Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca

Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca, Cartier's Oud & Menthe and Roadster--when Mathilde Laurent works with mint, good things tend to happen. This delightful, light EdC strength fragrance from Guerlain is among the best mint scents I know. This fragrance features a garden-fresh natural spearmint note coupled with a grassy clover, tea and a hint of florals and lemon. In hot weather, this fragrance really comes into its own. In sweltering weather, it is one of the few products I can enjoy. It is so light and refreshing. Of course, for this scent, longevity is really more like brevity, but you soon come to regard this fact as a feature rather than a bug since reapplication from a travel spray provides a welcome cooling for hot skin as the alcohol in the fragrance evaporates taking heat with it. This product has enough staying power that you don't need to respray it constantly, just every couple of hours in intense heat. I own a number of mint scents in addition to Herba Fresca, including Mugler Kryptomint, Heeley Menthe Fraiche, F. Malle Geranium Pour Monsieur, Imaginary Authors Saint Julep, ELDO You Or Someone Like You and Carolina Herra Virgin Mint. Of these, only this fragrance and Geranium Pour Monsieur are light enough for me to reach for them in very hot weather. Above 40° (104° F), only this fragrance or an ultra-light citrus cologne like Jean-Marie Farina Extra Vielle or 4711 really work for me, but the ancient colognes disappear in under an hour while Herba Fresca lasts long enough to be functional as a scent (while still allowing the delight of occasional refresh sprays). I love this fragrance in hot weather and other lovers of green mint scents almost certainly will as well. However, some of the other scents mentioned above might be better choices for folks who like their mint sweet or who are looking for cooler weather fragrances. Also, for what it's worth, I think the version of the classic bee bottle used by Guerlain for these Aqua Allegoria fragrances looks great with its gold honeycomb cage in place of the traditional bees. This is a unisex scent. Recommended.

Before reviewing the fragrance itself, I cannot help but underline my respect for the house of Guerlain, a true avant-garde brand of which this perfume is a worthy representative. Because this fragrance dates back to ’99, ladies and gentlemen, and it smells like it was made just yesterday morning. The opening features mint, lemon, and extremely realistic and delicate herbal notes; the heart is centered on tea, with white floral notes in the base. Said like this it may not sound very exciting, but I can say it is still delightful and that it is the father (or mother, or both) of very modern fragrances such as Torino 21 and Acqua di Parma Buongiorno. Top marks, and let’s hope no one ever thinks of removing it from the catalog. Antes de reseñar el perfume en sí, no puedo dejar de subrayar mi respeto por la casa Guerlain, una verdadera vanguardia de la cual este perfume es un digno representante. Porque el perfume es del 99, señoras y señores, y parece hecho ayer por la mañana. La apertura es de menta, limón y notas herbales extremadamente realistas y delicadas; el corazón gira en torno al té, con notas de flores blancas en el fondo. Dicho así puede parecer poco emocionante, pero puedo decir que sigue siendo delicioso y que es el padre (o madre, o ambos) de fragancias muy modernas como Torino 21 y Acqua di Parma Buongiorno. Diez y sobresaliente, y esperemos que a nadie se le ocurra retirarlo del catálogo. Prima di recensire il profumo in senso stretto non posso non sottolineare il mio rispetto per la casa Guerlain, avanguardia vera di cui questo profumo è degno rappresentante. Perché il profumo è del 99, signore e signori, e sembra fatto ieri mattina. L’apertura è di menta, limone e note erbose estremamente realistici e delicati; il cuore è la nota di te con note di fiori bianchi di fondo. Detto così sembra poco entusiasmante, ma posso dire che è tutt’ora delizioso e che è padre (o madre, o entrambi) di profumi modernissimi come Torino 21 e Acqua di Parma Buongiorno. Dieci e lode e speriamo non venga in mente a nessuno di toglierlo dal catalogo.

Herba Fresca was always the cause for confusion with me. When I discovered Guerlain counters and fragrance halls in department stores, I became enchanted by the Aqua Allegoria lineup. I tried various bottles and I fell totally in love with both Herba Fresca and Pamplelune (figures that they are both from the original Aqua Allegoria lineup), which made my decision on which Aqua Allegoria to get first a little bit awkward. Two bottles from the AA line later and here we are; Herba Fresca! Fresh, cool and something special; the opening is a beautiful green and airy symphony of lemon and grassy clover, but once that initial top blast happens, within seconds the rest of the note pyramid jumps out and you become enveloped in a refreshing, uplifting mint iced tea bubble. Lemon, clover, mint and tea are the main notes which I can instantly detect, they work harmoniously together and transition so smoothly, I can't pick out any cyclamen or Lily-Of-The-Valley however on my skin. The longevity is decent with me getting roughly 7 hours of wear with a moderate silage which, while it gets noticed, its not overbearing or heady. In true Aqua Allegoria style, Herba Fresca is excellent for the hotter months of summer but is equally suited to year round wear, especially if you work in quite an enclosed environment which gets quite stuffy or if you are someone that loves the idea of wearing a scent but doesn't want to wear something that is classically "perfume-y". Office friendly, perfect for any situation, refreshing and something unique in my wardrobe, I am glad that I finally have a bottle of Herba Fresca in my collection alongside Pamplelune and Pera Granita. Refill/repurchase worthy and forever in my wardrobe.

This was a strange I-hate-it...no...I-love-it experience for me... I blind bought this (I'm on the hunt for a perfect minty perfume), and right after opening the box, I sprayed a single spray on my wrist. After half an hour I had to go scrub it of, but the scent stubbornly remained on my skin even after trying to remove it with some rubbing alcohol (I was getting desperate!). The scent was just too repulsive to me - way too sharp, too grassy, too lemony - most of all it reminded me of Ajax cleaning soap, not something I would want on my skin. I put it back in the box and was going to put it up for sale. After a few days I decided to give it another try and sprayed a single spray on a piece of paper and liked it enough to try a single spray on my wrist... and much to my surprise I didn't hate it this time. Now I have been wearing it on my wrist for a few days and slowly but certainly I have fallen in love with it. It's so strange how this started out as a repelling scent to me and now just days later I really love it. Maybe it has something to do with me wearing Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait for several days just before trying this one out... maybe the jump from the sweet BR540 to Herba Fresca was just to wide for my nose to comprehend :-D... anyway - I now get why so many people love the scent of Herba Fresca, and I really enjoy the minty-lemony opening as well as the gentle scent of lily of the valley when it settles. The longevity on this is a beast... this lasts for almost 12 hours on my skin - and I'm not complaining (anymore :-D).

Spearmint open. Super natural but stick of chewing gum spearmint. Clover adds a slight sweetness balanced by the - subtle for me, and sour - lemon. Tea smooths it all out. Very smooth and very natural. This is the perfect hot weather concentration for this fragrance. Light and fresh. Can reapply often and get fresh whiffs of a light summer day. Brings me to a place by myself in a huge meadow. I wore this on a nature walk through grasslands and it smelled like a fresher, more floral version of what I was walking in. When it mixed with my skin, as I got hot over an 11 mile walk in 90 degree weather, it started to seem sexy and exotic. By the end of my walk there was just a trace clean scent on my skin, ready for me to freshen back up, like splashing cold water on my face. Or caudalie grape water from the refrigerator. This smells like how I imagined Roadster, another Mathilde Laurent fragrance, would smell when I blind bought it. Roadsters approach is heavier while Herba Frescas approach is light and sparkly. Champagne touch. Fresh and clean. Perfect hot weather white linen fragrance. Perfect -it's too hot for fragrance - fragrance. I like reapplying light fragrances in high heat anyway because it's refreshing without being cloying. I always wanted to get into this line because I love the bee bottles. Nice cooling effect from the mint. Exactly what I have been looking for. There are fragrances many times more expensive than this that achieve the same effect and do not smell any more natural or of any better quality.

I have a small sample of Herba Fresca received as a freebie with a recent purchase and while I like the idea of a fresh, green scent slightly sweet with notes of green tea, lemon and mint for a hot and humid summer day that’s all I see this worthy buying for. It’s not for the wear in the almost always cold North! To be fair, it has also some generic, undescriptive floral notes added that show later in the wear. I think that this is where a touch of sweetness comes from. It smells very natural, fresh and uplifting, puts a smile on my face as soon as I get a whiff of it. Herba Fresca smells very natural and if I am not mistaken this line of fragrances highlights mostly natural ingredients but the downside is that it wears very, very light with no projection for about 2-3 hours and that on clothes. On skin it disappears after 1 hour. It’s like a whisper of a scent. I consider this scent overpriced not because it is very expensive in the first place but for the poor performance! In my mind this worth considering buying if you live in the south or Mediterranean areas or some other hot and tropical regions on the globe because it is great for that kind of climate where fragrance can be too much in the high heat! I like the bottle, it looks very elegant and classy! Box for the Aqua Allegoria’s is slim, thin cardboard, nothing special! Guerlain, could we please get an intense version of Herba Fresca?? This is soo good but it needs more oomph.

The smell of English summer distilled in a bottle. Opens with a blast of deliciously fresh garden mint leaves, a freshly cut lawn full of clover and daisies, and an iced tea with a slice of lemon. It's green without bitterness, fresh without sharpness, and sweet without syrup. I choose it on those summer evenings when I don't want to smell like I'm wearing a perfume, but rather, I just want the scent of fresh garden and contented summer happiness wafting around me. As I'm writing this on a perfect June evening in the English countryside, through my open windows I can hear the metallic clang of farm gates, the bleating of lambs in the neighbour's field, and the evensong of all the birds on the breeze. And so, Herba fresca is my choice for tonight. Herba fresca is entirely unisex; I bought it ostensibly for my husband because he loves mint, knowing I'd be the one wearing it most. I even enjoy that it isn't a fierce powerhouse that lasts forever; this is a perfume that doesn't demand to centre itself, it brings me my contented evocative moment, lasts a few hours and then politely retreats, allowing me to change my mood. It's lovely.

I was told that this wouldn’t smell like gum. But the first thing I thought when I smelled it was gum. Don’t get me wrong it is actually in my top 5 fragrances. I just want to let you know that I definitely get a wrigley vibe. When I take time to process what I’m smelling though, I smell grass, not a sweet grass, but a very acidic grass. I can pick up a slightly watery aspect to it. It is very effervescent and airy like a cool breeze. My girlfriend was actually very impressed with this, she loves it. She had never smelled a guy who smells like acidic grassy watery mint before I guess. My mom thought I smelled like a girl had been cuddling up to me though and I see why; it’s actually more feminine than masculine. It reminds me of Elizabeth Arden Green Tea so much that it’s strikingly similar. I feel like this elevates any fragrance that I layer it with. It adds a touch of freshness and makes anything it touches a little more natural. Two things that stick out to me are it’s impressively natural smell and wearing it feels like I’m wearing a quality smell.

I think its finally time to review one of my long time all time favourite summer scents, Herba Fresca Aqua Allegoria. This is one of those few scents that I have bought over and over again, pretty much since I first discovered it 20 years ago. What Guerlain does so well is that it manages to get even the simpler scents, like the Allegoria range stay complex enough to never become flat or uninteresting. Herba Fresca is delightful and fresh par none, the mint citrus sugar aromatic combination is as fresh and current as it was when first launched, and that alone tells you something about this scent. Its timeless, always fresh, always beautiful, like eating key lime pie in the mediterranean sunshine. I have not gotten tired of this in 20 years and its unlikely I ever will. Its simply that fresh and delightful, like a fresh ice cold glass of sicilian lemonata with fresh mint after a long stroll in the summer sun on the promenade in Nice. A big love.

I got a decant of Herba Fresca (fresh herb) from my swap partner, and I am so happy about it. I've never tried this Aqua Allegoria scent before. My first thought I admit was: our toilet freshener smells a lot like this.. Well, of course, because it has similar notes.It is understandable that a perfume that has mint and lemon in the opening, might smell similar to some toothpaste or even air/toilet refrehsner. But that doesn't mean it is not a good fragrance. Similar notes, that is all. (They use rose and lavender also in home care products) Then the scent settled on my skin and produced a perfect herbal fresh aroma, that I love. It is fresh in a subtle, elegant way. Not like a wave of ocean in your face, but like a morning dew in a garden full of herbs and plants. Gentle green breeze, perfect for the warmer seasons. I've been buying too many perfumes lately, but I have to add this to my want list. Maybe a mother's day wish?

Herba Fresca opens with an intense blast of nasal passage clearing, icy, minty, freshness. It's coldness distilled in a bottle and will cut through the muggiest of days. It's jumping into a pool from the hot tub and stepping outside from a warm house into the frigid cold. Spearmint is very prominent, lasting right through the dry-down. I think peppermint would have worked better with the composition; it's brighter, more herbaceous, and less flat despite the mentholated potency of Herba Fresca. Every now and then, I'll get really pretty whiffs of sweet, faint florals coming through, but soon after, a strange Palmolive dish soap smell takes over. It does soften in the dry-down, but this soapiness was unexpected. Herba Fresca is a really beautiful fragrance overall with the pretty florals. It's amazing how cold it smells, and the potency is incredible. It really radiates in the heat!

So beautiful, so fleeting. Like a snowflake in summer I sometimes think I spend more money on perfumes than I do food. Only the most ephemeral of perfumes seem to satisfy me. I am like a forest creature forever grazing on the lightest of foods, forever consuming vast amounts of vegetation in order to gain enough calorific content and nutrients. Herba Fresca is so perfectly suited to my tastes. It is light, completely natural smelling and utterly magical. The herbs, the mint, the soft elusivity of the composition... I truly love it. I have no doubt that I will go through this bottle perhaps more quickly than even my L'Artisans. Once an hour I need to reapply. Like a crack addict chasing the dragon. Chasing an ethereal minty lemon dragon that leads me from the blazing sun of the city into the cooling enchanted forest. Take me. Take me away from the world, if only for a moment.

I had this first in 2005. I loved it so much, i bought another one after I emptied the first bottle. My daughter was a toddler then. she loved it so much, she would snuggle if I was wearing what she used to call 'iced tea'. It is exactly that. Think of a memory of drinking iced mint tea on a very hot, humid summer day on a wide field of freshly cut grass. So refreshing! After my 3rd bottle, i took a break and tried other scents. Last week, about 18 years on, it was 38 degrees celsius. I had all those expensive, heavy scents and i did not want to wear any of them. I was reminded of my favorite herba fresca. I went and bought one again. It is still as perfect as I remember it: unique, intoxicating, fresh. If I could, I would drink this. I still love it just like many years ago. This is among my all time favorites. Bonus is my husband and daughter love it so much on me, too! ❤

I love this perfume, it smells like mint, citrus fruit and tea so basically a mojito. However, my body chemistry just won't work with it. I get the fresh mint and lemon when I first spray, then it dries to a rubber tire type of weird smell. The lasting power was terrible as well, disappeared within 30 min. Such a shame, it's so fresh in the summer. Edit - I've purchased this maybe 3 years ago and tried it a couple of times but it just turned into the rubber tire smell. I've been re-trying some fragrances that have been sitting on my shelf and it didn't turn this time! I get a really fresh mint tea and it smells amazing! I layered a lilac scent over top and it's probably going to be my go to this spring/summer! Loving this! P.S this is gym appropriate opposed to those sugary sweet scents that girls often suffocate me with.

I first sprayed Herba Fresca about 7 or 8 years ago, and I never forgot it. I don’t know what took me so long to finally pull the trigger and buy myself a bottle, but I’m so glad I did. Herba Fresca is, in three words, clean, refreshing, and up-lifting. On my skin, I definitely smell how green and herbal it is, but the flowers have a distinct, if light, presence. There’s something very ~freshly washed about it. The feeling it gives me is one of stepping out into a lush garden filled with greenery and flowers, just after having taken a bath. Since the florals seem to come out more on me than on most, it leans pretty feminine when I wear it, but I think that, in general, this is definitely a unisex fragrance. I could see anyone wearing it on a variety of occasions. It is especially pleasant in hot weather.

In due time, i found my perfect herbal fragrance. This is Herba Fresca by Guerlain. It a mint temptation against the background of meadow grasses : clover, melissa, cyclamen, sage & sagebrush. A scent after acquaintance with which my consciousness perceives it no other way than grass-dew-sun. It smells of freshly mown grass and water ; the smell is tart, refreshing, cool and colorful. Even not so, more precisely, he is colorful-juicy. The fragrance not overly resistant, but by weathering it is not interpretes into synthetics, musc or soap. It just subsides. Scent is harmonious, nothing superfluous. People respond to it only positively : " Oh, Herba Fresca Guerlain! " :) Love it and rest in it when i wear Herba Fresca in the megapolis.

This is lovely and fresh, bright and a perfect transient pick me up. Fresh mint, lemon. Like an icy stream on a hot day, very alluring. Nothing sweet, completely unisex. I use a dedicated travel spray to decant into for top ups on the go. It’s not designed to hang around and I accept that being this light means longevity is not going to happen. Obvs would love to be proved wrong with forte though I have You or Someone like you by ELDO and it’s similar though inevitably its strength adds a slight rounded robustness that’s simply not present here. It is a very safe, classy introduction to fresh cold brightness, especially if you have a nose for rich woods, Ouds and syrupy Rose.

This is minty! Like the scent of organic toothpaste. Lemon comes first in the opening. Mint follows in abundance. Along side there’s also that super grassy note. Could be the clover or cyclamen. The tea comes up a little later and softens the sharp herbal concoction. This scent will cut through any heat and sluggishness of summer. I was deciding between keeping this or Limon Verde as they both smell very green to me and went with this. I find this to be more unique and versatile. Very refreshing and unisex. Ultimate summer fragrance for both genders. It will layer so well with my Teazzurra and possibly all the other ones I love from the collection.

This scent carried me through my training months in the various ICUs in my hospital back when I was a resident. I never got to feel the sun on my face those days, but this scent transported me out into a dewy field of mint and fresh sweet herbs in springtime (perhaps mojito-esque). The sweet mint notes and cooling sensation are my favorite aspects, and for me, I catch whiffs of it all day long, even into the evening and while playing soccer. Today, I needed a pick-me-up scent and dosed up with it on my way in.. and enjoyed strangers comment to each other how good someone smelled as I drifted on by to get started seeing my patients.

This perfume is delightful, in my opinion. If you are a fan of "green" fragrances, then I highly recommend this one. I don't think this is a very complicated perfume, as it's very easy to detect what the notes are. The notes that stand out the most for me are the mint and the citrus. As the fragrance dries down, I pick up on more of the green tea and other green notes. The combination of everything makes it smell very fresh and earthy. I know that some have described this perfume as mojito-like, to which I completely agree with. And just like mojitos, Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca is very refreshing on a hot and humid Summer day!