The way creative director of Hermès Beauty, Gregoris Pyrpylis, sees it, “Rouge Brillant Silky is a companion, a partner for every occasion. It offers the intimacy of an intuitive, free and comforting gesture,” emphasising an effortless, mirror-free application you can dial up or down from “morning to night.”
The formula, 85% of natural origin, combines plant oils and butters with skincare-minded actives, such as raspberry leaf to moisturise and plump, sesame seed to smooth; Abyssinian oil to nourish and protect, and white mulberry, which is known to be a potent antioxidant that protects the skin from free radical damages. With these added ingredients, the glossy tint feels like care as much as colour.
Inspired by Hermès silk, the texture is described as lightweight and melting. Think: chiffon’s transparency and twill’s velvety touch, leaving a comfortable, luminous film that hugs the lips.
Shade stories are characterful without being loud. House icons — Rouge Casaque, Rouge H, Rouge Amazone, Rose Boisé and Rose Épicé — appear in this glossy finish alongside nuanced neutrals (Beige Tan, Beige Midi), warm browns (Brun d’Ambre, Brun Sellier) and spirited pink-corals (Corail Jaipur, Rose Hacienda).
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Meanwhile, perfumer Christine Nagel’s fragrant signature for Rouge Hermès that incorporates notes of arnica, sandalwood and candied angelica flower gently scents the collection, adding a touch of sensorial continuity from first twist to final swipe.
Designed by Pierre Hardy, the object itself is slender, refillable and materially rich. The case is lacquered, brushed and polished metal in black, white and permabrass, topped with an engraved ex-libris cap. It arrives in a Rouge H canvas pouch and the familiar orange box, underscoring Hermès’ ritual of beautiful utility.
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In Singapore, Rouge Brillant Silky is priced at $118 (refill $77) and is available at Hermès boutiques and Hermès Parfum & Beauté counters including Liat Towers, Marina Bay Sands, Takashimaya, ION Orchard and TANGS, as well as online at hermes.com.
On the fragrance front, Hermès reveals Barénia Eau de Parfum Intense one year after debuting the original Barénia EDP. Here, Nagel “reworks her creation” by enriching the patchouli at its core, adding an absolute atop the earlier essence, while deepening the leather facet into something almost tactile, “like a fusion between the texture and your skin”.
Leathery notes converse with butterfly lily and miracle berry, while oakwood that is roasted to amplify warm, rum-like tones acts as a supple, vertical reed through the composition. The result is a more powerful chypre that reads confident and mysterious, revealing “the bewitching, sensual presence of leather”.
Design continues the Barénia narrative, as Hermès designer Philippe Mouquet’s bottle keeps its metal plate (a nod to the Collier de chien bracelet) and classic cap, but arrives shaded in a light amber lacquer that clears to transparency at the base. For the Intense edition, the box shifts to Hermès’ emblematic Rouge H, hot-stamped in silver, representing an elegant cue to the fragrance’s heightened warmth and depth.
Barénia Eau de Parfum Intense is available in 100 ml ($330), 60 ml ($245) and 30 ml ($140), with a 125 ml ($312) refill and 15 ml ($69) travel size completing the wardrobe. Find them at Hermès Liat Towers, Marina Bay Sands, Takashimaya, and Hermès Parfum & Beauté counters at ION Orchard and TANGS.
