Description
Created in 2004 by Jean-Claude Ellena, Hermessence is a collection of unique
fragrances conceived as olfactory poems using perfuming’s most exclusive
elements. As sober and intense as Japanese haiku, they reinvent a nature that is
as precious as it is unusual, as if rendered by the inspired writing of a composer
in search of the new.
Enriched each time the perfumer discovers a new country, a language,
a culture or simply extraordinary new ingredients, as of today the line
consists of eight fragrances, exclusively available in Hermès stores.
Rose Ikebana: a contrast between rose petal and crisp rhubarb, this minimalist
bouquet of extreme delicacy was inspired by the floral art of Japanese Ikebana.
Jean Claude Ellena speaks about “a rose plucked in the early morning, humid and
dewy, light and delicate…”
ZloyCheater – :
Amazing! The rhubarb is refreshing zingy earthy the rose and tea blend in so well no prominent nasty rose note either (I’m wary of that note) Other notes not very prominent for me. So nice – too bad it doesn’t really last :/ Lovely smell though.
damakas – :
Rose Ikebana is a transparent, complex, and exquisite rose fragrance. Subtle and very tastefully done. This is what I wanted JM Red Roses to be.
Zdrakonka – :
This is a white floral with rose that doesn’t quite smell like anything I’ve tried before.
The rhubarb and lemon make the fragrance sour as opposed to powdery or sweet, but it doesn’t smell like rhubarb or lemon per se. They combine to make a really unusual base for the florals.
Shar.pei – :
How do I love thee. Let me count the ways. OMG! This Rose has become one of my favorites. Refreshing, elegant, feminine, alluring, with a creaminess that’s just so refined. This is a very well-done Rose. It’s not synthetic at all. Very realistic. You know, that moment when you’re outside smelling a rosebush? And you smell that Rose? On the bush? It’s like spring time in the air. It’s just so hard to describe. The one thing that you need to know, is just how really perfect it really is. The longevity and performance of this perfume is ever so excellent. I have absolutely no complaints. For a person who rather prefers to wear darker richer, deeper scents, this one is a true winner. It’s one of those that I find myself, when I’m wearing it just sniffing myself all day long.
I highly recommend this fragrance. And if you’re not sure about it, then do a test run. Get a sample and give it a try. I honestly believe that you will fall in love.
superunikum – :
Grapefruit, rhubarb and rose are the protagonists here, the tea note nevertheless gives it a vegetal aura…grapefruit its juicy, creamy, so present but never alone, rose makes a trick that becomes addictive, sometimes is creamy, other times is metallic-like, and other times is fruity…this has many faces in one single fragrance, and we only talk about the firts 40 minutes…it is fresh for summer and hot days (regardless the season). Sillage is not great but you love yourself smelling like this.
Wnet – :
This smells exactly like Hermès’ Kelly Calèche minus the leather, which honestly is the best part about Kelly Calèche. Rose Ikebana opens with a bitter grapefruit and quickly settles into the abstraction of rose and heavy, sweet-sour citrus. It is a very pleasant scent. For the price difference between this and Kelly Calèche, though, I’d go with the Kelly Calèche any time. Thanks to Hermès’ generous free sample policy, I was able to smell this before making a very expensive blind buy that I would have regretted.
alex.e – :
This one gives Amouage Lyric Man a run for its money for the most natural smelling rose. This is truly an unisex rose scent leans slightly more to the masculine side IMHO and glad Hermès sent a sample of it to me. Another wearing will seal the deal I’m sure.
Update: I had to purchase this, it is absolutely gorgeous I couldn’t get enough of it. It is expensive but sometimes you have to pay for top quality. Well worth the money IMHO.
MEJetruily – :
Wearing it now, on top of moisturised skin with talcum powder.
It starts off, and progresses, as a very standard rose fragrance. It’s a very realistic rose, of high quality, but standard nonetheless. I could justify spending maybe $50AUD less but not $300.
In saying all of this, it lasts quite well for an EdT and it’s sillage is impressive on me. Dries down very close to the skin, and is very beautiful.
Would buy, if cheaper.
russell black – :
I’m a woman who has never felt dressed without a fragrance on. Unfortunately, I have metastatic cancer and cannot wear scents to my regular chemo appointment for fear of upsetting the sensitive stomachs of other patients. So when I come home, I finish getting dressed, and I typically put on a soft and gentle but favorite perfume as a treat. But, sometimes my stomach is tender too, so no white flowers or 80s big shouldered sillage on this day. No strong jasmine or dirty civit, no tobacco or sharp cedar. I need sophisticated yet simple. Rose Ikebana is an excellent choice.
It’s a soft fragrance. Not particularly rosey to my nose; although the queen of flowers is there it is not as obvious as in Stella or Paul Smith or other rose perfumes. The top is a sparkle of fruit, rose and musk. All of the activity is at the start. As it dries down, the bright tickle of fruits disappear and only the musk and rose remain, soft on my stomach and yet a gentle floral treat to my nose. It’s doesn’t morph or display new notes, at this point it’s almost like the ghost of a rose incense, or a walk through a rose garden on a foggy day. The important thing is that it takes me away. I smell beautiful, not medicinal. It’s not offensive in any way: not too sweet, not too flowery, not too musky, not artificial, not immature or cheap. It’s a lovely balance of simplicity that leaves me feeling fully dressed, fully healed, and happy to be here.
2094528 – :
Poppies by Claude Monet 1873
DuefSuetSlolo – :
This scent caught me at the first sniff, just first sniff only!!!
Open with very ‘In Love Again’ scent which I really love but poor sillage. All the fruitty things gone in an hour. Creammy Rose still remains fir another hour then vanished. So dissappoint with it longative but I still buy it for 2 bottles of 15ml!
If you are a fan of ‘In Love Again’ you may like this one.
Project : 7/10
Sillage : 5/10
Longative : 5/10
k2na – :
This is my favourite rose perfume, because of the fruity and crisp first notes. I have a sample pre-reformulation (around 2012) and I regret having not purchased it back then. In the new version (2015) the notes are a lot less sharp, more powdery, now the similarity with Kelly Calèche is obvious.
I still love it, but wish they had kept the vibrant and sparkling fruity notes.
Igortron – :
This perfume made me crazy .. love it so much . Worth the money paid for the purchase … Thank HERMES
Fuego_Terco – :
A contrast of rose petals and crisp rhubarb.Airy,delicate,sparkling.Rose petals,green note of rhubarb softened by a touch of vanilla honey.
Ikebana is actually Japanese floral art,originated in India,then practiced in China,developed in monasteries in Japan in the early 7th century as a ritual offering to the gods.
sailer – :
Is it just me or does this smell exactly like a grown up version of YSL’s iconic Baby Doll. Annoyingly my skin quickly absorbs most eau de toilettes so I’ve opted for a more spicy floral, L’Artisan’s Nuit de Tubéreuse.
wert-ss – :
NIce one, it smells like a piece of silk waving upon your skin.Creamy,warm,I can smell rose petals clearly.
BUT there’s an important thing I have to say:its longevity is zero!Spray on my skin and after 20min ,it’s gone! gone! gone!
I WILL NOT BUY A FULL BOTTLE!
kesa – :
This is a green, watery rose with a bit of a bite. Literalists with discreet tastes would enjoy this, I think. There are other rose perfumes that I enjoy much more, even literal takes on rose like The Perfumer’s Workshop’s Tea Rose. Rose Ikebana feels a little too cold for my liking.
Артур645 – :
Hermès Rose Ikebana opens with watery verdancy and bitter grapefruit, which is reminiscent of Un Jardin sur le Nil and Kelly Calèche to me. The rose is very soft with a dewy tinge, and it’s actually quite abstract. The overall effect is like a watercolour painting of green leaves floating over a pale pink river, tranquil and smooth.
Afterwards, the fragrance doesn’t evolve much, and just becomes a teeny bit spicier and more musky in the late dry down. The sillage is soft and the longevity is around 5 to 6 hours.
Rose Ikebana fits perfectly the image of a dewy, delicate morning rose, and the understated elegance of Hermès fragrance style as well. However, having smelt Un Jardin sur le Nil and Kelly Calèche before Rose Ikebana, unfortunately, I find it less interesting even though its release precedes the other two. Although it’s undoubtedly a very pretty fresh rose, I’d still recommend testing a few others before settling down on this one due to its relatively high price.
lena19 – :
First things first: I’ve gradually realized that rose doesn’t settle well on my skin. I was hoping the greenness in Rose Ikebana and high quality material Hermes uses can help me get away with my skin chemistry, unfortunately it never happened.
Rose Ikebana opens as a very fresh, lemony rose on me with bright tea note. The fruit smell here is very specifically lemon, rather than other types of citrus. It is dewy, sparkly, and very refreshing. An upgraded version of Roses de Chloe I’d say.
Sadly after the first 15 minutes the freshness fades and I start to get lots of rhubarb and dried fruits, and I mean LOTS. they take away the focus from rose and stay loud until the far dry down after 5 hours… I didn’t enjoy this part of Rose Ikebana at all!
But the base is okay, and what surprises me is that Rose Ikebana doesn’t become a skin scent like most florals do after so long. It is a soft scent yes, but it doesn’t die.
I think the tart rose idea and the longevity effect is pretty cool, but my search for compatible rose goes on.
temenqo – :
this is a very fresh and sweet rose reminds me of francis kurkdjian a la rose and the one he made for juliette has a gun miss charming thou miss charming is way sweeter and the lychee is very prominent.
Lushar – :
This is one of my favorite perfumes. I agree with most of the reviews below. It’s very fresh. The name fits well. It’s a very simple and minimalist rose scent with heavy citrus note.
Redgrove – :
Rose Ikebana is a pale, transparent and hyper-clean rose built around a smooth woody bone structure with the typical sour facet which has become one of the distinctive (yet not necessarily interesting) traces of modern Hermes.
What I would classify as a *politically correct* fragrance. Nice, inoffensive, civilized, decent and eventually unexciting.
Ratign: 5.5/10
nort1 – :
An uplifting, fresh and simple rose scent…but is it worth €185?
The answer is no. You can find a similar designer rose EDT for less than half the price.
DedAlkadialak – :
A silky, sparkling rose..
This fragrance has a truly beautiful smell to it. I really love Rose in all forms and this one is just exquisite!
Rose Ikebana is inspired by the texture of Silk, and the Japanese art of flower arrangement (Ikebana). As usual, Jean-Claude Ellena lends his unique style to this composition by accenting the Rose note with Grapefruit citrus and tangy Rhubarb, with a light Green Tea note in the background surrounded with bright citrus throughout.
In my opinion this is a Rose perfume for people who don’t like Rose so much! Another thing I love about what Ellena has done here is that he has made it so light and refreshing that you don’t get tired of smelling it. It is constantly fascinating and drawing you closer. A lot like his other creation “Iris Ukiyoé” (another one inspired by Japan). But whereas that one was the smell of Iris surrounded by bright citrus, this one is a sparkling Rose. Fresh and uplifting! Fantastic stuff.
pcd658InsuffBooni – :
Rose Ikebana appears to act as a soliloquy to the most beloved of all flowers. Taking a minimalist approach in his creation, Jean-Claude Ellena chooses to honor the rose not gilt it. The supporting notes are used here merely to undergird its beauty. A brief hersperidic opening allows the true star to unfurl her splendor upon us. This is a heady, permeating rose, one that has been warmed by the mid-day sun. It is radiant, vibrating and sumptuous. Acting as perfect companions to the central floral accord, tea and rhubarb notes lend a fresh crispness. As one would expect, this fragrance leans feminine in its essence. Overall, it feels like a stunning tribute to a flower which has inspired us for centuries. For you lovers of rose in parfums, this seems like the Holy Grail. (101)
weernexmen – :
Definitely Hermesssence Rose! It’s simply awesome
Beautifull scent! I would absolutely recommend it
vovan44443 – :
At first spray(on paper and on my skin), it instantly reminded me of something I smelled before. Yes, RI is very similar to Kelly Caleche except that RI is a bit softer and Kelly Caleche is a bit more fruity/juicier.
I’d go for Kelly Caleche.
Mewenzza – :
Very pleasant citrus-rose, too subdued for me though. It does smell a lot like Kelly Caleche, although this is a little softer.
jht973speagoessenda – :
Got a tester of this at the Hermes boutique after having gone in convinced that I would be buying Ambre Narguile — my wallet resisting all the way. I’ve never been a lover of rose, but there’s something so fresh and lovely about this fragrance. I don’t smell rhubarb OR grapefruit distinctly, but their presence contributes to the overall sparkliness of the rose accord. And yet, this isn’t “sparkly” in the way commercial fruity-florals tend to be. I can’t stop sniffing my wrist, but for some reason I can’t bring myself to pay the hefty price tag for this either because it is so simple, pure, and light. (Not sure why those qualities make it hard to justify a high price tag in my mind.) Can anybody PLEASE recommend something similar to this at a more affordable price? OR, would somebody be interested in splitting a quad of the .5 oz bottles? Pretty please??
evawayphess – :
Refreshing citrus opening followed by slightly spiced rose. Nothing too complex or overwhelming. Light and breezy for daywear. Classy but inoffensive work wear. Drydown is quite lovely; rhubarb with light powdery rose. Very clean, feminine, all purpose fragrance.
EstasiaPago – :
It is simple but honest.
This is an honest and soft a rose scent – mingling with dew drops of rhubarb, grapefruit rind, waxy lemon peel in the early morning sunrise of a small, comfortable, cool, wet grass carpeted garden. Stunning in it’s youthful shyness & simplicity.
asperin – :
Does not last, way overpriced for what you get. Otherwise ok smell with a good name on it and a nice bottle to decorate the shelf. Getting disappointed with J C Ellena works. Really wanted to love the scent, but it is no more than just ‘nice’.
Shok_54 – :
The citrus is strong and juicy in the opening moments of Rose Ikebana, giving this fragrance an intensive yet refreshing feel. The rose starts off dewy and mild in the beginning, taking a back seat to the orange and lemon. A few minutes in, the rose becomes more prominent and the spices start to heat up. As it wears, it becomes drier, spicier and muskier. The tea note is never especially strong, but it’s there enough to give this fragrance a sense of freshness amidst the dry spices.
Although the rose is ever-present, the citrus, spices and musk are just as strong. This is not a rose soliflore with hints of spice and citrus. In fact, the further it dries down, the more this becomes about the sweet citrus and warm spices…the woody-spicy classification does not surprise me. The cassis adds a satisfying tartness, playing up the earthy facets of the rose. I find Rose Ikebana somehow both animalic and clean.
This lasts very well on my skin, and has fairly good sillage. The exotic combination of citrus, spices, and rose is what I had imagined The Body Shop Moroccan Rose would have smelled like had it been much higher-end and better executed.
Undoubtedly a unique rose scent. I don’t think I would spend the hefty $ on a full bottle of this stuff, but I do think it’s a wonderful fragrance. For me it comes in second to Ambre Narguile in the Hermessence series.
Kanfetka – :
I love this very much. The scent of citrus made the rose note not so sweet and much more juicy.
sergey010175 – :
Very beautiful!! This is a delicate lovely rose with citrus playing in the background.
Edit: The dry down…Oh what a disappointment!! IMO the dry down becomes very typical Hermes. I bought this because the opening notes were so beautiful and I liked that it was such a departure from Hermes such as Kelly Caleche. The opening notes are so short lived. Save yourself the trouble and buy a bottle of Kelly.
rafal – :
I usually dislike rose scented products, but this one is so different. I got a small sample few days ago, and once i sprayed my wrist, i just could not stop smelling it…. soooo beautiful… i absolutely love the smell of the roses in this one.
saxonis – :
I didn’t get any spice from this at all 🙁 To me this was a very citrus rose, that did not last longer than 2 hours on my skin.
janus – :
Rose and spices are so well balanced I can’t stop sniffing my wrist. Sillage is wonderful, everything is just perfect for me. And no similarities to Kelly Caleche as I see mentioned here. This is soft fresh scent of roses like a dew in the morning could be if it had a smell. I think I’m in love. Besides, I dislike cassia note, but it fits here so well.
suffle – :
I received a small sample of Hermessence ROSE IKEBANA from a generous fellow fragrance traveler, and I have to say that to my nose this is a very spicy rose. In fact, the spices are every bit as dominant as the rose. I do not find this composition to be at all fruity or citrusy, as others have reported, but I do find it intriguing enough to pursue it further. So far, based on this preliminary testing, I like what I sniff.
One thing is clear: this is not your grandmother’s rose soliflore!
BladeMix – :
Very clean and a little sharp to open with brisk rhubarb that’s both sweet and a touch sour at the same time. Also a splash of bitter grapefruit that is perhaps white, not pink.
Rose Ikebana is very delicate but strong, like an origami crane with perfectly crisp folds. The rose is beautifully fresh and dewy; velvety pink.
The musk and tea notes soften this composition on the drydown, creating an aura of gentle grace.
I love the minimalism of Rose Ikebana–austere beauty, perfectly arranged.
mtt997intitytek – :
This is a beautiful scent. Rosy, but in a very complicated way. Off-limits for underage girls.
We first met when I was at the airport and looking for a gift for a lady. I almost missed my flight when I decided to run back to the store to buy another bottle for myself! I don’t like the word “unisex” and find this a very feminine scent, but then break the rules by wearing it too. Maybe we should not call this a perfume, but instead think of it as a French countryside garden blossoming with Old Roses, captured in a bottle.
lebyodkin – :
I never knew I liked rose scents until I tried this one.
It’s a delightful fruity-citrus-rose elixir that tickles my nose (in a good way), with the rose note being fresh roses straight from the florist’s refrigerator. The longevity is okay, I can still smell it on my skin after a day at work. I have read that some compare this scent to In Love Again by YSL (also created by JCE) and Babydoll by YSL. But make no mistake, while they resemble one another, this scent is far and away superior in terms of sheer beauty and complexity.
Interestingly, the sales assistant in the Hermes boutique told me that Jean-Claude Ellena was given artistic license to use whatever raw materials he wanted for the Hermessence series, and that he spared no cost. She explained that he considers the Hermessence line his “babies” because he wasn’t as constricted artistically as to how the perfumes should smell. Not sure how accurate this is, but it may help explain the high price per bottle.
x-end-x – :
Summer flirt! This is how I would describe my relationship with this perfume. I suppose it has happened to all of us. We enter a store with the idea of one fragrance, but we fall under the spell of another. This is exactly what happened with Rose Ikebana, which I decided to try only after a long wait at a busy airport. The rest, as they say, is history.
Of all of the perfumes in the Hermessence collection, Rose Ikebana is, doubtless, the most delicate and feminine. Jean Claude Ellena’s airy style is fairly apparent here, and the notes in the dry-down remind me of some of his other compositions, particularly Eau de Pamplemousse Rose.
Rose Ikebana is a very juicy aroma, and the zesty, refreshing grapefruit note in the opening literally makes me thirsty! Indeed, if there were a juice made of roses, this is how I would imagine it: a delicious concoction of something slightly sweet, slightly tart, and slightly piquant. As the fragrance develops on the skin, there is also the allusion to a green undertone, possibly created by the notes of rhubarb, a plant which also sports a bright pinkish red color.
Perhaps I loved Rose Ikebana so much because it reminded me of those childhood days in the summer, when my school friends and I would try to make our own “perfume” out of my grandmother’s rosebushes. Had we succeeded then, I am pretty sure our fragrance would have closely resembled Rose Ikebana. There is something innocent and almost spontaneous about it.
Some perfumes challenge us intellectually as their complex compositions prompt us to analyze them. This particular fragrance is not one of them. However, Rose Ikebana is certainly unpretentious, fresh, and manages to capture the incomparable feeling that only a carefree summer day can bring. Although the fragrance is an EDT formulation, it is surprisingly long lasting on me.
suprun2007 – :
I simply love this!!! Expensive but nonetheless my signature scent!!