H24 Eau De Parfum
Hermès (2022)

If you felt that the original was incomplete due to its lightness, then this one may satisfy your needs. It feels fuller and more complete, with the same DNA as the original but with added sweetness and longer-lasting performance. The main difference is the lack of transparency - the EDT felt like it belonged in the Sur le Nil collection due to its airiness and lightness. With this version, you'll still get the fruity and floral opening, but the mossiness persists throughout the mid.

The projection is good for the first hour and a half, and longevity is around 7-8 hours. If you like the original but need a stronger performer, then go for this one. Of the recent Hermes releases, I would probably choose this one over Eau Givree, but I'm still undecided on whether I like it enough to purchase a full bottle. Overall, I give it a 3.4/5.

H24 Eau de Parfum by Hermès (2022) will certainly not win over anyone completely aghast at the original H24 by Hermès (2021); so if this is you, then feel free to skip the review because you're wasting your time reading it. I said as much on my initial first impression livestream I did over on Instagram about H24 Eau de Parfum; that if you absolutely abhor the original eau de toilette, not to watch the stream because there is nothing here that will change your mind, at all. The only folks H24 Eau de Parfum may pull in are the fence-sitters, who were not totally adverse to H24, but didn't know if they enjoyed the singularity of it, or the performance. For those I say, this may be your bag of chips instead, but you also have to contend with a bit more sweetness than I frankly ever expected from this line. The original H24 was billed as a "high-tech fougère", which is something I contested since there isn't a lick of lavender, any discernible citrus, or "fern" accord to be found, likening it instead to a cyberpunk dystopian Eau Sauvage (1966), which has some merit for the sci-fi buffs. Honestly, I don't think Hermès has done anything quite like this for men, and this is uncharted territory for the brand. Whether that's good or bad is up to you.

Here with H24 Eau de Parfum, house perfumer Christine Nagel has "thickened" the style of the original, which includes additional aromatic heft and a bit of extra sweetness; the latter of these two perhaps being a deal-breaker for the vintage enthusiast who doesn't like much more sweet than maybe a bit of rounding vanilla or benzoin. Now I'm not saying this is an ethyl maltol bomb like Versace Eros (2012), but there is clearly a rounded sweet edge sitting behind the beefed up floral narcissus note and jasmine. The top notes are a whole lot less sharp and ozonic, while the clary sage powered by sclarene is thicker thanks to the sweetening and a heavier oakmoss riff which is boosted by evernyl (since they can't use more actual oakmoss than they already do). A Brazillian rosewood note here also adds a bit of callback to some past fougères like Paco Rabanne pour Homme (1973), providing a drop of soapiness too. The finish has the same signature H24 vibe, just darker, a bit sweeter, thicker, and denser. Performance is all day, and sillage is average, closer than the EdT, but good. Best use would be fall and perhaps winter where the EdT falters. I also feel H24 Eau de Parfum could be used unisex, as opposed to the original H24.

So as it stands, I'm not super thrilled with H24 Eau de Parfum, but at the same time, I don't hate it either. The quality and performance presentation is on par with most Hermès eau de parfums I've tried for men from the house, so there are no disappointments in that regard, I just don't know how on board I am with the sweetness. For me, this feels like a nice full-bodied roast of coffee with just a tad too much sugar in it, so while still clearly drinkable, I'm not sure the bit of sweetness really compliments the rest. I had this same problem with another Christine Nagel composition from more than twenty years back when she did Eau de Cartier (2001) for Parfums Cartier. In a similar turn, she made a lush green scent that had a bit of oddly-placed sweetness to build it out, and just as with H24 Eau de Parfum, I was left scratching my head a bit. In that instance, there was a much fuller-green flanker called Eau de Cartier Concentrée (2002) released the following year which fixed it for me; but with the Hermès, a sharper-greener H24 eau de toilette came before, so I might just stick with that. Still, I can see something like this maybe growing on me in time, so I'm not writing it off and neither should you, unless you absolutely hate the whole line. Thumbs up