Claude André Hébert: Matador, Bombay, Claude André Hébert

Claude André Hébert is still very much a best-kept secret in the world of niche fragrance companies -- he has one single shop in Montreal and his website is entirely in French, both of which keep him from the prying eyes of the average English speaking consumer.

Formerly employed by Thierry Mugler, Hébert is a contemporary perfumer whose grasp of market trends is uncanny, and whose works reflect an ability to blend tradition with innovation in a way that should make any other creatively exhausted perfumer blush (are you paying attention, Mr. "I just released yet another incense fragrance" Lutens?).

Despite the rush by larger market players to classify all their fragrances as unisex while still blatantly churning out product that's obviously intended for the female consumer ("What? Men love rose & raspberry perfumes -- our in-house marketing research confirms it!"), Mr. Hébert deliberately courts the male consumer by offering just as many male versions as there are female versions of his continental concepts: i.e. for his invocation of Europe, there's Milan for women and Matador for men; for the Oceania region, there's Bali and Dundee, so close but yet so very different; and for a scent memory of Asia, there's Geisha and Bombay.

What I'm testing today are Matador and Bombay (I took his signature scent for a spin yesterday, but I'll get to that later). Matador and Bombay are both unabashedly tangy, masculine fragrances. No flowers, no vanilla, no ozones or bergamot, mostly just woods and leaves and fresh spices. Matador is the brighter of the two, its violet leaf, fig leaf and lemon oil opening projecting a bracing air of clean energy and green dash, while Bombay leans back a bit, the woody tones of vetiver, cardamom and sandalwood playing on a more subdued scale. Bombay winds down to an earthy patchouly, cinnamon and teakwood base, while Matador exits on the sharper notes of red pines and beechwood that complement its citrus infused opening.

Hébert's creations are composed of ingredients indigenous to the continents his titles evoke, which lend both Matador and Bombay a direct, unfussy air, but for his signature scent, Claude André Hébert steers the boat in a much different direction.

Said to be worn by Hébert himself, Claude André Hébert is a deliberate throwback to the more dramatic days of perfumery -- where Matador and Bombay revel in their light simplicity, CAH is the very picture of intricate layering, each note flowing into and out from the other in a wave of scent that travels from a blazing bittersweet high to finish in a rolling wash of honied warmth.

But what's in it? Unfortunately for my less than bi-lingual self, I could only guess. I flipped through a mental rolodex of ingredients: Patchouli? Ambrette seed? Tonka bean?

Two other members of the POL forum mentioned that CAH has an anise/almond smell, and I have to admit that there's an almost mouth-watering licorice gumdrop quality to the way it opens, but wearing Claude André Hébert also reminded me of my experience with Houbigant's Ambergris, and I wonder if Hébert perhaps utilized a drop or two of the real deal ambergris for the scent that bears his own name.

Whatever the formula, it's unusual to find a contemporary, not to mention all-natural, fragrance that's so unapologetically lush while yet bearing the distinction of still being available for sale, so I contacted the Hébert company through their website to ask about purchasing a bottle of the signature scent.

While the website may be strictly in French, they happily employed their English skills via email to finalize the sale. The fragrances come in 50ml and 100ml sizes.

***Note: Claude André Hébert claims to use 100% natural ingredients in his formulae (despite the geographical and olfactory limitations of going all natural ), donates a percentage of his profits to charitable organizations and strives for a lower environmental impact by utilizing refillable bottles.

review was revised on 11/08/08