Hermès Oud Esma Essence de Parfum – The Art of Scent Worn Close

The Essence of a Material

Hermès introduces Oud Esma Essence de Parfum in 2025 as a creation devoted to one of perfumery’s most revered ingredients - oud. The composition belongs to the Hermessence collection, a series known for its quiet intensity and purity of form. This new chapter explores the deep, resinous character of oud through a format designed for intimacy: the Essence de Parfum oil. Each drop is a distillation of material and emotion, conceived to be worn directly on the skin, where warmth transforms it into a second layer of identity.

A Dialogue Between Warmth and Stillness

The structure of Oud Esma unfolds with graceful precision. The opening reveals an oud accord that immediately establishes a tone of depth and calm. Its presence is not sharp or aggressive but textured, evoking the quiet power of aged wood. In the heart, resinous woods develop with subtle heat, suggesting the glow of amber under dim light. The base rests on warm balsams, which lend the perfume a velvety, lingering finish that fuses seamlessly with the skin.

Rather than seeking projection, the fragrance moves inward. Its rhythm is slow, its evolution patient. The skin becomes part of the composition, transforming the scent into something personal and almost meditative. Oud Esma is not about opulence; it is about presence. Its balance between darkness and light captures the timeless relationship between nature and craft, where the smallest gesture carries meaning.

The Hermessence Vision

Since its debut, the Hermessence collection has expressed the maison’s most introspective approach to fragrance design. Each creation isolates a raw material and interprets it with precision, allowing its character to emerge unembellished. Oud Esma follows this philosophy faithfully. The perfume oil format invites slowness and reflection, celebrating the tactile moment of applying scent directly to the pulse points. The gesture itself becomes part of the experience - deliberate, calm, and deeply personal.

The composition embodies the Hermès pursuit of refinement through minimalism. Every element, from concentration to bottle design, speaks of balance. The 25ml flacon, crafted with architectural simplicity, holds the perfume oil like a piece of craftsmanship - discreet yet weighty, designed to endure as both object and ritual. It is perfume stripped to its essence: material, movement, and memory.

The Ritual of Application

The Essence de Parfum format transforms the act of wearing fragrance into an art of proximity. A single drop applied to the wrist or neck releases the full concentration of the oil, which blends with the skin’s warmth and evolves in quiet layers. The experience is tactile, almost ceremonial, as the perfume becomes a form of expression that does not seek to fill the air but to remain close, merging with the wearer’s own rhythm.

This intimate approach recalls ancient traditions of perfumery, where oils and resins were worn as direct adornments of the body. Oud Esma revives this idea with modern precision, creating a dialogue between heritage and innovation. The result is a fragrance that endures not by strength but by connection, echoing softly through time.

Olfactory Identity

Concentration: Essence de Parfum (Perfume Oil)
Volume: 25ml
Olfactory Family: Oriental Woody
Top Notes: Oud Accord
Heart Notes: Resinous Woods
Base Notes: Warm Balsams

Availability and Reflection

Oud Esma Essence de Parfum will be available from November 2025 at selected Hermès boutiques worldwide, following an early presentation in Dubai. As part of the Hermessence lineage, it represents a continuation of the maison’s quiet craftsmanship - a dedication to purity, material beauty, and human touch. The fragrance reveals how perfume can exist beyond ornament, as something elemental and alive, shaped by time and skin.

Through Oud Esma, Hermès continues its journey through the language of materials, translating oud not as symbol but as substance - a living essence of wood, resin, and warmth. It is a scent that listens as much as it speaks, dwelling where silence meets memory.