Terre d’Hermes Eau Tres Fraiche by Hermes

Eau Tres Fraiche is a Terre d’Hermes flanker that was released in 2014. This was one of the variants of the original cologne, that I wanted to test out, as it sounded like something that I might like. I recently bought a sample of Eau Tres Fraiche for review. How does it smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Terre D’Hermes Eau Tres Fraiche Smell Like?

Notes include: orange, citrus, water notes, geranium, cedar, patchouli, woods

My Full Review

Hermes’ tag-line: From the Earth springs a new freshness

Tres Fraiche kicks things off with an initial blast of the orange note and sharp citruses. The orange actually smells less like the fruit itself and more of a rind, to my nose.

The other citrus notes are more of a generic sort of aroma. But, they do really pack a punch. Light and clean, just sharp.

Underneath it, has a greenish/woodsy aroma. Fresh quite mint-like geranium. All of this combined into a watery base. There’s a definite spiciness here, especially in the early stages.

The citrus will thankfully begin to receded somewhat as it moves into the middle act. Once it does, the cedar and patchouli emerge and the earthy aspects to the fragrance are more apparent.

However, to me the citrus still hasn’t burned off enough at this point. Yes, it does have that extremely fresh cooling sensation when all put together, but it’s pretty irritating and has a distinct earthy/dirty accord, at this stage.

Once more of the citrus burns off, this is a better scent. I wouldn’t have thought that would be the case before testing it out, but, the woods taking control really improves Tres Fraiche’s likeability.

The dry woodiness aspect has a heavier weighting, while the earthiness isn’t as pronounced. It’s like a cedar clean soaking in orange water. Nice and refreshing for summer.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This one actually does start off projecting very well. It’s not a heavy scent obviously, but it’s got some reach at 6+ feet from where you spray.

That does wear off pretty quickly, though. For the rest of the wear past maybe 30 minutes, it’ll be within three feet, if not much closer. Not terrible, just not consistently strong.

On my skin, it lasts maybe 6-6.5 hours maximum. Even with that, the last few hours a pretty much skin scent territory. It’s slightly above average in its longevity, not much beyond that.

For a summer fragrance of this sort, it’s good enough.

Seasonally, spring and summertime. It’s something to wear during the daytime in the heat, when you want a refreshing feeling. It does give you that, at least. It can work casually or just as a daily wear during the hottest parts of the year.

Overall Impressions of Eau Tres Fraiche

Overall, do I like this scent? Not really. That opening and the next early phase just kills my interest in wearing it.

I’m already not much of a fan of this Terre d’Hermes series (I know, I’m in the minority), but this is one of my least favorite of the line. Based on the notes, I thought that I was really going to enjoy this, but that’s not how it worked out at all.

The dry down is better and much more of a pleasant warm weather wear, but it takes too long to get there, and the journey isn’t worth it for me.

Sharp sort of sour and watery citrus, intense freshness, and a very earthy base…it’s too much.

Fans of this series, will probably enjoy this. So, if that’s you, it’s probably worth a try. Or, if you’re someone who likes a little dirtiness to their scents, here’s a summer option for you.

Eau Tres Fraiche has been discontinued since it was released back in 2014. Those who are interested will have to find it online from a third party discount seller.

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.