Hermessence Epice Marine by Hermès is a Aromatic Spicy fragrance for women and men. Hermessence Epice Marine was launched in 2013. The nose behind this fragrance is Jean-Claude Ellena. The fragrance features cumin, hazelnut, sesame, cinnamon, cardamom, bergamot, sea notes, whiskey, vetiver and oakmoss.
Epice Marine is in equal part a tribute to Brittany and to Roellinger’s spices. It’s a bright, juicy citrus wrapped around a piece of driftwood, an interplay between sparkling, fresh notes and smoky, toasty ones. The initial impression is of a salty lime and cardamom salad; you can smell as well as taste the tart bitterness of tough lime peel, the crisp bite of its pearly flesh and then the lemony shot of cardamom. It’s such a delicious, uplifting start that at first I kept spraying perfume on my skin again and again, as if replaying a favorite phrase of music.

Once the citrus mellows down, the spice and wood core of the perfume–the Epice (spice) part of Epice Marine–takes shape. In a series of interactions, the two creators exchanged ideas and one of the discoveries Ellena made was how different toasted cumin smelled from its raw counterpart. Raw cumin smells sweaty and musky, but when warmed over fire, the spice turns sweet, caramelized and loses its animalic punch. The toasted cumin essence is what gives Epice Marine its subtle savory twist, and in combination with soft cedarwood and earthy vetiver, it smells of hazelnuts.

Like other Hermessence perfumes, Epice Marine is delicate enough not to overdo any aspect, and from citrus to woods to marine notes, it’s elegantly blended and harmonious. In the same vein, if you’ve complained about Hermessences not lingering long enough, you won’t find Epice Marine different. While it doesn’t disappear completely from my skin, its presence is soft and muted. Others perceive it on me as “fresh” and “clean.” Think of it as a light cologne to give you an instant boost.