FRAGRANCE | The white florals and salty air of Un Jardin Sur La Lagune EDT by Hermès

Released in 2019, this is the latest so far in Hermès's Un Jardin line and the first one from Christine Nagel, who took over the reins as resident perfumer from Jean-Claude Ellena in 2016. Un Jardin Sur La Lagune for me is characteristically different from its predecessors yet it still fits right into the collection's garden theme.

After a brief blast of alcohol, I get some white florals and an accompanying saltiness. It's not a roaring type of opening but it isn't necessarily quiet either. The scent is very noticeable in fact. I'm thinking it's in the rather nuanced approach of presenting the flowers and this saltiness, none of which is loud or is trying to outdo the other, that delivers this effect.

The florals begin wilting after 30 minutes to an hour later, at which point the fragrance turns a little sharp on my skin. It's definitely just a skin chemistry thing because it isn't like this on my wife. Good thing it doesn't become too sharp for me. I actually can still enjoy the salty vibe of it, now with a faint earthy and woody undertone.

Un Jardin Sur La Lagune doesn't seem to get much love but I find that it's quite a nice fragrance. It's not a wower in terms of projection but then so are the rest from this line. Is it because it's not as green as Un Jardin Après la Mousson and the rest of its cousins? Perhaps. But it's still very much a fragrance built around a garden theme, only this one eschewed the greenness for magnolia and other white flowers, with the addition of a salty overtone. Maybe this garden is somewhere near the sea, I don't know. Either way, it's worth at least a try.