Hermes Barenia, Le Labo Coriandre 39 and other City Exclusives reviews – 2024

As though determined to send us fragrance nerds into fits of apoplexy, Hermes are calling their latest release, Barenia, their very first chypre. Yes, you may well gasp. But dubious marketing aside, the prospect of a new piece of work from Christine Nagel is always exciting, which is why I reviewed it over on YouTube as soon as I got my hands on a bottle. I also had a sniff of Le Labo’s new City Exclusive — Coriandre 39, assigned to Mexico City — and I took the opportunity to dissect some of the brand’s older exclusive scents, including Aldehyde 44 and Cuir 28. Here are links to both videos, followed by more thoughts on some of the fragrances: Hermes Barenia review — Le Labo Coriandre 39 and other City Exclusives reviews.

Coriandre 39 5:28
Aldehyde 44 (Yann Vasnier) 11:17
Vanille 44 (Alberto Morillas) 17:22
Poivre 23 (Nathalie Lorson) 22:31
Gaiac 10 (Annick Menardo) 26:15
Cuir 28 (Nathalie Lorson) 30:10

I’d love to find out the reasoning behind why some Le Labo scents are placed within their main collection and some end up in the city-specific range. There doesn’t seem to be a particular olfactory rationale. Indeed, the works that are arguably more interesting often make their way into the ‘general’ catalogue, suggesting that the brand wants them to be as widely available as possible. But then this has the effect of causing the ‘exclusive’ works to appear lacklustre in comparison with the ‘regular’ line up… a scenario made even more complicated by the fact that the former are significantly pricier. In this sense, Coriandre 39 is a typical City Exclusive: a musky, herbal composition — with a happy lime note at the top — that is pleasant, refreshing and forgettable. Last year’s Myrrhe 55, with its slinky retro-leanings, was far more interesting.

Barenia is a bit of a conundrum. For a start, there’s all this business of Hermes calling it their first chypre, which is enough to make you fear for the continued existence of Bel Ami, Equipage and maybe even, depending on whose definitions you follow, Eau D’Hermes. Perhaps what they mean is that it’s their first attempt at what is nowadays often referred to as a chypre: a scent with a cocooning patchouli base below a fruity top. But that’s a structure that’s been around for decades — indeed, Nagel had a hit with it herself when she made the original Miss Dior Cherie, the one with the popcorn and strawberry notes — so it’s odd seeing Hermes adopt it now. You would have thought this is one bandwagon they might have been happy to see pass by.

Maybe they imagined they could bring something genuinely new to the form. But if that was their intention, then it would be difficult to deny that they’ve failed. Barenia is extremely well-made, always attractive and its sweetness is never sickly or off-putting, but it does also come across as rather familiar. Then there’s the bottle. Personally, I find it beautiful. The curves, proportions and clarity of the body offer a sly contrast with the gleaming studs at the top, and the absence of the perfume’s name is an intriguing touch. But it feels like a flacon for a much more grown-up piece of work, whereas the scent of Barenia projects a decidedly youthful personality. Maybe that’s the key to understanding it: maybe we’re meant to see it as an attempt to persuade fans of the brand’s Twilly to progress onto something a touch more sophisticated. It’s certainly crowd-pleasing enough to be a success and I shall be curious to watch how it fares. But I can’t say it hasn’t left me a tiny bit perplexed. 

Persolaise

[Hermes Barenia and Le Labo Cuir 28 review samples were provided by the brands; the remainder were obtained by me.]

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