Hermès launched Eau des Merveilles in 2004. The fragrance was created by perfumers Ralf Schwieger and Nathalie Feisthauer, and has notes of elemi, bitter orange, Italian lemon, Indonesian pepper, pink pepper, ambergris accord, oak, cedar, vetiver, balsam of Peru and tears of Siam. Eau des Merveilles, or Water of Wonders, was said to have been inspired by ambergris:
“For me, ambergris is a magical material,” said Givaudan’s perfumer Ralf Schwieger…He explained that it reminds him of the biblical tale of Jonah and the whale, where the prophet was swallowed alive.
“Ambergris has so many facets — ambery, woody, dark, a salty-sweet concoction with [notes of] ink and tobacco. My idea was to re-create it in my way,” he said. (Women’s Wear Daily, 12/12/2003)
Fittingly, the finished product has a definite undertone of salty seawater…
