Hermès and Henry Jacques redefine summer scents with nature-inspired fragrances

From sun-drenched citrus orchards to the heady warmth of hay-scented stables, these new releases capture the strange beauty of summer in a bottle.

Most summer fragrances lean into predictability: citrus top notes, maybe some aquatic freshness, a whisper of musk if we’re lucky. But Hermès takes an epic detour this season with Paddock, a scent that trades sea breeze for saddle leather, hay for heliotrope. Inspired by the unmistakable olfactory world of equestrian life, the fragrance is a love letter to the stable – and all the earthy, ambered, and yes, even manure-laced notes that come with it.

The story behind Paddock is as distinctive as the perfume itself. Christine Nagel, Hermès’ Creative Director for fragrance, was moved by a backstage encounter with a showjumping horse at the Saut Hermès – a moment that transported her into a nostalgic cloud of straw, hoof balm, and polished tack. It wasn’t the horse alone, but the full sensory tapestry of the stables that struck her: the warmth of oiled leather, the dust of dry hay, the slightly sweet acridity of liniment and yes, even the poetically described ‘delightful’ aroma of horse manure.

Some might recoil at the thought, but Paddock is no gimmick. Instead, it leans into complexity and emotion – much like Proust’s madeleine – inviting wearers to recall moments not by sweetness or freshness, but by the grounding power of nature in all its raw honesty. The result is a surprisingly wearable fragrance: botanical, resinous, softly animalic. It has the kind of depth that lingers on skin like memories do—subtle, evolving, and slightly addictive.

It’s also beautifully packaged in the maison’s lantern-shaped flacon, this year adorned with a limited-edition motif by Chinese artist Tong Ren. But Paddock is far from decorative. It’s a visceral olfactory experience – best suited for those who like their perfumes to tell stories rather than merely smell nice.

Henry Jacques' new Il Y Avait un Jardin… collection offers rural poetry, only through the lens of a sunlit orchard in full bloom. The title translates to “There was a garden…”, and the perfumes in this new cologne-inspired line – simply named I and II – are a study in the beauty of essentiality.

These are not your typical colognes, despite the generous 250ml green laboratory glass flacons and splash-friendly approach. Instead, they’re elegant and expertly layered, celebrating citrus in its most romantic form: warm, spontaneous, and slightly nostalgic. Where some colognes fade into a whisper within an hour, I and II linger with complexity, rooted in nature and polished by savoir-faire.

The first, I, opens with a cheerful medley of Calabrian bergamot, lemon and bitter orange, uplifted by herbal rosemary and softened by orange blossom and lavender. Beneath it all lies a warm base of sandalwood and benzoin, giving it a rich trail without losing its sun-dappled charm. It’s the fragrance equivalent of sitting in a Mediterranean grove at golden hour, just before the fruit is picked.

II, by contrast, is punchier – zesty lemon and mandarin burst forth before mellowing into something unexpectedly spicy with nutmeg and rosewood. Vetiver and tonka bean lend it an earthy drydown, grounding all that brightness with a wink of seriousness. Both perfumes were inspired by a longstanding family formula, a nod to the maison’s heritage in haute parfumerie.

While the collection gestures toward simplicity, it’s anything but basic. Instead, Il Y Avait un Jardin… is a thoughtful reimagining of everyday pleasure – wearable enough to splash on after a shower, elegant enough to wear into the night.

Whether you're drawn to the bracing honesty of the stables or the soft romance of a citrus grove, both Paddock and Il Y Avait un Jardin… offer a new kind of summer fragrance. Less about florals and ozone, more about memory, place, and connection – they invite us to experience scent not just on the skin, but in the soul.