Hermessence Vetiver Tonka Hermes for women and men

My heart skips a beat every time I catch a whiff of this! It's that sweet, slightly salty tonka that does it. I get exactly the same feeling from Byredo's Bal D'Afrique, but Vetiver Tonka is smokier, heavier, stronger... I feel aroused and seduced! The unisex ambiguity is provoking and challenging, but in a gooooooood way.

One spritz on my wrist lasted ALL DAY which I think is amazing considering that this is an EDT. Lasts longer and has much better projection than many EDPs I've known. In fact, if I wear more than a couple of spritzes it can bring on a headache, which tends to happen to me with heavy vanilla- or tonka-based fragrances.

Sublime, I love it. I'd wear it all the time if my man were a little more enthusiastic about it!

Sweet vetiver is not that common in my experience of perfumes, but Hermès offers precisely that in Hermessence VETIVER TONKA. Intially, I was unsure what I thought about this combination of tonka, nuts, and vetiver, which seems more oriental than chypre (though not quite gourmand). I do think that the habit of smelling savory or woody or green or salty vetiver, is just that: a habit.

Still, I suspect that I am not alone in tending to associate the smell of vetiver with aromatic men's colognes such as Lalique ENCRE NOIR. As a matter of fact, I kept thinking of the Lalique while wearing this composition, though their only overlap is the strong vetiver note.

I could definitely see developing a taste for this composition, but it would take a few more wears. At this point, I feel a bit as though someone sprinkled salt on top of a piece of hazelnut cake!

Read the down belows, have been smelling Vetiver Tonka for the last 3 hours--I don't think it is going anywhere soon--parts of it are and have gone perhaps. I love a good vetiver. I love vetiver straight up, I love vetiver shaken not stirred, I love vetiver with salt, I love vetiver with flowers, I love vetiver with smoke. I can't say I love Vetiver Tonka, as Ambrosia8 hit the nail on the head with "smells like vetiver flavoured crème brulée to me" --I'll add with a twist, and a zest of a clementine orange(it does sound wonderful), until the drydown, now it is a vetiver I love. Vetiver Tonka: orange crush soda pop cotten candy with lurking vetiver saltwater taffy waiting for the circus to leave, when it did there was peace, woods, and the quiet forsest floor. Fine I love Vetiver Tonka too.

This is a perfection in a bottle. It is just amazing, but the lasting power is not worth the price. On me it lasts a bit under an hour.

Absolutely fantastic scent! I won't re-tread the other reviews that address the notes nicely. I just simply wish that it had some longevity and any sillage at all! It's a stupendous concoction worthy of Jean Claude Ellena's legacy, but it just doesn't last or carry much - at least on my bod. For those of you concerned about a strong tobacco note - don't be - it's quite subtle IMO. GORGEOUS juice, Hermes. Kudos! Please figure out how to make it l a s t :-)

Vetiver Tonka is an amazing fragrance, that I can say for sure!

It opens up with a sensational vetiver note. Pure, earthy and resembling Encre Noire from Lalique (in a matter of fact this entirely fragrance seems to be a corpulent version of this designer fragrance).

After a couple of minutes, the tobacco note kicks in together with vetiver giving to this particular fragrance a slight smoky aspect.

Unfortunately the chocolate aspect of it it's not so evident on my skin, but this doesn't take away points from this wonderful fragrance.

WOW! Very nice. The tonka bean, and nuts really soften this, and make it far less green than your average vetiver. Very creamy,and musky but still earthy and lush. This would be fantastic on a man. Lasts forever and has great sillage.

nice fragrance. interesting and well blended. for this concept, though, serge lutens vetiver oriental is a real gem.

Impressive. subtle, deep and sophisticated. Vetiver and nutmeg with a hint of tobacco creates a wonderful composition of the smell. Charming. It makes me smile.

Vetiver. Tonka. Together forever.

At first the tonka is stronger than the vetiver (with an anise note), and then the vetiver takes over during the drydown. The vetiver in this one is really nice, and has a smooth "nutty" aroma.

Good, quality, long-lasting stuff that actually kind of reminds me of Yohji Homme (of course not as smooth as Yohji). Would I buy a full bottle of this one? I dunno yet, but I definitely enjoy it.

This is absolute heaven in a bottle! I dont want to use it because I'm scared I will never get my hands on another bottle!The price is high,but its worth it! Anyone loving tobacco scents has to try this! :)

my all time favorite frag i guess, its not a frag actually, its more something between aroma therapy and medicine for the soul, its a masterpiece.

I like this but it feels like a Prada. 1/3 Prada Prada and 2/3 Infusion d'Iris.Very nice though for anyone .The price is a bit steep -I'll be on the lookout for a good deal.

I love this stuff! A creamy, classy vetiver perfect for most occasions and seasons. I`m Impressed of the Hermessence line!

Nice release from Hermes. In the opening I get exactly what the name of this fragrance says: Vetiver and Tonka Beans. In the drydown things get a little more complex with hints of chocolate (praline) and green notes. Even if they're not similar in the structure it reminded me of a mash-up version between a lighter Comme Des Garcons 2 Man without incense and a sweeter French Lover. A well executed light and minimal gourmandic vetiver. Maybe a bit overpriced.

Rating: 7-7.5/10

All Hermessence scents are like journey - you never know how it will be a hour later. The true pleasure, they are like opera between usual perfumes.

I really like this, mostly the top notes, smells like vetiver flavoured crème brulée to me, if such a thing existed! Still, i find it quite hard to wear, the bitter aspect comes off a little more than i'd like it to on me. nonetheless, a great perfume that i love to wear, just not for everyday use.

Heavenly. Mostly vetiver for the first few minutes, but this quickly morphs into a soft, fresh, gourmand vetiver blend. None of the harshness of more traditionally masculine vetivers (though I love those, too), and not as overtly vetiver-gourmand as,say, Tom of Finland.

This is may favorite type of gourmand: not too sweet, not too foody, delicately blended. Delicious. I'm again under the spell of the Hermessence line, and words fail me.

The strength of vetiver and smooth,mouth-watering hazelnut.Supple,sensual.

Vetiver Tonka seems to be like those vetivers which focus on the green and earthy aspects of the vetiver note, and tries to soften the smoky one. But here, we have something smoky, but it`s due to a gourmand nutty aroma. Vetiver Tonka opens with a similar effect of Aomassai, of a caramelic tonka accord. The dried fruit seems to play a background act on this part of the fragrance, that soon develops to the skin scent aroma of green vetiver. It`s not too strong, but seems to last a little bit more than the average hermés. It`s a thumbs up for the pleasant aroma, one of the best of this line, that only looses to ambre narguile, my favorite one.

Smelled wonderful in the sample vial, but oh dear! maybe my body chemistry but after the initial interesting coffee/nut/vetiver for 5 minutes, the bitterness came through and turned into a pungent, sweaty mess and I had to wash it off. I think it should be a masculine only.

This is in fact a very approachable vetiver, very easy to like for those who haven't experienced the more astringent and sleek versions or are put off by vetiver's aloofness if you know what I mean. The tonka beans, tobacco and coffee make it almost gourmandy, but not overtly so. A bit too warm and sweet on a man in my opinion, perfect on a woman, cosy, laidback and delicious.

WOW. This scent is stunning. It starts off as a very lush vetiver, which you'd expect to be paired with other woody green notes. . . but instead, this scent takes a totally unexpected turn into a sweet coffee note that lasts as a gentle, warm scent on the skin. It reminds me of a first date on a wintry afternoon - turtleneck sweaters and sipping hot latte's in a room with deep green walls. Very charming.

This one is at the top of my list. My mother gave me a sample and I fell in love immediately. Quite a few Hermes scents populate my collection, but Vetiver Tonka is always the leader. It's beautifully cool, a departure from the bulk of what I own (florals and sweeter fragrances).

Warm and calm, woodsy vetyver enriched with nougat-caramel-resin aromas, so delicate and perfect for my senses and sensibility. This composition is keeping balance of taste woody notes and bitter but gentle light chords. So simple, so natural but so good. I`m in love in this perfume:)

I oddly get almost no tonka at all. What I get is smooth, cool, woody vetiver start to finish. It's lovely and it's a touch masculine for what I normally wear, but I could wish for more tonka. How about ANY tonka. Sigh.

I remeber the first time i opened the sample vial,i found it nice, elegant but not extremely new.But now i wish i had the ability to spend the kind of money they ask because this is love.With a nicely judged sandalwood, the vanillic vetiver is bittersweet intelligent and melancholic like a Pina Bausch dance sequence with a surreal feeling.This is also a scent that gives me lot of good comments