There are luxury houses, and then there is Hermès, a maison that embodies the word so completely that its essence seems to permeate the very air around it. Arriving at the Hermès flagship store inside the Dubai Mall for my meeting with Christine Nagel, the house’s Director of Olfactive Creation, the boutique unfolds like a gallery of refined objects with vibrant silks, and exquisite leather goods, each piece speaking to the heritage of the house. And its fragrances are no exception.

Upstairs, in the hushed private rooms of the store, Nagel a perfumer and a creator of dreams is waiting. There she sits with a natural, unforced ease that seems as inherent to the maison as the stitches on a Kelly bag. A soft “bonjour” hangs in the air, immediately warm and sincere. Nagel is the living expression of the Maison’s style, dressed in a printed light-yellow Hermès set with an off-white cashmere shawl draped effortlessly around her shoulders and matching Orans sandals.

Our conversation unfolds in her native French, her words poised and melodic, with a translator present to ensure every nuance of her olfactive philosophy is conveyed with precision. Nagel listens attentively, occasionally offering gentle refinements to ensure the language captures the full depth of her ideas. It’s a subtle reminder that, at Hermès, every detail matters.

And true to the spirit of the house, our dialogue quickly transforms into a multi-sensory journey. Nagel, with the knowing smile of a storyteller about to share a wonderful secret, offers up a small, unassuming berry. “Taste this,” she offers. It is a miracle berry sourced from Africa. As it melts in my mouth it releases a surprising flavour reminiscent of roasted apricot. Then comes the real magic: a simple slice of lemon. Where my palate instinctively braces for a sharp, acidic burst, instead a captivating, almost inexplicable sweetness floods my tastebuds. This tasty twist, Nagel reveals, is thanks to the miracle berry that first coated my tongue and transformed my palate.  And it’s this berry that is the very ingredient that breathes unique magic into the fragrance we have met to discuss: the new Barénia Eau de Parfum Intense, the second chapter in the story of a beloved scent.

I learn that Nagel’s path to perfumery is uniquely grounded in the precise science of chemistry, a background she once viewed as something to conceal. “I felt a bit shameful. I didn’t come from a classical perfumery background,” she shares with refreshing honesty. “But with time, and especially since I started working for Hermès and saw the work of the artisans, I changed my mind.” That deep scientific knowledge, she explains, has become her greatest strength, a foundation that allows her to fearlessly explore the boundaries of scent. “I’m not scared of anything. I know the molecules. I know how they behave. Blending this technical skill with creation is what makes my work unique.” It is this perfect marriage of precision and poetry that forms the bedrock of her artistry.

The narrative of Barénia Eau de Parfum Intense is a beautiful departure from the standard industry process of creating a flanker fragrance. “Normally, a brand asks a perfumer to create a new version of a perfume. I don’t like that term,” Nagel states with gentle firmness. For Barénia, the story was entirely different and deeply personal. While crafting the original Barénia Eau de Parfum over a ten-year period, she composed nearly a thousand trial versions. It was in test number 99 that something extraordinary happened…a formula that held a particular intensity.

“I created something very special,” she recalls, “but I felt it was too soon for the world.” She archived this formula like a cherished secret, waiting for its moment. When the time came to envision a second interpretation, she knew exactly where to begin. “That was my starting point,” she says, highlighting how the Intense version was not an afterthought but a destined evolution waiting patiently within the original creation.

Barénia is named for one of Hermès’ most supple and beloved leathers, which Nagel describes as her favourite. “The artisan told me that the leather Barénia gives you back the caress,” she says, her hands moving softly as if feeling the material. “It melts on your skin.” Her goal was never to literally replicate the smell of the leather, but rather to translate that profound tactile sensation, the feeling of luxury and softness, into an aromatic experience, a feat of synesthesia that defines her creative genius. “I work with beautiful materials, but what I really love is to recreate a sensation,” she shares.

To help understand the distinct character of Barénia Eau de Parfum Intense, Nagel deconstructs the classic perfume architecture known as a chypre, which she has radically reimagined for Hermès. While the original Eau de Parfum established this new structure, the Intense version explores its depths with even greater richness. Green bergamot continues to lead the composition, but the floral heart, anchored by the rare butterfly lily of Madagascar, deepens in resonance and complexity.

The true transformation lies in the base, where the roasted oak wood, which replaced traditional oakmoss, becomes even more pronounced. In this Intense version, it truly becomes the powerful, smoky backbone of the entire fragrance.” The patchouli, presented here as an absolute, is richer and more profound, and the miraculous berry, which provides that unique sweetening effect without any sugary weight, is even more integrated, adding a layer of warm, unexpected sensuality that plays beautifully against the leather accord.

The process of creating the scent is matched by the care taken in crafting its vessel. The flacon for both the original and the Intense version of Barénia was designed by Philippe Mouquet, and its creation was a collaborative and intimate dialogue. “I invited him, and we spent one full afternoon talking,” Nagel recounts. “I presented him with the fragrance, the ingredients. I made him touch and smell them.” This sensory briefing was essential. Mouquet returned weeks later with drawings, and a design inspired by the Médor Collier de Chien collar.

The bottle, with its elegant, rounded silhouette and now iconic metalwork, does not merely contain the fragrance; it reflects its soul, a blend of strength and softness, tradition and modernity. This careful, respectful process, where the perfume is completed and approved by Artistic Director Pierre-Alexis Dumas before any packaging is conceived, is what sets Hermès apart. “I take the same care to make the perfume as an artisan takes to make a handbag,” Nagel affirms. She is gifted with two priceless commodities: access to the world’s finest ingredients and, most importantly, the luxury of time. “I am ready when I am ready.”

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