Christine Nagel reinterprets Hermès’ iconic Barénia leather with a deeper, more sensual touch in the new Eau de Parfum Intense.

When Hermès first introduced Barénia Eau de Parfum in 2024, it was more than just a fragrance—it was an olfactory embodiment of the house’s iconic leather, translated by in-house perfumer Christine Nagel. Now, one year on, that story continues with Barénia Eau de Parfum Intense, a new chapter that explores the sensual, physical side of leather with even greater depth.

“There’s a tactility to Barénia leather that’s unlike anything else,” says Nagel in an exclusive interview. “When you touch it, there’s a kind of fusion between your skin and the leather. I wanted this fragrance to echo that—something you feel as much as you smell.”

This more concentrated variation isn’t merely about amping up intensity. Instead, Nagel focused on drawing out the tension between strength and softness—a defining Hermès signature. “It’s always a vibration between opposites,” she explains. “That’s the beauty of Hermès. Exceptional materials, some of them difficult to work with, always balanced by refinement.”

One of the ways Nagel achieved this was by enriching the original patchouli essence with a patchouli absolute—an ingredient she describes as “more like a liqueur, thick and textural.” The choice adds a grounded warmth and density that the original composition didn’t carry alone. “The essence is lighter, it rises quickly. But the absolute gives it weight—it anchors the fragrance, gives it presence.”

A duo of butterfly lily and miracle berry offers an unusual yet emotive twist to the composition. The former was sourced from Madagascar and immediately spoke to Nagel on an emotional level: “It felt generous, like a gift,” she says. The miracle berry, on the other hand, came from African folklore she learned years ago. Though its essence proved elusive, even one drop was enough to inspire a key direction in the final structure. “Sometimes, a story is just as potent as a material,” she reflects.

And then, of course, there’s the leather. But unlike traditional interpretations that lean into the smoky, animalic facets, Barénia Intense takes a different path. “I wanted something tender, supple,” says Nagel. “There’s a material I used—not vanilla, but similar in the way it binds everything together. It softens the leather without diminishing its character.”

The fragrance structure is anchored by roasted oakwood, transformed to evoke warm, rum-like tones that form the vertical backbone of the scent. It’s a striking reinterpretation of the chypre—one that feels modern and rooted in heritage at once. “Chypre is a structure that belongs to perfume’s past, but I wanted to bring it into the present,” she adds. “It only comes alive on the skin—that’s where it truly reveals itself.”

For Nagel, creating Barénia Intense wasn’t about turning up the volume, but sculpting a new silhouette from the same DNA. “It’s like photographing the same person from a different angle,” she says. “You see a different side, but it’s still them.” That subtle evolution is key to why this version feels like a true reimagining rather than a mere ‘intense’ label.

Available in a range of sizes, the bottle itself echoes this duality. Designed by Philippe Mouquet, it features a soft amber lacquer that fades into perfect transparency at the base, framed by a signature silver plate and a new rouge H box, nodding to the house’s codes.

“I don’t need my name on a bottle,” Nagel says. “What matters most is that it carries the values of Hermès—craft, elegance, and freedom. That’s what makes it unforgettable.”