It’s a chilly morning at Hermès’s Maison Madison, and Christine Nagel, Hermès Beauty’s perfumer, walks in with her large Birkin bag made with barénia leather. When asked about her newest fragrance, Barénia, and why it’s named after an Hermès leather, she immediately picks up the Birkin and says, “Because this is my bag,” touching the rich leather and showing me the durability and character it has developed over the years. “When I visited Hermès, the first thing I did was go to the leather-production place, and when they presented the barénia to me, I got goosebumps because it was so sensual,” Nagel says. Because she thinks about perfume in the context of texture, the sensuality of the barénia was like the sensuality of a chypre scent. Chypre is a family of perfumes that Nagel says is one of the “most complex” to describe. It’s usually a bold aroma that’s a bit earthy and citrusy. Its unique notes, usually with bases of oak or patchouli, leaves an intense scent trail.
Barénia is Nagel’s first chypre fragrance at Hermès, one she’s wanted to do since she came to the brand a decade ago. She describes it as a second skin. “It’s alchemy,” Nagel says. With notes like butterfly lily and patchouli, it’s a scent that stays on you as the day progresses.
The bottle, created by Philippe Mouquet, is round, hugged by studs at the top of the bottle where the atomizer sits (inspired by Hermès’s Collier de Chien bracelet.) The bottle is an accessory in itself.
Who is someone you met that you remember smelling really good?
One of the first memories I have was when I was a child: a smell that hit me very hard was when I was 10 years old. My brother was a baby, and my mom used a talcum powder called Borotalco. The odor of talcum, which still exists, just filled me with happiness when I smelled it.
What’s the worst place you’ve ever smelled in New York?
There’s truly no bad smell for me. When odors are difficult, perfumers always try to say, “Yes, but maybe this could give it some character.”
In perfume, some notes are sometimes not good but give a signature. Bad odors are very impressive because that place, going out of the wrong subway exit, will always be in my mind.
What’s one thing you always have to do when you come to New York?
Walking around looking at everything that’s in the sky. I fall a lot in New York, that’s how much I walk and look up. It’s too good; I love it.
Where do you get your best culture recommendations?
Traveling and meeting people. I’m very curious. I came to New York one time in the winter and I saw a neighborhood with a lot of graffiti, and there I was in front of everything admiring this creativity. I find that New York is always bubbling. It fascinates me. I’m a little like a sponge when I’m here.
Do you listen to any music while working? What’s the playlist like?
I love listening to music. I sing out of key, but I still sing. In my workshop outside of Paris, I listen to music deeply because I’m by myself. One day, the seamstresses on the floor below me came to see me and said, “Christine, it was you who was listening to Bob Marley?” And it was. I listen to Bob Marley. I’m very eclectic — I can also listen to Rostropovich playing the cello, but Bob Marley, I like him a lot.
Do you have a ritual before starting a new fragrance?
I can only start working on a perfume or make up a formula once I’ve found its name. Certain writers must find the name of the book before beginning it. For me, the name of the perfume is very important.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Axel Dumont advised me to keep being bold. Without boldness, there’s no creativity. He added that you have the right to make a mistake. I prefer that you make a mistake by being bold rather than by following other people. That’s the greatest thing that a creative person can hear: Be bold and have the audacity.
What about the worst advice you’ve ever received?
Anytime people impose things on me, it’s the worst thing for a perfumer. Thankfully, at Hermès, I’m free. To appreciate and really use this freedom is a privilege. I’ve worked for companies with very precise instructions. “Do this like that,” I’d be told. I prefer just to go all out and just let myself be free.
Do you own a favorite piece of art?
Recently, I bought a painting of a graffiti artist, John Juan, that my children like. My children say, “Wow.” My husband says, “what is it?” I also have Dogon African sculptures in my office, which touch me a lot. It can be graffiti or African sculptures; my taste is wide.
Do you have any comfort, rewatch television shows or movies?
I don’t watch TV much, but when I take a plane for a long trip, I can’t sleep. I watch all the films. On the plane coming here, I watched Bob Marley.
Oh, wow, you really love Bob Marley. I heard you also like Rollerblading a lot. When did that become something you enjoy doing?
When I was younger, my first perfume company was in Geneva, Switzerland, next to the lake. I had four-wheel rollers, very important, not inline but four rollers. I liked going roller skating on the quay along the river. My boss didn’t really think that was so great. My Rollerblades were always at the office. If I had a tough day, I still have rollers in my office.
If you were planning a Rollerblading night out and you could invite any five people, dead or alive, who would you invite?
Only friends, because I really want to have fun. It’s just fun to bring people who don’t do it very well. It’s a moment of pleasure even if they don’t know how to Rollerblade.
Your friends and maybe … Bob Marley?
I’m sure he did Rollerblading, yes.
