Hermessence Muguet Porcelaine

[Feb. 2023] The Hermes store staff has been kind and patient. Upon purchase of another travel set, included a 7ml sample of Ambre Narguile, a Tonka fragrance in green, and a copy of Le Monde d'Hermes inside a large orange bonded-paper bag. The store's attention to the graphic arts, lighting, and texture is some pleasant thing I like to think about. My favourites from the Hermessence line were Ambre Narguile, Muguet Porcelaine, Cedre Sambac, and my near-emptied Osmanthe Yunnan. Nagel and Jean-Claude Elena intend this line to blend well with each other-- layerable-- to make each experience with their creamy-light and watercolor fragrances a unique experience to each wearer. So far, I love pairing my Muguet with Sambac and Yunnan. It's a nice contemporary asiatic bouquet and turns heads. (At one point, some at the elevator quietly huddled closer to the scent.) Hermessence Muguet has a pleasant aldehydic soapiness similar to the high quality aldehydes found in Amouage Dia or Frederic Malle's Iris Poudre. However it does -not- at all smell skanky, animalic, or "grandmotherly" aka dusting powder and Nivea. Muguet Porcelaine is as sweet and tart as a real green apple and has a similar light creaminess to the rest of the Hermessence florals. There is yet again no hint of smoke, ambroxan, iso e, or greens to distract from its purely floral experience. I give a "love" to this fragrance (though yes, its tartness may cross in an especially hot day), because its drydown is a nice creamy rendition of a lily of the valley. Unlike my first niche purchase: Penhaligon's Lily Of The Valley, the Penhaligon had no feeling of indole, or lactonic impression and was vetiver-sharp. Porcelaine works well to match the other Hermessence line's watercolor impression and never crosses me for its balance of notes that remain true to an idyllic take of lily of the valley, except this smells like a real flower that I had never seen in life before because none of this smells synthetic. In abstract, the colors are similar to the gradients found in Japanese pastel bokehs of a Canon EOS camera picture. So if you prefer a more concrete rendition like that from a Zeiss or nostalgic atmospheric blooms of a Fujifilm, this floral may not be for you but regardless: Wedding-worthy floral.

The lily of the valley fragrance I love most is the vintage Diorissimo Parfum by Dior. It is an incredibly realistic soliflore of lily of the valley. In contrast, Muguet Porcelaine expresses the flower through an entirely different approach, which I find fascinating. The fragrance opens with a fresh, fruity scent that reminds me of melon, pear, or even cucumber. Soon after, a leafy coolness follows, accompanied by the scents of jasmine and neroli. And deep in the background, I detect a faintly animalic nuance... almost like civet. Each element is elegant and transparent, yet they each assert themselves clearly. What intrigues me most is this: When I isolate each component, it doesn’t smell like lily of the valley. But when I take a step back and perceive the scent as a whole, it somehow conjures the image of lily of the valley. To me, this is like a lily of the valley painted in an impressionist style. Given the name “Porcelaine,” perhaps it’s not a painting on canvas, but one delicately painted onto white porcelain. Where Diorissimo is realism—like a photograph of fresh blossoms— Muguet Porcelaine feels abstract, like an impressionist painting. Up close, it's nothing more than strokes of paint in subtly different shades. But from a distance, you see the form of lily of the valley emerge—nostalgic, and quietly beautiful. It is not the scent of a real flower, but of a lily of the valley you once saw, somewhere, in a distant memory. A hazy, ethereal impression of the flower. To express lily of the valley not through straightforward imitation, but through such an imaginative approach—what an incredible talent that is.

I have a sample spray that I've been testing. It's beautiful! I don't smell cucumber or melon or watermelon or bubblegum. Note: I love Ellena's Jardin series, so if you don't like Ellena's style, our opinions may diverge. I do like the transparency and sheerness of his Hermes fragrances and I like them in this one. I've smelled Muguet Porcelaine shortly after smelling real lilies of the valley growing in a garden, and it is quite true to the flower though perhaps a little more watery, as if the flowers were wet with dew or raindrops. One small spray lasted for two hours on my wrist, though it remained light and green. I'd love to experience Muguet Porcelaine in a parfum concentration.

Beautiful, delicate, fresh dewy lily-of-the-valley. It is sublime. I love the light wateriness of Hermessence Muguet Porcelaine. It is so sweet and fresh and pretty and light-hearted, and makes me feel soft and gentle and very very feminine. It's absolute bliss in a bottle for me. I adore it. Also, it lasts incredibly well on me, for such a light perfume; it's still there quite noticeably after 16 hours! Amazing. Very amazing. It is one of my favourite, gentle perfumes. I adore lily-of-the-valley, it's one of my favourite flowers, and notes in perfumes, and this one is superb. I love the transparency. It is heavenly. Truly heavenly.

I can't believe I am discovering this one just now. LOTV is one of my favorite smells in the world. I can't find anything pungent in here, the drydown is a bit musky but that's all. Very much linear LOTV, fresh, clean, and green in the opening, turns sweeter and juicier after a while. Long lasting (all day), moderate sillage. Mood boosting, appropriate for everyday wear on spring or early summer (not too hot) days. Imo absolutely feminine. It's definitely not everybody's cup of tea, if you are a LOTV addict, give it a try. I'm adding it to my favorites.

this is the best hermessence performance-wise. the smell might be tricky for some as it turns really animalic on me (i love it that way!) but it is really unique. the smell lingers for hours and hours with a soft projection but still very noticeable (unlike brin de reglisse, that disappears like a magician). i really like this a lot, and im glad hermes gives us the option of 15mls bottles to keep trying its fragrances without breaking the bank

One of Ellena's undersung efforts. I like it when clean perfumers take on the task of being dirty — the animalic and watery, almost moldy facets of this lily soliflore provide moving realism and depth. It adds up to a dignified, delicate, intriguing floral that could easily be worn by the right man.

My favourite perfume of the Hermessence line. Truly porcelain-like muguet. A slow, idyllic morning in the palace. Softly animalic, but tamed, green and fresh, no pungency usual for LotV. That being said, it's simply a LotV soliflore, there are many to explore and they are going to compare just fine.

As someone who typically does not care too much about lily-of-the-valley in perfumes, I was very impressed with this one. It smells artistic, but somehow also real. Such a genius combination of both animalic and fresh aspects. Absolutely gorgeous, highly recommend.

Hermes' Muguet was a delight. It's transparent, light and fruity take of LOTV. I get sweet melons and LOTV as its prominent note. Polished, clean and aldehydic even, but still fresh and not stuffy/old at all. Prefect for a pick me up any time of the day.

A touch weird and almost rotten in the opening but eventually a really beautiful Lily of the Valley accord comes through which stays around til the end. Probably the best modern Lily of the Valley fragrance around.

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Baigneuses ( Bathers ) by Paul Cézanne 1879-1880

I've had mixed feeling with Muguet Porcelaine until recently. I found it a transparent, watery, melon-infused lily of the valley very much in line with the general aesthetics of Hermessence. But there is also a strange fuzzy warmth that makes it surprisingly not as fresh and crisp as other green, aqueous lily of the valley. It's not until I read the astute and poetic review from Patrice Revillard, the perfumer behind the blog Musque-Moi, that I finally realised : yes, it's the civet (or something with a similar effect)! From then on, everything just clicked and fell quickly into place. Even though Mr. Ellena himself doesn’t specifically affirm, it’s now impossible for me to smell Muguet Porcelaine without referencing Roudnitska and Diorissimo. The iodine-infused melon can be found in quite a few Roudnitska’s creations, especially Diorella and Le Parfum de Thérèse, while civet-laden lily of the valley is one of the most intriguing characters of Diorissimo (although I perceive it more like an indolic jasmine, despite the intention of its creator). That being said, the smell, the texture and the mood of Muguet Porcelaine are entirely different, notably because Ellena incorporates these tropes into his haiku “writing” style, contrary to the short story of Diorissimo. Arguably, Muguet Porcelaine doesn’t have much significant evolution. The fairly transparent and watery lily of the valley and melon can be perceived right away, with the civet purring in the background with its furry warmth and a touch of saltiness to complement with the melon. However, the tension between the animalic dirtiness and the floral and fruity innocence persists deep into the dry down, where the fragrance eventually manages to unify these two aspects into a sensual skin scent. I got a 10-hour longevity and a soft sillage. I have to admit that I’m not among the biggest fans of Ellena. I admire his vision and commitment to perfumery, and many of them are very enjoyable, but I was rarely awed or emotionally touched by his compositions, even though it must not be easy to transform heavy materials into feather-like airiness. But his latest creations for Hermessence, first Cuir d’Ange, and now Muguet Porcelaine, challenged my preconceptions that perfumes can’t be airy, watery or transparent, and sensual animalic at the same time. And the results are fantastic, even though they sometimes don’t seem apparent at first glance. Therefore, I would highly recommend giving Muguet Porcelaine a try, especially if you happened to be looking for a modern airy animalic floral.

Ah -- it does smell like springtime. To me, it smells like a true lily of the valley, set within a mandatory green context; just like if you picked a bouquet and added some leaves / forest plans to it. I have done that as a child -- and that's what it reminded me of. Other than other lily of the valley scents, this one reminds me of L'Eau Par Kenzo -- it has the same delicate and fragile floral note that doesn't really dry down to anything more exciting than that. Or perhaps it is the watermelon note that makes me think of it. I won't be purchasing this after using up my sample for several reasons: * Limited longevity and sillage. It just doesn't stay on. This would make it a great perfume for work for a formal environment -- it will give one a joy of putting perfume on when getting ready for work and it is likely to have dissipated by the time one reaches one's office. It is also not too sweet or strong -- it is just a pleasant scent. * To me, this is a limited-use perfume. I don't like using obvious florals like that in the spring or summer -- while I do enjoy seasonal scents, I would much rather have a bouquet in my living room. I like wearing these scents on crisp and sunny winter days, when it seems startlingly appropriate -- but doesn't warrant buying an entire bottle. It is such a clean and happy scent, it transports its wearer straight into spring. * It is just not complex enough -- I want to layer this with something else to feel that I am wearing a more finished product. It's akin to having one flower in a nice vase -- it's great, but one wishes for a more ornate, complex bouquet. * I am not convinced that the price tag is justified. It is a nice perfume, yes, but it is not outstanding. I love many Hermes perfumes and expect *more* from them. This one is not *more* -- it's *less.* I wouldn't say this is a true unisex perfume. I wouldn't call is a very feminine scent, either -- it mostly hints at nascent femininity. I always think of these as a good gift idea for very young women, as they are not too suggestive, yet clearly feminine. I myself was a recipient of similar perfumes when I was much younger, and it was very age-appropriate.

Vintage Diorissimo, featuring Edmond Roudnitska's groundbreaking synthetic lily-of-the-valley accord that closely resembles the flower, is the gold standard of muguet scents - none other has come close, in my opinion. I recently tried modern Diorissimo, and it doesn't compare to the extraordinary original. I know that the restrictions on ingredients in recent years have posed many challenges for perfumers, and perhaps that is the case for modern muguet scents in general. However, Muguet Porcelaine is one of the best recent lily-of-the-valley compositions that I've encountered. Composed (of course) by Jean-Claude Ellena, famed for his subtle olfactory watercolours, MP is lovely overall. MP opens with a bold, green lily-of-the-valley note. Initially intense, bordering on harsh, it becomes soapy and fruity after a little while. Pear is an unusual note to include alongside muguet, but here it is restrained, adding just the right amount of juicy sweetness. Green, dewy and slightly sweet, the airy, bright muguet shines here. As it develops, clean, powdery jasmine rounds it out and it remains slightly fruity, perhaps thanks to a hint of neroli. It becomes musky and animalic quite quickly, adding just the right amount of earthy dirtiness to the base - providing a nice counterpoint to the clean, green muguet. It fades to become a very animalic, dirty, musky skin scent - a little too dirty for my liking. The florals disappear completely here. Sillage and longevity are moderate. A decent rendering of lily-of-the-valley presented in floral-fruity style, MP is an interesting and pleasant perfume that contrasts the innocence of the muguet with the dirtiness of the animalic base. A feminine-leaning scent for spring days. I'd like it better if the animalic base were dialled down a little. Not a crowdpleaser, but well-composed. 3/5.

I am late to the game here. I tried this perfume at an Hermes boutique many years ago, and I liked if, but I got distracted, and never went back to try it again. I wear several Hermes fragrances, and several samples of this were sent with a recent purchase. I love it and will be buying a full size it. I am actually saddened I am not getting the animalistic notes others mention because that would be fun. I get a fairly accurate lily of the valley with lots of green leaves thrown in, with cucumber and melon (not the sweetest, ripest melon, mind). It feels quite green and delicate, but in a more mature way. Now, where the porcelain part comes in, is anyone’s guess. This makes me think of spring and cheers me up during the winter. I don’t believe in gendering perfumes; but I think this would be great on a man — it doesn’t read as a typically feminine fragrance Hollywood stars like to throw at us. It last all day, but others will only be able to detect it if they lean in. If that is what you are looking for, this is the perfume for you.

I can get the dislike for this fragrance... I experienced it myself, the first few times I wore it. I've owned my sample since 2019, and it's still got half left. Surprisingly, given that the Hermessence scents usually don't last amazingly, this one doesn't require heavy application for it to last or project well. As some have mentioned, the opening is a bit bothersome, but it doesn't last too long. After this weird, quirky moment it develops into a lily-of-the-valley not unlike Parfum d'Ete which was a "like" for me. This one is too. I can't say I get much from this scent other than lily-of-the-valley, musk, jasmine and pear. That's to be expected, given the simplistic nature of the other JCE scents in the line. Edit: This layers really well with Ambre Narguile - I was extremely surprised.

Reviewer below really captured the hedione aspect of this perfume exceptionally: getting your hair did. However, this isn't a bad thing. It gives the creamy aspect of lily-of-the-valley and the sweet fruitiness of the pear a sourness to contend with. It's quite lovely to smell this again and like it far more than I did the first time. In fact, I'd call this a favourite from the collection. As it is LotV centric, this does have something in common with the greats: Diorissimo, Penhalligon's LotV & even N°19. However, not much. Try this if you like scents like those, but something a little different.

There isn't much to say about this fragrance. It provides a realistic (or Figurative as Ellena described in his book) representation of the Lily-of-the-Valley. The scent is green-floral with a heavy musky base. Muguet Porcelain is extremely well-balanced and masterfully created to showcase all the subtleties of the lily-of-the-valley. This fragrance is in line with the Un Jardin collection. It's a lovely, versatile scent that's perfect for everyday wear. It has a moderate sillage and good longevity. Excellent fragrance! 8/10