From her beginnings as a fragrance critic and writer specializing in classic perfumes, Barbara Herman has left a distinct mark on the world of perfumery—not only through her insightful writings and in-depth analyses but also by transitioning into fragrance creation herself. With her unique approach and passion for the past, she has revived the spirit of vintage perfumery through her brand, Eris Parfums, which blends modern boldness with the allure of classic notes.
In this interview, we embark on a journey through time with Barbara, exploring her vision of perfumery, her connection to olfactory history, and the challenges of transforming passion into tangible artistry. How does she perceive the future of fragrance? What inspires her with each new creation? Join us for an in-depth conversation with one of the most influential figures in the fragrance world today.
How does Barbara Herman describe herself, and what is the ambition you seek to achieve with the Eris Parfums brand?
I would describe myself as curious, experimental, and drawn to unconventionally beautiful things and ideas that challenge the status quo. I think that’s reflected in the name of the brand: Eris, the Greek goddess of discord. She’s not playing by the rules, following orders (or others), she does her own thing!
This is also ERIS’s brand ethos: “Celebrating unconventional beauty and subversive glamour”. I want ERIS fragrances to be unusual and beautiful, both in the ingredients and stories. And I want the fragrances to be unforgettable and addictive.
Why did you specifically choose Mr. Antoine Lie to create the brand’s perfumes? What distinguishes his style from other perfumers?
I met Antoine when I was writing my book, Scent and Subversion: Decoding a Century of Provocative Perfume (Lyons Press: 2013). Although the book was about vintage perfume, I had a section at the end devoted to “Scent Visionaries”. I interviewed him about how he translated the perfume brief for Secretions Magnifiques into perfume notes. I loved his wild, subversive, experimental, forward-thinking style. He’s classically trained in perfumery, so he understands classic perfume tropes, but he loves to push boundaries, to do new things. It seemed like a perfect fit for ERIS.
Which past perfumes inspired you in creating Eris Parfums, and who are your favorite perfumers that have influenced you in the world of fragrance?
I loved the boldness of the best of vintage perfume: complex perfumes that affect you aesthetically and emotionally; perfumes that fire the imagination and the heart. There are too many to choose from, but I especially fell in love with the perfumery of Germaine Cellier, with fragrances like Bandit, Fracas, and Vent Vert. She was daring in her overdoses, creating bold and beautiful perfumes.
I also love animalics and leathers, like Aramis, Chanel Cuir de Russie, Lanvin Rumeur. Bernard Chant, who composed Aramis, also composed Aliage and Azuree. I love the warmth, elegance, and sensuousness of these perfumes! He’s a favorite.
Animalic perfumes got me into vintage perfume in the first place. I love the intimacy, warmth, and slightly disquieting feeling of animalics. (Mxxx. has authentic Ambergris and Hyraceum, but those are the only real animalics ERIS uses. The animals aren’t harmed in procuring these ingredients).
Vintage perfumes also demonstrated that fresh fragrances don’t have to be simplistic or forgettable but could be symphonic, like Dior’s Diorella, Eau Sauvage. And I love green perfumes – Chanel No.19, Silences, and the aforementioned Vent Vert.
What sets Eris Parfums apart from other niche perfumes, and who is the target audience for these fragrances?
ERIS has a unique and small team: a master perfumer, Antoine Lie, and a creative director who wrote a book about 20th century perfume and has smelled all the greats of the 20th century.So the team is two people who have a lot of perfume knowledge, and one of them dreams up the ideas and writes the marketing copy. This seems unique to me! We have similar subversive tastes and outlooks, and our personalities are sympatico.
Because ERIS has only one perfumer, no matter what direction we go in, from extreme greens to spicy leathers, there’s a coherence to the perfume line that might not be there if I worked with different perfumers for each fragrance.
And because Antoine became an independent perfumer in 2019, he works with small specialty labs, and has access to luxe ingredients not available to big perfume houses — ingredients like the authentic Ambergris and Trinidad Cacao from Rémi Pulvérail’s lab in Annecy, L’Atelier Français des Matières, which provides the ingredients and creates the perfumes for two of ERIS’s extraits: Mxxx. and Scorpio Rising.
ERIS is a genuinely niche brand: it’s creativity-driven, has a master perfumer composing the fragrances, it uses luxe ingredients (and will even tell you the percentage of what’s in the bottle!), it’s not trying to cater to a mass market, it doesn’t chase trends, and its story-telling informs the ingredients.
What are your favorite fragrance ingredients?
I love galbanum, costus (the real stuff, which unfortunately cannot be used anymore), animalic notes (civet, castoreum), ambergris, clove, sandalwood, leather accords…Very hard to choose!
Which perfume from Eris Parfums best represents your personality?
What a great and difficult question! I would say two represent the two extreme sides of my personality: Green Spell for my optimism and desire to keep growing and moving onward and upward, like a plant in the sun! And Scorpio Rising, for the shadowy, dark, and mysterious side of me that likes to dream and loves witches, ghosts, and horror movies.
Do Eris Parfums fragrances reflect a part of your personality, or are they simply different creative ideas?
Because I’m so directly involved in the naming, storytelling, and choice of the main ingredients of each perfume, I would say each perfume reflects something of my imagination and as a result, my personality. I’m drawn to drama, mystery, art, literature, movies, and the occult, so I think that’s reflected in the brand. The ERIS name itself comes from the Greek goddess of discord, the trouble-making goddess who throws her Golden Apple of Discord and creates disruption.
With the abundance of niche fragrance houses and thousands of perfumes released every day, how do you continue to create unique and distinctive fragrances? What is your ideal approach to achieving this?
I don’t really pay attention that much to what is being released — that would be a full-time job! And anyway, although I’m inspired by past and present perfumes and ingredients,culture and even politics, perfumes almost always develop the same way.It’s not a deliberate approach, it’s just how it happens each time: A new perfume idea usually starts with a name or an ingredient. From there, a very personal constellation of associations begin to connect in my imagination: the perfume name, ingredients, story, images from fashion and movies, colors, textures, memories of other perfumes, and then I write a perfume brief and share these with Antoine, along with a mood board of images.
Do you follow industry trends in perfumery, or do you focus on creating bold and innovative fragrances, even if they are not universally appealing?
I pay attention to what’s going on around me, but I definitely don’t follow trends. I like the idea of giving consumers what they don’t know they want yet! And few things can be universally appealing. I think that’s a bad place to start. I start with: What interests me right now, and how do I make that interesting to someone else? An ERIS fan said once, and I’ve adopted it as the brand motto: “It’s not for everyone, but you’ll know if it’s for you”.
What does Barbara Herman see as the future of the perfume industry?
I can’t tell you what the future is, but I can tell you what I want it to be: less about consumerism and big money, more about art and beauty. There are too many brands and new releases flooding the market, and I suspect, many without a real raison d’etre or point of view. I hope the hype around niche perfume dies down (especially since a lot of the hype isn’t even about what makes true niche perfumery special), and that people give themselves more time to dream with perfume. You don’t have to try everything. Just spend more time with what you have.
In our conversation with Barbara Herman, we felt her deep passion for classic perfumes and her bold vision for the future of perfumery. From fragrance criticism to actual creation, she has proven that perfume is not just a product but a sensory experience that tells stories of the past while opening new horizons for the future.
Through Eris Parfums, Barbara has redefined bold fragrances that transcend time, blending rich olfactory heritage with contemporary innovation. Her journey inspires both perfume lovers and creators alike, proving that true creativity lies in rediscovering beauty with a fresh perspective.
We sincerely thank Barbara for this insightful discussion and look forward to seeing more of her creations, which continue to revive the past and shape the future with a distinctive vision and an unrelenting passion.