H24 Eau de Toilette Refillable

Buy the bottle rather than the top up and you get Hermès H24 Eau de Toilette Refillable, built to be opened and filled again instead of thrown out once it empties.

Clary sage, daffodil and rosewood are the three materials recorded. The sage sets the tone, green and dry with a bitter twist that keeps it from turning soapy. Daffodil brings a sappy, stem like coolness, a note closer to a snapped plant than a flower in bloom, and it is the reason this smells unlike most things sold to men. Rosewood sits underneath, soft and faintly pink in character, smoothing the join between the two.

It is a short list and the scent is honest about that. You get a clear idea inside ten minutes and it holds that idea rather than developing through stages, which suits anyone who wants to know exactly what they are wearing from morning to evening. There is no sweetness anywhere in it, and no attempt at one, which is why it tends to appeal to people who find most modern men's fragrance too eager to please. At toilette strength it is moderate in both reach and staying power, so topping up during the afternoon is not unreasonable. Christine Nagel is the perfumer and the year is 2021. Warm weather, daylight and offices are where it makes most sense, and the refillable format is the one to choose if you expect to keep wearing it for years rather than months.

The house dates from 1837 and began in harness and saddlery under its founder Thierry Hermès, with the Faubourg Saint-Honoré address taken up in 1880. Still family controlled six generations later, it also runs the Hermessence collection alongside its main perfume line.