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Hermann A Mes Cotes

  • Vegan
  • Cruelty Free
  • Sustainable

50ML / 1.7FL OZ - EAU DE PARFUM

In our

Smells like

Blackcurrant BudBlack PepperGalbanumCalypsoneGeosminFrankincensePepperwoodPetaliaRose AbsolutePatchouliAmbroxan

$125

Available for pickup

In stock at the shop on Grand Avenue — choose pickup at checkout, or come smell it in person.

565 Grand Ave, Carlsbad, CA 92008

Tue–Sat 11am–6pm · Sun 11am–4pm

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If you love Hermann A Mes Cotes, Shaya would reach for these

The Story

Call it by its name or, more simply, by ‘Hermann’. Either way the people who compliment you are going to need to know which fragrance you’re wearing. A cool, sheer and woody blend that is unlike any other.

Blackcurrant buds, black pepper, galbanum, calypsone, geosmin, frankincense, pepperwood, petalia, rose absolute, patchouli, ambroxan

Who goes beside you into the forest on the darkest night ? In Victor Hugo’s poem, « À quoi songeaient les deux cavaliers dans la forêt », (What Two Horsemen Were Thinking in the Forest), the narrator says “ by my side, Hermann seemed to me like a shadow. ”

We all have shadows, even at night in the dark forest. You may call yours by another name : your invisible friend. Your conscience, your soul, maybe even your complementary ego. Your shadow could have a name, like Hermann. Or your shadow could be your perfume. This is your companion. You can argue with your companion, you can challenge your companion, you can test the boundaries of your own attitudes. You can debate the finer points of existence. But you cannot lose this companion, not ever. This is your alternative self. As you move through life and contemplate its meaning, you ask unanswerable questions. When you’re overwhelmed with uncertainties, look to your shadow. Maybe you’ll get a response. Maybe not. But at least you’ll have an interesting conversation.

The House

Etienne de Swardt founded Etat Libre d'Orange in 2006 and named the house for the Orange Free State of his South African birthplace — the autonomous republic that, briefly, lived by its own rules. The house carries that spirit of independence into fragrance: liberated, flamboyant, and unafraid to provoke. Where most perfumery aims to please, Etat Libre d'Orange aims to challenge — sometimes with subjects polite houses would avoid entirely.

The Perfumer

Quentin Bisch