Hermès Pairs Ginseng and Ginkgo in New Hermessence Fragrance
Courtesy of Hermés
The Ginseng Biloba Eau de Parfum joins Hermessence’s Precious Roots line, drawing inspiration from ingredients found beneath the earth.
For centuries, nature has been a common source of inspiration for artists. There’s The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh, the Water Lilies series by Claude Monet, or even The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai, among many others. But more than the eyes, the earth has influenced works across different senses, including scent.
Such is the case for the Precious Roots line under Hermessence, which draws its scent from beneath the earth. Its latest addition, the Ginseng Biloba Eau de Parfum, uses a handcrafted natural ginseng root extract, paired with the crispness of male ginkgo biloba leaves.
For Christine Nagel, creative directorCreative DirectorThe person who sets the overall visual vision of a fashion house, publication, or campaign and guides designers, photographers, and stylists toward it. A creative director's influence shapes collections, imagery,Go to Creative Director Glossary of Hermès Perfumes, inhaling the scent of ginseng is about following its deep, woody profile. “The handcrafted natural extract we have pioneered in collaboration with a French partner company pays tribute to the precious nature and gentle bitterness of ginseng,” she said in a statement.
The fan-shaped, graphic lines of golden ginkgo leaves, particularly their brilliant autumn foliage, inspired Nagel to complete the fragrance. By combining ginkgo leaves with ginseng root, she sought to mirror the complementary shapes of both botanical structures.
The fragrance joins Vétiver Tonka, Iris Ukiyoé, and Musc Pallida in the Precious Roots lineup. Ginseng Biloba comes in a bright yellow glass bottle referencing autumn ginkgo leaves, paired with a beige Swift calfskin cap that reflects the natural tone of ginseng root.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hermessence is an exclusive, luxury fragrance collection established by Hermès in 2004 that explores minimalist, poetic scent pairings. Each fragrance in the line centers on a dialogue between two primary raw materials housed in the house’s signature leather-capped lantern bottle.
Precious Roots is a specific sub-collection within Hermessence that focuses on subterranean ingredients that conceal their fragrance within roots and rhizomes. It highlights earth-bound, telluric notes through scents like Vétiver Tonka, Iris Ukiyoé, Musc Pallida, and Ginseng Biloba.
Christine Nagel is the creative director of Hermès Perfumes, having joined the maison in 2014 before becoming its in-house master perfumer in 2016. She is responsible for crafting many of Hermès’s modern olfactory creations, including the expansion of the Hermessence collection.
In Ginseng Biloba, the scent profile utilizes the aroma of crumpled leaves from the male ginkgo biloba tree, native to East Asia and often planted in urban gardens and parks worldwide. The physical design of the bottle also reflects the tree’s fan-shaped leaves through its bright yellow glass casing.
Ginseng Biloba Eau de Parfum was introduced as the latest addition to the Precious Roots lineup within the Hermessence collection. It expands the brand’s subterranean scent series by pairing custom-extracted ginseng root with ginkgo biloba leaf notes.