Year: 2012
Notes: coriander leaf, coriander seed, black pepper, elemi, agarwood, cedar, oak, vetiver, benzoin, amber, serenolide
Composed by Yann Vasnier, L'Homme Infini is a woody-oriental that wears its influence on its sleeve.
Overall, it's a lighter and less screechy version of Hermès' Terre d'Hermès. Gone is the flint or mineral aspect of Terre d'Hermès. Instead, L'Homme Infini is a shade greener and possesses an ambery-musk foundation, which provides a smoother and slightly sweeter drydown (largely courtesy of the serenolide – a synthetic white musk with "sweet-fruity connotations").
Both the elemi and pepper play crucial supporting roles but, this time, the emphasis is placed on the cedar (as opposed to the vetiver). As for any agarwood, one is unable to discern any, but there's a comforting woodiness that one would attribute to the oak. Possessing a subtle nuttiness found in Vétiver Tonka (another Jean-Claude Elléna creation for Hermès), L'Homme Infini is well-executed but shamelessly unoriginal.
With very good staying power and moderate sillage, for a long-standing French niche house, the last thing one expected was a Jean-Claude Elléna clone.
Overall, it's a lighter and less screechy version of Hermès' Terre d'Hermès. Gone is the flint or mineral aspect of Terre d'Hermès. Instead, L'Homme Infini is a shade greener and possesses an ambery-musk foundation, which provides a smoother and slightly sweeter drydown (largely courtesy of the serenolide – a synthetic white musk with "sweet-fruity connotations").
Both the elemi and pepper play crucial supporting roles but, this time, the emphasis is placed on the cedar (as opposed to the vetiver). As for any agarwood, one is unable to discern any, but there's a comforting woodiness that one would attribute to the oak. Possessing a subtle nuttiness found in Vétiver Tonka (another Jean-Claude Elléna creation for Hermès), L'Homme Infini is well-executed but shamelessly unoriginal.
With very good staying power and moderate sillage, for a long-standing French niche house, the last thing one expected was a Jean-Claude Elléna clone.
