metallico, quasi ferroso oserei dire, che vira su acque azzurre ma del tutto scure, planando su boschi di ambroxan ed incenso, fino all’assestamento molto skin-scent lievemente muschiato. ottimo.
noad666throttle – :
I’m not a skilled nose. But I am a consumer that spends money on fragrance and this one is one of my favorites. I adore it and purchased a full bottle quickly after sampling at my local b&m niche perfumery. I feel that Amer1212’s review would be the one I’d plagiarize to try to express my own feelings on this. I also love this one beyond the smell for the fact that it is triggering a real memory that is just out of reach of full recall. Oh, how that hits me deep!
MisledGore – :
“Hermann A Mes Cotes Me Paraissait Une Ombre”
The opened its quite bright rosy with little sourness maybe of berries then I gets salty musky marine vibe throw a peppery rose note again with as mixes with a fresh green mango fruity vibe . I detect a little bit of metallic smokey woody note maybe of the ambroxan & hint of patchouli that makes the base of this scent .
I found “HAMCMPUO” quite creative aquatic scent & quite bit more different than the mass market aquatics today , it has that depth and quality that deserve to try from whom likes this kind of smell .
Its modern , refreshing , synthetic in natural way and nice.
Unisex ! maybe I found it more on the masculine side than the female side , specially in the middle and base !
A modern aquatic language
8/10.
yct285Diobtetty – :
The listed notes seem to bear almost no relation to the actual experience of the fragrance. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it means your should sample before buying, for sure. As with many others, what I get is a relatively clean, innocuous synthetic incense, faint smokiness, with a citrus opening, and sweet musky undertones. It is linear, lasts all day, is perfectly wearable and unisex, and does not scream “AMBROXAN” at all. And I disagree with those that say is lacks weirdness. This is an unusual scent, which would fit nicely within the CDG cannon with its synthetic, niche, abstract quality. This is actually a great scent for warm weather, but could easily be worn in the winter.
As the name suggests, this fragrance does play with the contrast of light and dark.
eugen76 – :
Body chemistry is weird.
The last thing I get from this is Fruitchulli.
On me, this wears as 6-8 hours of moderate projection oddness. Light, but with noticeable presence.
Beyond a doubt, there are a LOT of synthetics at work here, but I never get that much Ambroxan. Instead, it opens with an almost petrichor scent of freshly turned black earth. Then, peppered woods. Literally. If peppercorns came from a tree, this is what I imagine its bark would smell like. That pepperbark stays the entire life, but after an hour or so, the petal (never rose or anything distinctive, just a sense of floral buds) becomes a stronger supporting player, adding an odd sweetness that isn’t cloying, just a bit strange.
Would I buy a 100$ bottle? No. Would I wear it if I got it as a gift? Yes. Worth a try, and I think it’s very unisex.
As always, individual millage WILL vary.
arhad81 – :
This smells like a bunch of things I’ve encountered before, all at the same time.
The effect on paper is more beguiling than on skin. Rose and patchouli jump out straight away with a warm, dark fruit accord that reminds me of the opening to “Portrait of a Lady”. It’s almost blackcurrant-like, but with a tinge of some piney, herbal note giving an ozonic, fresh undertone.
On skin, however, it’s entirely different; A metallic, slightly salty incense, in the same vein as Aedes de Venustas “Copal Azure” or Commes des Garcon “Serpentine”. Basically an ambroxan bomb with bare tinges of that fruitachouli blackcurrant note I detected on paper. It wears like this for hours, drying down to pure ambroxan by the end.
A polite, wearable scent, but from this brand I expected something more challenging and unique. There are just so many ambroxan based frags now, and this really doesn’t add anything new or off-kilter. If you like clean, synthetic incense, check it out. Otherwise look elsewhere.
accordabirm – :
Just to say I think the reviewer below was smelling something different to me, I get no rose or patchouli in here? I’m a fan of Ambroxan for the record, although obvious and seemingly flavour of the month at the moment, it’s a versatile base for fragrances to go in any direction. It can be clean and masculine, the base for a citrus/aquatic (as it is here) or even warming, underneath more oriental notes.
I’m also a fan of ELDO because of the quirk they seem to get into most of their creations, but in all honesty, this is less unique.
Herman opens with a big clean fruity/floral vibe and a generic aquatic type feel. It’s kinda exaggerated in the opening which is obviously what the house were going for but I’m afraid after that it’s a little flat, fading back to a nice fresh skin scent. Personally I like it, My girlfriend liked it too, commenting that it’s something she would wear, rather than me and I think she’s right there. It seems to last okay but very low in the mix, which after quite a loud and pronounced opening, seems disappointing but perhaps isn’t? The thing with ELDO fragrances is that there’s always a jarring note or a twist in the tale and unfortunately, I was waiting and it just didn’t come. I’m still somehow satisfied with Herman…in it’s rawest essence I like the smell…simple.
bkd982speagoessenda – :
This is my first Etat Libre d’Orange experience. To be honest it’s a great scent! It’s fresh. Roses and patchouli … Just wonderfull. The perfect scent for springtime. Longevity and silage are perfect … People on the road compliments you about your perfume !! … It’s a good one!
Bioriatok – :
A fresh incense fragrance with slighty aquatic facets.
Not so bad. 🙂
rome07gt – :
Extremely cheap and light smell. A synthetic bomb with a mass market mood. This “shadow” smells as a woody aquatic with an extreme amount of Ambroxan. Good for 20$, not for 100$.