Hermessence Vanille Galante Hermes for women and men

Like many others, I was somewhat unpleasantly surprised by Hermès Hermessence VANILLE GALANTE upon initial application. It smelled like rank or "off" vanilla. I could not pinpoint the problem and consoled myself with the news that this relatively expensive fragrance would definitely not be going on my wishlist.

As the fragrance developed and dried down, however, I came to terms with the fact that this is not really a vanilla perfume. It's more like an orchid perfume embellished with ylang-ylang, as bizarre as that may sound. Others detect rotting banana peels or melons, so I guess that I am lucky, in the end!

Still not on my wishlist, however, even after this radical reconceptualization.

On me, this smells like a combination of banana peels + lilies + smoked wood. Quite odd!

Nice but too light. It is more floral aquatic for my nose than oriental vanilla. I don't think this scent is unique or original. And the lasting power could be better. Forgettable fragrance.

On me this smells just like the jasmine blossoms where I lived in Big Sur. I don't smell any vanilla. My mom however smelled nothing but vanilla. It's very nice, soft and spring/summer appropriate.
Stays close to the skin and lasts a few hours.

This is a very pretty vanilla on me, although I don't get a whole lot else from it. It is soft, light, sweet without being foody, and very wearable although it didn't last more than about an hour. I get just a hint of the powdery flowers and gentle spices, without actually being able to smell them. They just add a certain texture to the vanilla. I really liked it, but not enough to actually get a bottle. However, I liked it better than Guerlain's Spiritueuse Double Vanilla, which to me was just plain vanilla with no character. VG stays very vanilla, but there are scents happening under the surface that keep it interesting.

For me, this one turned out to be ripe bananas that simply would not go away until scrubbed off!

A sensuous vanilla murmuring gently all its depth with an unexpected lightness.Ylang-ylang,nuances of spices,sweet tender wood and sandalwood.

I find the name misleading. You would expect a vanilla fragrance, and Vanille Galante doesn`t seem to be about vanilla. Instead, it`s white flower confection that smell like a cross of jasmine, ylang-ylang and lily, with a bare swetness of the vanilla. I think that, if you are a perfumer that doen`t like the vanille note and want to do a vanilla fragrance, at least you can do like this, constructing a decent abstract flower aroma, and not destroying the vanilla aroma with some strange ambers and wood, as Annick Goutal did with Vanille Exquise. Vanille Galante smell like a variation of a spring frargrance. It`s good, but something on the abstract floral gives me a brown impression that i don`t like. I still prefer the much better Osmanthe Yunnan as a floral fragrance to this one.

One of my treasure scent, i just hope it stay longer, it blend too well with my skin in the end. Discreet is the word.

My first thought upon applying this fragrance to my skin is that it IS boring like some of the reviews here say-yes indeed-green bamboo and melon and another simple fluid sweet vanilla...."Another vanille, another "galante"..."


Second thought: "Hmmm. A gentle pretty floral and what a well-done natural vanilla-all at once!"

I love a little bit of everything--I like a well-done heavy Oriental and a well-done fresh light floral or citrus alike.

This is a beautiful light floral and vanilla (even if just flower) all at once-not foodie even if sweet and melony. I don't feel compelled to save up for a bottle, it's not edgy or surprising in a compositional sense, as an Hermessence, an expensive and rather straightforward fragrance-but I can't imagine this failing on your skin, if these notes work for you-and if you aren't disgusted by the terms "fresh" and "light" you might be just as relaxed and invigorated as I am, you too might find the beauty of Vanille Galante with great ease. You could be bored by Vanilla Galante, but you could also stop, sigh and be soothed by it.

Stop blaming VG for not being interesting only because it is not another loud vanilla perfume. I'd say it is a quite unique and well balanced fragrance, which masterly combines three very different scents (melon, orange lily and vanilla) into one beautiful aroma and yet stays miscellaneous.
Finally, a little gemstone for floral lovers.

I can be a fan of vanilla scents if they aren't too fake smelling or too sweet. I used to have this french vanilla perfume that I just adored but this particular scent does nothing for me. It is forgettable and in my opinion, not even very "vanilla scented". I feel that this perfume would be suited better for someone a bit more mature.

I would forget this one.

Vanille galante smells of vanilla flower, not the vanilla spice we put into the cakes.

The scent is very light floral. It is truly not oriental vanilla. In the top notes I can smell green bamboo, then some watery melon and flower notes come into play. The base is also very very light.

I would suggest this fragrance for people who like fresh and light flowery fragrances. As for me, this scent is boring...

To me Hermessence Vanille Galante came as a surprise-I got it as a gift with an Hermes scarf I bought and almost instantly was taken back to childhood and innocence.
It feels definitely feminine to me-unisex, in my opinion does not apply to it.
Vanilla has a softer presence in it-if I didn't know it was the only ingredient, I would say there are traces of spring wild flowers and some cherry blossom in it.
It is definitely richer than the mono-expectation of vanilla.
The only downside is that it doesn't last long...
Just like childhood.

Sweet overripe melon. Melon and nothing more. Nice sandalwood notes in base, but where almost no odor.

I can't believe it. What dissapointment... Sharp lilly, rough carnation, ephemeral vanilla at the very end of the base, just before fading away ... Nothing I expected of a gallant vanilla.
I feel really sad.

From the first moment when I smell I fall in love !!!
It`s a magical fragance...so rich and tender..but also resist many hours in the skin !!!
Vanille Galante makes me happy !
It´s like a golden drops from heaven!!! I recommended

It´s a fantastical fragance !!!
So gorgeus an glamorous.
It´s was a love in a first time!!!

Although the fragrance notes say its purely vanilla, it doesn't smell like it is. There is some spice and floral (honeysuckle or lily maybe?).

This plays in to the whole niche perfume category, and just as I would recommend that one invest in a floral and amber/musk that they love in order to alter, warm, lighten, brighten up any fragrance they own, I similarly believe one needs a vanilla. This is the one. It's deep. It's thick. it's rich. It's like the finest treated leather. It's like a fur throw.

My mother turned me on to this fragrance and it's beautiful on its own for a young woman through until her golden years (my grandmother is also a huge fan). It's great on it's own, and great to mix. It's strong, it's warm. It's very comforting. I feel at peace and serene when I wrap myself in this.

What Hermes managed to do for the orange, is what it is doing here for vanilla.