Hermès Fragrance review
Hermès Edition Speciale de L'Eau d'Hermes pour la Celebration du Couronnement de Sa Majeste l'Empereur du Japon — Hermès Edition Spéciale de L'Eau d'Hermès: 1990 Review
Edmond Roudnitska's 1990 commemorative Eau d'Hermès for Emperor Akihito's coronation
In this review
Accords
Notes Pyramid
Scent Journey
The first ten to thirty minutes are deceptively conventional: bergamot and lemon cut through a lavender-and-sage aromatic lift, with petitgrain adding a slightly bitter, green citrus edge. It reads briefly like a classical mid-century cologne — bright, herbal, and clean — before the spice cabinet opens.
Within the first hour the heart takes over and the fragrance changes character entirely. Cardamom, cinnamon and cloves arrive warm and dry, with coriander and a distinctly animalic cumin note adding sweat and skin. Bourbon geranium gives a rose-adjacent, slightly minty floral body, and jasmine softens the edges. This is the most contested phase of the wear — the cumin and clove combination divides people sharply.
From roughly the fourth hour onward the base settles into a warm, balsamic leather: birch tar and labdanum supply the smoky, resinous spine, cedar and sandalwood give structure, oakmoss adds a damp, earthy finish, and tonka bean with vanilla rounds everything into a sweet, slightly gourmand glow. The drydown is the most wearable and most universally liked stage of the fragrance.
Performance Dashboard
Long-lasting, typically 6–8 hours or more on skin, with the base lingering noticeably longer on fabric.
Moderate and close-wearing; it stays largely within arm's length rather than announcing itself across a space.
Moderate. It leaves a discernible trail without filling a room.
When to Wear
Pros & Cons
- Composed by Edmond Roudnitska, one of the most important perfumers of the twentieth century
- Genuinely rare commemorative edition with a documented historical context
- Long-lasting with a rich, complex leather-and-spice drydown
- Unisex in the truest sense — it does not read as gendered
- Extremely difficult to source; not part of regular retail distribution
- The cumin, clove and birch notes make it a challenging wear for many people
- Little to no verified pricing or aggregated user data available
- Poor choice for warm weather or for anyone wanting a safe, modern crowd-pleaser
Price & Value
“Value cannot be assessed on a price-per-millilitre basis. For collectors of Hermès or Roudnitska, the historical significance may justify a premium; for anyone else, the original Eau d'Hermès offers a far more accessible route to the same composition.”
Reformulation History
No significant batch variations reported for this commemorative edition. As with any fragrance of this age, individual bottle condition — storage temperature, light exposure and fill level — will affect the scent far more than any production difference.
Who It's For
Ideal For
- Collectors of vintage and commemorative Hermès releases
- Wearers who enjoy leather chypres and spicy, animalic compositions
- Fans of Edmond Roudnitska's work, particularly the original 1951 Eau d'Hermès
- Anyone looking for a formal, cold-weather signature that is not a modern designer release
Not Recommended For
- Wearers who dislike cumin, clove or animalic warmth in fragrance
- Those seeking a fresh, crowd-pleasing everyday scent
- Hot-weather wearers — the leather and spice become heavy in heat
- Buyers looking for a widely available, easily replaced bottle
The Family
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Layering Ideas
- Layer with a plain, dry cedar or vetiver fragrance to push the woody base forward and soften the cumin heart.
- Apply a light vanilla or tonka-forward scent underneath to amplify the gourmand sweetness of the drydown without altering the leather.
- Avoid layering with fresh aquatics or bright modern citrus — the clash with birch tar and clove is rarely flattering.
- On fabric, a single spray on a scarf or coat lapel extends the leather-and-moss base considerably and keeps the sharper spice notes closer to the skin.
