Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca Guerlain for women and men

Wow, this is SUMMER!
I tested it yesterday (it's really cold in Belgium this week) and I was instantly transported to green fields in the middle of a hot summerday.
It smells like freshly cut mint and grass. Mind you, freshly cut mint, not toothpaste mint, but mint you're about to pop in a kettle of hot water to make wonderfully refreshing tea.
It's just so nice and resfreshing and soooo very different from other fresh fragrances.
This does smell like nature, like something real. And I love it.

This one is extremely fresh and relaxing. It makes me want to close my eyes and imagine I'm lying on a field of green grass on a chilly summer morning.

It's rather unique, not the usual sweet bunch of pink flowers, and also rather simple. I can smell no toothpaste or chewing gum, but mint leaves and freshly cut grass all the way.

This is definitelly one of the best hot summer perfume. Aquatic herbal mint with some lemon and red berries. It gives me feeling of freshness and cleanliness, perfect for hot humid summer day, it's somehow cooling fragrance. I use it a lot, it's almost my summer signature fragance, actually it splits that place with Aqua Allegoria Pomplelune and Aqua Allegoria Orange Magnifica.

It is FANTASTIC AND VERY UNIQUE for winter fragrance MIXTURE: I put some Classique Jean Paul Gaultier for the base and than Herba Fresca ower it. For my nose this is masterpiece combination, really special!

I just love this frangance, it is light, fresh, soft, does not bother anyone. Reminds me of a sunday in the woods.

I like the smell of a minty toothpaste. Who doesn`t...

But I am just gonna have to put some Colgate minty toothpaste on my wrists untill I can afford it in February. You know ..with Xmas and all that £`s that goes with it.

It sounds like a very unique fragrance.

When I see so many reviews that all say the same thing, I always hope I'll feel differently. Sadly, I must agree with all the toothpaste comments. Actually this smells like my vanilla mint mouthwash. I was shocked to see lily of the valley in the base notes because I definitely smell only vanilla. I would not consider this to be unisex because of that, but I know perfumes smell differently on different people, and maybe others don't smell a sweet vanilla base on their skin. I do smell a sharp grassiness on top that others have mentioned, but it's not overly harsh to my nose. I don't totally hate this scent, but I'm not in any rush to go out and buy a bottle.

.... It does smells like toothpaste.. So what? I like to smell fresh not only after brushing my teeth.. It last about 5 hours but still get a whiff at the 6th hour. Lovely. Headache free:)

well tnx for all the descriptions and happy chirstmas to all.

Smells toothpaste on me...

Brilliantly fulfills the main function who must have a perfume, because it smells really, really, really well.
The menthol and green tea are the main point, two ingredients that I love.
This scent leaves me amazed and delighted.
In paradise.......

I must say that I was not at all expecting to encounter a blast of mint in the opening of Guerlain Aqua Allegoria HERBA FRESCA. I think that I was expecting angelica or culinary herbs such as basil or tarragon. Instead, this composition offers somewhat bitter greens along with a fairly hefty dose of mint.

This 1999 Aqua Allegoria is certainly more natural smelling than some of Guerlain's recent launches in this series, but I do not really find this particular combination of notes all that appealing. I feel in a sense pulled in two directions: on the one hand, HERBA FRESCA is trying to be a sort of aromatherapy scent; on the other hand, it aspires to be a floral green perfume. I'm not convinced that it succeeds as either.

This makes me think of drinking home-made lemonade next to freshly cut grass on a the morning of a summer day that promises to become a scorcher. Love it, only complaint is that it doesn't last at all...

This is my travelling scent. It eases the headache I always get at the airport and refreshes me when I am tired of sitting and waiting.

Its gorgeous but unconventional, so fresh and perfect when youre hot and bothered and feel headachy.

After years of long search for the perfect hot humid summer day fragrance, I finally found this gem. I haven't had much luck with Guerlain before, but this one is different. I like some other Aqua Allegorias on the paper, but not on my skin.
It's love from the first moment. It's so well balanced between citrus and herbs and flowers. Just perfection. I's fall already, but I still come back to it, I like to spray it on my silk scarf, the fresh-flowery scent lingers there for days and just lifts my mood every time I wear it.
I can't understand people who compare Herba Fresca to air freshener or house cleaning product (I admit, I did smell like Glade after spritzing some Dior Escale a Portofino on my skin). Or maybe I just never came across such a classy, sexy, elegant, expensive smelling and compliments drawing house cleaning product before... Go take a sniff and judge for yourself.

My first take on this was household cleaning products. Then the mint came in so strongly there was really nothing else. Oddly enough then the berries came in and it smelled pretty much like I'd been expecting from the top notes to begin with but that soon vanished.

Mint and lemon remained predominant throughout and not in a good way.It still smells like I just cleaned the kitchen and washed the dishes.

I love pamplelune from the Aqua Allegoria range as a fresh zingy uplifting citrus.

This I don't like at all. Something trying to be clever but the result is nasty and cheap smelling. I can't think of any way I'd find a way to use it except when I go out to clean out the chicken coop.

We can say that this is a very interesting perfume. It has a wonderful smell of wet grass, that is noticeable after the mint that really is kind of strong in the beginning.
After the cool mint, some earthy notes stay for some time.
In my opinion, it's an excellent summer perfume for some really hot nights. It fits wonderful after a good shower!!

This lasted a long time on me (6hrs ish)..... such a pity that the mint was just a tad too strong and lasted as long !

Really wish the mint was toned down - is there anything out there similar ? Really loved the oversall fresh tones otherwise.

In my opinion, this is one of the best fresh fragrances around. I can definitely smell green tea and lilly of the valley and a lemon but I can also (somehow) smell linden flowers (???). When I smell this I can imagine running through a green meadow on a sunny day and I really like the spearmint scent in it. When I wear this everyone else around me comes and starts 'sniffing' and saying how great it smells. Definitely a summer scent.
Bad points though too : doesn't last long no matter how much you spray on which is a shame :-(

Yes, this is very fresh!

I was working in London with a woman who was wearing this a few years ago. Including myself, person after person complemented her on it- so much so I actually ended up buying it on the way home that night*.

This is a cut crystal pitcher of icy lemonade, swimming with fresh chopped mint and standing on a newly mown lawn. Delicious! On a hot day it can really cut through the heat and stink of the city. That's why I love it! Beautiful!

*(She also said "...and it gets the blokes!"....who knows!?)

I live in a tropical, humid climate - in which most perfumes quickly become overwhelming especially during the hot summer days. This clean, fresh smell keeps me cool and energized through the sultry hours and is one of my favourites for going to work. In the evening, or in cooler weather, I prefer warmer tones though...

This one is quite tricky. At first it may seem fresh and soft with tea-like zing to it, but eventually it's just mint all over. I won't buy it since I don't want to end up smelling like toothpaste:(
*

Mint and grass. That's it, literally.

Kinda reminds me of minty chewing gum. Lasts no longer than an hour.

Maybe I'm the only one to think this Guerlain's classic is disgusting. It causes my stomach to turn and head to ache. Believe me, I'd really like to love this perfume for my heart skipped a beat when the mail person delivered Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca.

One light spray and urghh .. it's very offensive to the olfactory. There is nothing synthetic about it. Extremely sharp/bitter/sour lemon, strong tea, and fresh natural mint could all be detected clearly but they were in my face at once. I waited and wait for the dry down to come save the day but it never did. The scent remained offensive to my nose--just not as bad. I'm so disappointed that I did not like this scent.

Also .. when I was growing up .. one of my chores was doing the dishes. The yellow liquid dish soap, "Sun Light," we used then smelled EXACTLY like Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca. I just wanted to cry during that 3-4 testing hours Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca lasted on the back of my left hand.

Sillage: 3/5
Longivity: 3/5
Heartache: 5/5

out of the bottle smells mostly like cut grass and mint. and on my skin - like green tea. first, i loved the scent and used it all the time. after a few months, it started to get boring. so. now i can't make up my mind - i don't like it, and i don't dislike it either ;) but honestly... it would make a GREAT linen freshener :D

Smells like fresh lemongrass!

This perfume is wery,wery fresh,for me its like fresh cut grass,i would like this perfume better if there was some softness to it,its too sharp,but for hot weather it will be fine !

Very minty, soapy, fresh, & unique, like a toothpaste but I like it
Sillage is very subtle & Longevity is good over 4-6 Hours on my skin
Very comfortable for day wearing

Scent 4.5/5
Sillage 2.5/5
Longevity 3/5

It is an interesting choice for those who tend to lean towards greener perfumes as well as those who are in the mood to experiment a little with different mood setting scents. It is quite a simple and bold combination of herbal notes, however i don't believe it would satisfy the olfacatory senses of one who is looking for subtlety and delicacy in a perfume. Nevertheless, it is quite a good complimenting perfume, wear it depending on the mood you are in but wear it with confidence as it will truly let your personality shine through rather than define you as so many other perfumes seem to do.

one word... FRESH!

very minty and green opening, really really refreshing for hot summer day, even if it is not the same genre for summer scent. it's recommended for spring, but i really love to wear this particular fragrance in hot summer day.

i think it's a linear fragrance, not much different from top to base notes. but the herbal vibe is quite stronger on the dry down.

and this is the best unisex fresh fragrance i ever smelled. but the longevity is not that great, only got 4-5 hours on my skin.

very recommended for office scent in spring and summer

longevity : 6/10
projection : 7/10
overall smell : 8.5/10
recommended age : anyone

Very unique one! Smells just like fresh plants, green, cool, fresh, natural and wild. Base is minty, the icy touch ever lasts to the end.

As described, "a rare and unexpected" one in perfume world which brings amazes. Nice to have a bottle, perfect for a carefree summer holiday.

I would say the description of Herba Fresca at the top of the page is quite accurate. It is completely herbal, minty and fresh. I would agree with others that this is not a perfume that oozes sex appeal, but I think that's fine as it's not what this perfume is about. It's more the type of thing you would wear to feel fresh and invigorated.

To me it smells of fresh herbs, spearmint, and a bit of lemon. The herbal and mint scents are quite realistic to me - that is, it seems high quality and not synthetic at all.

Herba Fresca is actually quite beautiful, but I don't think I would wear it myself as it's just too green and crisp for my style.

Smells exactly like mint julep helene mask! lol..

If you're not a fan of mint in fragrance (i know i'm not), better not to blind buy this one.. the cleanliness and freshness of it however, worth mentioning, it IS fresh, in a green-minty way. Just like the after feel of chewing spearmint chewing gum (not necessarily a bad thing for me though).

What really put me off is the longevity. Only lasted 3 hour max in my skin. :(

Finally found and tested this fragrance last week. If you're a fan of fresh scents, you'd love it at the first spritz. Fresh, green, light and effortless. But wait 'till like 1 hour, you'll get a clean detergent or floor cleaner scent. If you don't mind to smell like home cleaner products I recommend this one.

By the way compared to my Aqua Allegoria Laurier - Reglisse (another series from Guerlain Allegoria), that one is...way lot better than this Herba Fresca. It's fresh, green but gentler, thanks to the lovely floral notes that balanced the bitter bergamot notes, which to my nose oddly received as green tea.

I complimented someone wearing this a few years ago, and knew I had to have that scent. What strikes me first is the sweet balmy mint, it's very lemon-y and herbaceous. It then goes into that cut grass aroma that you either love or hate. I wish this note were more intensified, but I won't complain.

The bottom notes of cyclamen and lotv wrap up the perfume, making this a fresh light-floral. It still projects, but it's not a sex pot scent. It's a perfume you want if you don't want to smell any vanilla, spice, amber or patchouli. This is the exact opposite, but it's still an interesting, charming perfume.

I love it! It's one of the most refreshing and wonderful perfumes I have ever smelled! I totally recommend it for spring/summer! Great staying power too.

Appearantly unpretentious and very simple but skillfully mastered. Mint joined by a super fresh verbena and tea. Nice and delightful.

Rating: 7/10

Just scent of tea and mint, nothing else... I like drinking mint tea but not wear a fragrance like it...

It's also like scent of mint chewing gum.

I've got it from swap and sent it quickly away, in one week.

Mojito in a bottle! The green herbal scent of mint combined with citrus really just creates.. well.. the drink! Mojitos are my favourite so I don't mind being taken for one at all. Hahaha.

No but seriously. This is really crisp and sour, almost cooling. A lovely scent for warm weather, makes you feel fresh even though it's very hot outside. The lemon sure is there, but it doesn't make the perfume smell sporty. Just like the lily of the valley, it sure is there too but it doesn't kill the other scents completely as it often does. It's very well balanced and I feel calm when I'm wearing this. A gorgeous scent!

Very green, very fresh. You will smell of herbs for a short while. Wear it to your landscape gardener interview.

Just noticed that it's no longer present on Guerlain's website :(

Herba Fresca is quite an unusual and realistic herbal scent. It starts really leafy, slightly sour, just like freshly mowed grass in a summer morning, plus a little bit minty tea hint in the background.

After a while, it gets less sharp/sour and blended well with a slightly sweeter grassy hint. It is really nice as if you were really close to nature and the green vegetation.

In the dry down, a tiny bit of discreet floral hint has been added in, which soften the whole fragrance and makes it closer to the wearer.

I would highly recommend Herba Fresca to anyone who wouldn’t mind a little bit realistic nature fresh greenness in his/her collection.

The best perfume I have ever smelled! So sweet and crisp and fresh! A dewy grass-perfume. Love it! Beautiful bottle as well.

it was terribly hot summer day when i bought this wonderful perfume. i came in in the store and i was so lazy to choose perfume, but then seller ofered me to try this : from the first breath i felt in love with herba fresca. It's cooling like wind, fresh cut grass refresh you and lemongrass gives you energy for hole day.

Maybe the aroma could last longer, but it's not a problem, becouse the bottle is so boautiful, that you're always happy to see it in your purse.

have only a tiny bottle so have to be sparing which is a shame.Its very fresh and summery, like sticking your head in a pot of herbs.very different!

I was really looking fwd to this one, but kept it only for few days.
I'm really dissapointed as have been looking for a perfect green scent forever. couldn't smell lilly or grass, this just gave me headache and make me feel ill.
what a pity :(
gave it to my mum

i expected to smell fresh mint leaves; i think i smelt synthetic mint, it was a bit too sweet and spiky, unlike fresh mint leaves. The mint accord peels away as time goes by and you get a calm and peaceful drydown.

Sprayed on the card it's a gorgeous and very fresh scent.

Then I tried it on my skin - yuck. Apparently my skin hates either lemon or cyclamen, or both. I know I can wear the other notes no problem. So disappointing!

On the right skin chemistry, this is a perfect refreshing scent for a hot and humid summer day.

ETA: Tried this one again, and it works very well on me now. Not sure if it's the weather, or if skin chemistry is different at certain times of the year, or what. I loved this so much I had to try it again, so glad I did :)

In the search for a summer frag I bought this a couple of years ago. The mint dominates and I feel like I smell of toothpaste. Does not work on my skin

Absolutely delicious!! It's the perfect summer scent! Love the mint, lemon and tea notes... however it really doesn't last long, so I tend to spray it on myself at home or after I take a shower... when I go out I tend to use a stronger and more long-lasting scent as it drowns in the busy city hustle and bustle almost 10minutes after I leave my home... but I love this fragrance - the scent is so simple but refined.

I love this fragrance. It's so light and refreshing for a hot, humid summer day.
I get a heavy dose of green tea at first whiff, then it settles to a fresh grass and hint of mint.
Overall it reminds me of a cool summer morning after a light rain. Simply delicious.

It's orrible . To test only on the skin,but from the botle seems even beautyful (((((

Not very toothpaste-y, just slightly minty. Not fresh cut grass either. More like a fresh and cool, slightly minty, green iced tea. Perfect for a hot summers day.

It DOES smell like fresh grass, mixed up with the petrol coming out from the cutting-grass machine ... and, sure, one must really want to smell like this ! The point is that I do not know a single person who is not familiar with this smell and who does not like it. Everybody has at least one reference in their past memories linked to fresh-cut grass and, unless the experience was extremely negative, I dare to think that for 99,99% of us these were happy moments. With or without mint, lily and/or the rest, this really is something special. You just need to know if you want to smell like it. Having said that, I agree on a bit of agressiveness in the top note, however, try it on your wrist and let yourself be accompanied by it during a couple of hours, or a day ... and let youself be amazed. And then please, let me know about it ;o)

This, I love. True, it doesn´t last long, but thats why you get a completely huge bottle! Its a very delicious after-shower splashy thing. Gets you in the summer mood. I recomend!

Answer to kittykati: yes!

It doesn't last nearly long enough regardless of how much I love it, like a body splash :(

Not chewing gum or toothpaste, absolutely not. This scent is unique, clean, bright and purely green. It is mint but NOT pepermint. Imagine that leaf you pick from a mint plant in an herb garden and you smash, mixed with a smell of cut grass in the air, and you have the essence of this scent. It is divine, not sexy that is true, but it is pretty and pure and for me; intoxicating.

I agree all the people saying "toothpaste"...Minty but not fresh as expected, has a very sweet TASTE...

This afternoon I walked into a mall and found myself drawn to this display of class and an aura of serenity. A drop on my wrist and a whiff of it sent my mind drifting to sunrise in my hometown's grassy hills with the dew caressing my bare feet. I was 9 then and I swear I never imagined such memories come to life again.. After 8 hours,this lovely scent stayed on, and since I went back to my present world( and washed it off), I swear tomorrow this beautiful bottle will be mine to keep.I AM BUYING MYSELF ONE!! Wish me Luck!!

Beautiful, light, refreshing. A wonderful summer fragrant cologne. I am not much for citrus or aquatics so this suits me fine for a summer frag.
It is grassy with a hint of mint, very unique. I would never have thought mint would be good in a perfume until I tried this.
Not very long lasting, but the bottle is so big that it is easy to respray without feeling too indulgent.
This is a really lovely fragrance.

Absolutely fresh, herbal and clean. Not sexy or seductive, just lovely and distinctive, like being outside in a garden after the rain.

A few months ago, I decided to look for something light and fresh to add to my wardrobe (since most of my scents are heavy and sweet or spicy or woody) for what is probably going to be a pretty hot summer. I'd heard good things about Herba Fresca but was sort of prepared for it to let me down. I've sampled quite a few scents from Guerlain since I became interested in fragrances, living within easy driving distance of the Guerlain boutique in San Francisco has helped with that, but, to tell you the truth, I haven't really been all that impressed with their line. Jicky was pretty good but not amazing; Habit Rouge was fair but seemed too mature for my taste; Mouchoir de Monsieur was promising but ended up smelling more than a little off to me; their Vetiver is adquate but nothing special to my nose; Derby was one of my favorites, but I can think of so many other scents that would be ahead of it on my list.

So when I picked up the bottle of Herba Fresca (which is a great bottle, by the way) to test it, I wasn't expecting much. After all, it's part of their Aqua Allegoria line, which I've heard described as a sort of a Guerlain-for-beginners, and after being a little underwhelmed by the greater Guerlains, how could it be that great? Okay, it's not absolutely amazing, but it is pretty darn good. It's not my favorite fragrance by far, but it is exactly what I was looking for. It's wet, light and bright, and fresh and green without being your stereotypical fresh or aquatic fragrance. It starts off with a blast of citrus, which doesn't stick around too long, and mint, which lasts through the drydown. The mint note listed is peppermint, but it's not a candy-like mint, nor is it a toothpaste- or gum-like spearmint note. It's crisp and fresh without being overly sweet or reminding me of a breath-freshener. After the citrus fades a bit, it veers a little toward the feminine side. It's supposed to be a unisex scent, and it is for the most part, but after a while, it gets a little girly. Maybe it's the lily of the valley or the pear blossom that does it, but, as a man, it doesn't last long enough to make me feel uncomfortable wearing it. Once you get to the drydown, though, it smells like sweet, wet, just-cut grass. You can still pick out the individual notes if you want too, but the overall feel is, just as described, like a walk through a dew-dampened garden. It's really a lovely scent all the way through, but the drydown is what sold me. Good stuff.

No, no, not a "toothpaste", not a "grass", *not* "for men". It is just very well-balanced perfume. This type of women's perfume I like a lot: it IS green-LIKE, but not cheap "grass", it IS a bit floral, but not powdery. Is IS a bit sweet, but not "sugar" or "definitely oriental". The real name of this perfume should be "untraceable scent" - that means green-floral but very unusual. This perfume is not "house of scents" it is "dance of scents".
As for me - it is definitely above the floral "democratic" crowd. Every pretty woman not wanting sex should smell in a style like this one.
Another one - Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Grosellina.
Amazingly - they intended to and can be MIXED within this serie by yourself, producing exotic absolutely unique scents.
Lasts 20+ hours with no changes in scent.

So refreshing on a hot summer day! Reminds me of having iced tea with mint on the porch. I wouldn't wear this out around town (and it's certainly not sexy!), but it's wonderful when I'm just hanging out at home, or doing yoga. Fabulous!

I love this one, I'm going to buy it

smells really like fresh grass, perfect for summer, spring, warm days... is excellent, smells really gorgeous.

Mint and grass. It's simple and linear and that's all you get. Neither does it last long. Still pretty and a nice summer scent, but it is more like a body splash than a perfume.

I can't say that I like it or I've lied,but it's more likely to call it strange or as in some of the other comments it has been mentioned "unique".to me it's just mint and green tea and some herbal stuff that I can't recognize!I can't imagine myself wearing this and going out!I think it becomes overwhelming soon,but you can try it in very rare occasions,like after raining in a summer day for walking a bit.

This scent is my favorite one! It´s such a unique fragrance - very fresh, minty in the beginning, before it becomes flowry, but in a very special way. For me it´s a fragrance for all seasons!

Firstly, let me tell you I am not a fan of fresh perfumes. However this one is brilliant!
It really feels like you are walking in on a freshly cut grass lawn. The green and citrus minty combination of scents reminds me of spring and sunny days!
I do not think I could wear it in the winter - but definitely welcome it on a very hot day.

I was really surprised when I discovered this one from Guerlain. This Aqua's really simple, lively, fresh, natural and special. When you wake up early, your windows open, your room is full of wind from the forest outside. Last night it rained, leave this moring so fresh and pure, so green and lively. And you realize you're having a beautiful day :)

Summer morning in my Grandma's garden.love it!

Smells like toothpaste or peppermint chewing gum