Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca Guerlain for women and men

Spot on mojito with fresh mint in the opening, later turning into a sweetened green tea and mint ice tea. This is a real treat for hot days. Icy, soothing, refreshing. Considering the climate I live in, I miiiiiiight be able to use up the 1ml sample at the end of this summer and am going to order another small decant if I ever start missing it. Sadly it's not versatile and lasts very little.

Blind bought it because you or someone like you is one of my most beloved perfumes and herba fresca is listed as very similar. I wasn’t disappointed but at the same time I wasn’t mesmerised either. I absolutely love mint, and this definitely has a dewy, incredibly uplifting and fresh mint note which I really enjoyed. The issue for me was that it turned soapy on me in the dry down. Not screechy soapy, but a bit vintage in a way. This is odd because none of the notes tend to lean soapy. Could it possibly be the lemon or the green tea? No idea. Overall it’s a pleasant and wearable scent, and for an edT it performs quite well. It’s just that it didn’t live up to the hype I created in my head.

Don’t blind buy this thinking it will be very similar to you or someone like you. They definitely share similar DNA and that mint note, but while you has a slight sweetness to it herba fresca leans more soapy.

nane limon gibi kokuyo

This is lovely and fresh, bright and a perfect transient pick me up. Fresh mint, lemon. Like an icy stream on a hot day, very alluring.
Nothing sweet, completely unisex. I use a dedicated travel spray to decant into for top ups on the go.

It’s not designed to hang around and I accept that being this light means longevity is not going to happen. Obvs would love to be proved wrong with forte though

I have You or Someone like you by ELDO and it’s similar though inevitably its strength adds a slight rounded robustness that’s simply not present here.
It is a very safe, classy introduction to fresh cold brightness, especially if you have a nose for rich woods, Ouds and syrupy Rose.

This smells like jumping into a cold lake in the middle of a meadow. It’s crisp and icy; citrusy and green. The mint and lemon are definitely the stars of the show and they are done remarkably realistically. It doesn’t smell like a mojito like a lot of other mint fragrances do. It really stays unwaveringly cold the whole way through the life of the perfume. To me this is the perfect scent to wear on a steamy summer day because it immediately makes you feel fresh again.

I have a small sample of Herba Fresca received as a freebie with a recent purchase and while I like the idea of a fresh, green scent slightly sweet with notes of green tea, lemon and mint for a hot and humid summer day that’s all I see this worthy buying for. It’s not for the wear in the almost always cold North!

To be fair, it has also some generic, undescriptive floral notes added that show later in the wear. I think that this is where a touch of sweetness comes from. It smells very natural, fresh and uplifting, puts a smile on my face as soon as I get a whiff of it.

Herba Fresca smells very natural and if I am not mistaken this line of fragrances highlights mostly natural ingredients but the downside is that it wears very, very light with no projection for about 2-3 hours and that on clothes. On skin it disappears after 1 hour. It’s like a whisper of a scent.

I consider this scent overpriced not because it is very expensive in the first place but for the poor performance!

In my mind this worth considering buying if you live in the south or Mediterranean areas or some other hot and tropical regions on the globe because it is great for that kind of climate where fragrance can be too much in the high heat!

I like the bottle, it looks very elegant and classy! Box for the Aqua Allegoria’s is slim, thin cardboard, nothing special!

Guerlain, could we please get an intense version of Herba Fresca?? This is soo good but it needs more oomph.

Beautiful mojito scent with a hint of how the florist smells. Smells exactly like You or Someone Like You, but has a worse performance. For me, this lasted around 30 minutes, and I just couldn't smell it at all. I also feel like this is a little bit more "mojito", whereas YOSLY is more of a "spearmint" type of smell.

7/10

This perfume is one of the reasons why you should always be open minded about things you normally don’t gravitate towards. I received a 7.5ml miniature bottle at the Guerlain counter in Selfridges London when I purchased Shalimar over 10 years ago. At that time, I was at the height of my aromatherapy craze phase and my nose was more appreciative of true scents.

I was pleasantly surprised by how fresh and sparkly Herba Fresca was and I remembered wearing it everytime I wanted something light and perky. Smelling it always made me feel good and happy. It’s so funny that I get allergic reactions to freshly cut grass yet it is in this perfume.

Just yesterday, I was going through my old bag that contains various aromatherapy oils and I discovered I still had a bit of this perfume left. I dabbed some of it on my wrist and went to bed. It’s still lovely and fresh after all these years.

It doesn’t come off as medicated or menthol heavy on my skin. I get mostly the citrus and green tea notes blended with the flowers. So I am looking to buy the large bottle because it works well on me and it will definitely have a unique spot in my vast perfume collection because there is nothing else like it. The only sparkly perfume I have is Eternity Moments by Calvin Klein and they don’t have the same vibe.

I have to remember to resist the urge to wash off what I’ve just sprayed on myself, to wait the shockwave out and see what comes next. Here, the first rasp was lemons crushed with mint. While I love spearmint’s lemony-minty, delicately sunny quality (peppermint is more grounded, serious, darker, yin, woodier, metallic, indeed peppery), I wasn’t ready for a spearmint on steroids, that is for a lemonade that suddenly left the unprepared fire hydrant. But, thankfully, in about half an hour the scent calmed down and some delicate pastel pink flowers emerged, not sweet but conveying sweet character and easy going attitude. Lily of the valley bloom in early spring sun, in dappled shade, cyclamens can bloom any time of year and are not affraid of cold, so obviously together with sunny spearmint and herbal clovers (plants that in spring grow thick, lush carpets, ready to feed hungry bumblebees emerging from their winter sleep), and with sweet and slightly tangy lemon - they are all here to serve the purpose, to refresh, bring back good mood, inspire giggles. What was now left of mint, was a softly prickly needles playfully sewing together modestly sugar-sprinkled lemon slices with the spring flowers to create a silly little frilly cocktail. It will be my summer outdoor activities tonic, and after the summer ends, who knows. I won’t say no to a zest.

Herba Fresca opens with an intense blast of nasal passage clearing, icy, minty, freshness. It's coldness distilled in a bottle and will cut through the muggiest of days. It's jumping into a pool from the hot tub and stepping outside from a warm house into the frigid cold.

Spearmint is very prominent, lasting right through the dry-down. I think peppermint would have worked better with the composition; it's brighter, more herbaceous, and less flat despite the mentholated potency of Herba Fresca. Every now and then, I'll get really pretty whiffs of sweet, faint florals coming through, but soon after, a strange Palmolive dish soap smell takes over. It does soften in the dry-down, but this soapiness was unexpected. Herba Fresca is a really beautiful fragrance overall with the pretty florals. It's amazing how cold it smells, and the potency is incredible. It really radiates in the heat!

The smell of English summer distilled in a bottle.

Opens with a blast of deliciously fresh garden mint leaves, a freshly cut lawn full of clover and daisies, and an iced tea with a slice of lemon. It's green without bitterness, fresh without sharpness, and sweet without syrup. I choose it on those summer evenings when I don't want to smell like I'm wearing a perfume, but rather, I just want the scent of fresh garden and contented summer happiness wafting around me. As I'm writing this on a perfect June evening in the English countryside, through my open windows I can hear the metallic clang of farm gates, the bleating of lambs in the neighbour's field, and the evensong of all the birds on the breeze. And so, Herba fresca is my choice for tonight.

Herba fresca is entirely unisex; I bought it ostensibly for my husband because he loves mint, knowing I'd be the one wearing it most. I even enjoy that it isn't a fierce powerhouse that lasts forever; this is a perfume that doesn't demand to centre itself, it brings me my contented evocative moment, lasts a few hours and then politely retreats, allowing me to change my mood.

It's lovely.

I had this first in 2005. I loved it so much, i bought another one after I emptied the first bottle. My daughter was a toddler then. she loved it so much, she would snuggle if I was wearing what she used to call 'iced tea'. It is exactly that. Think of a memory of drinking iced mint tea on a very hot, humid summer day on a wide field of freshly cut grass. So refreshing! After my 3rd bottle, i took a break and tried other scents. Last week, about 18 years on, it was 38 degrees celsius. I had all those expensive, heavy scents and i did not want to wear any of them. I was reminded of my favorite herba fresca. I went and bought one again. It is still as perfect as I remember it: unique, intoxicating, fresh. If I could, I would drink this. I still love it just like many years ago. This is among my all time favorites. Bonus is my husband and daughter love it so much on me, too! ❤

This smells like tooth paste (the "herbal" one--in Europe we have one called Vademecum) with loads of sugar. 😁

I’m a green frag kind of person, but at the same time I’m wary of them, because there’s a very fine line between “simulating nature” and “chemical bomb.” Looking at the notes pyramid I feared this might cross it, especially seeing that lily of the valley in there, which I never seem to enjoy in fragrances. But as soon as it dried on me and I took a good sniff of it I stopped worrying.

At the very first it smelled just like the wet grass you scrape off the lawn mower blades, which is interesting in its own way and not disagreeable to me; as that settles in it develops into something special. It’s definitely mint, while also being more than mint, like a kind of fantasy mint you’d find growing in a fairy glen. I would wear it if I played the role of Puck in a Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Bitter mojito. And a lot of tea. Pass

I'm on the hunt for the perfect mint fragrance.
Thought this was going to be the one but... There is no heart or base to this fragrance, just the lemon & mint.

Unfortunately, on my skin, this smells like straight up bathroom cleaner. Onto the next to find my perfect mint fragrance!

Most of the Guerlain fragrances in my collection are proper perfumes in the classic style, and with the exception of Après L'Ondée, they are better suited to autumn and winter rather than spring or summer. I suppose this is the whole point of the Aqua Allegoria collection: Guerlain quality perfumes that are lightweight and well suited to hot weather.

Herba Fresca was part of the original Aqua Allegoria lineup when the collection launched in 1999, and it still holds up. It is exactly as one would imagine, it's refreshing, herbaceous, and verdant. The standout note is mint, but to me it's not reminiscent of toothpaste at all, it's more like a summer cocktail featuring mint, think mojito or mint jelup. The inclusion of the clover, cyclamen, and lily-of-the-valley floral notes keep it feeling like a proper perfume.

As my favorite mint scent, Bottega Veneta's Parco Palladiano Pera (III) is discontinued, I really wanted to love this one. However, I find it so brightly minty that I find it overpowering and harsh- more of something I would use as a mood booster to spray on pillows, rather than on skin. It's an odd one in this series; it doesn't have the lovely spiciness of Bergamote Calabria or the interesting and fresh basil drydown of Mandarine Basilic. As others have said, plainly, it smells like toothpaste or spearmint mint gum, unfortunately. On me, the dry down has a strange and unpleasant antiseptic note as well. In short, I don't find this to be a perfume but more of a therapeutic scent to spray around like air freshener. At this cost, I'll stick to my airwick.

This is so realistic scent of summer mornings when the dew starts to fade away. Herbal, minty scent, but there is depht also, very addictive to me. I will spray this all over me during hot summer days.

On paper smells exactly like the mint version of fuze tea, not a bad scent but thankfully on skin it develops into something further

I only can agree with @solarpunk below. First year of having was pretty much about wearing it with caution as I realized it does not work on me neither in peak of summer months nor early spring season. I was really puzzled and preferred to spritz myself with it rather on nights all around the year. Because there is sensible earthy note that makes you feel like you just cropped herbs in garden and still had some dirt under the fingernails.

After that period of sporadically wearing it I came back to Herba Fresca, simply because I really missed the freshness of it. Also my body odor altered as I turned past my 30 and it reflected the taste in scents I prefer now. So maybe, Herba Fresca suits me better now than it used to before.

However, when it comes to scent itself, it is worth having it in wardrobe. You cannot get any closer to authentic smell of mint than with Aqua Allegoria. It is absolutely naturistic. Somewhat similar to Gucci Memoire d'une Odeur which I initially ignored in my collection and now I cannot stop wearing it. Slowly, this fragrance as well grew on me and I started enjoy the mood it evokes whenever I am wearing it.

Perhaps I'd like to water it down a bit to tame that savage side it has. I also like to blend it with DH Cologne to achieve that freshness of mojito and it really works, although I might like it tad sweeter. Which may be also the cause of sillage that quickly disappears after the first hour. It stays close to skin more than 10 hours, tho.

You can get easily bored with the smell as it starts with almost ovepowering heaviness of peppermint, which may cause headache as well. This is not much of freshie throughout as it is rather a strong aromatic scent. Apply with caution if you do not want to despise it from the beginning.

smells like a sprig of herbs freshly plucked from the garden! it's earthy and seed-y (the clover?) like there's still a bit of dirt or roots attached. i wish this suited me but it doesn't, it's perfectly unisex though! it's beautiful and refreshing. it smells slightly like a spa (ones that use stones... this kind of smells like stones or sand) or even an expensive shower gel.

this is really impressive - you can smell the green, the dew, the soil and roots... so pretty!

I had higher hopes for this! smells like a fizzy lemon mint drink. I would have liked more of the Lilly of the valley, which I don't get unfortunately. The performance is quiet weak on me too. its ok overall and it suits very warm days. I wouldn't buy it again.

Wild mint grows alongside the irrigation ditch in my horse pasture. This fragrance evokes that spot; a mixture of the mint, alfalfa hay, pasture grass, flowing water and yes, horse manure: The smell of money.

That mint gives out a really mature sense. Good silage with a good shelf life. Great for both men and women

I remember the first time I smelt this was in the middle of an extremely humid heatwave in Barcelona. I was meeting up with a dear friend, when our 2 kiss on the cheeks greeting threw me head on into a marvelous refreshing creamy floral mint cloud.

"What is this amazing perfume you are wearing? I love it!" Said I.

"Herba Fresca by Guerlain". Said she.

No she definitely did not mind if I bought a bottle for myself. And so I did, and use it whenever I need to feel maximum freshness on a very hot day. I find that it's performance is fantastic for an Aqua Allegoria, as I usually feel myself immersed in its cloud all day long.

I first sprayed Herba Fresca about 7 or 8 years ago, and I never forgot it. I don’t know what took me so long to finally pull the trigger and buy myself a bottle, but I’m so glad I did.

Herba Fresca is, in three words, clean, refreshing, and up-lifting. On my skin, I definitely smell how green and herbal it is, but the flowers have a distinct, if light, presence. There’s something very ~freshly washed about it. The feeling it gives me is one of stepping out into a lush garden filled with greenery and flowers, just after having taken a bath.

Since the florals seem to come out more on me than on most, it leans pretty feminine when I wear it, but I think that, in general, this is definitely a unisex fragrance. I could see anyone wearing it on a variety of occasions. It is especially pleasant in hot weather.

Disappointed. I love minty fragrances, and have been wanting to test this out for ages after always coming across it touted as 'one of the best mint fragrances'. I don't feel the mint at all in this. All I can smell is this weird kind of grassy scent (I guess it must be the clover note, but it's not what fresh off the ground in the paddock actual clover smells like at all- a scent I actually really like) and very faint watery floral notes. Not the mint forward refreshing scent I was hoping for.

Absolutely refreshing! The mint and tea are the predominant notes. This is like brushing up against a mint plant in a garden.Very natural. This is emphatically NOT a faux chewing gum mint scent.
The lemon acidity balances the green notes. The base note florals are subtle and provide complexity to the composition.
I wear this in hot monsoon summers. Sillage is moderate and quickly dissipates to intimate. This is similar to a light zephyr of clean air, which will eliminate any unpleasant aromas in proximity. Longevity is about 2-3 hours. Suitable for office wear.
One of my favorites in this line.

I wish the mint would stay longer, it’s the first thing I got when I sprayed but it disappeared in a matter of minutes

I like this. It’s fresh to the point it almost feels like it has a cooling effect. It doesn’t last much but I can think of many occasions when I would reach for this one. My favourite from the Aqua Allegoria line, I’ll probably get a full bottle for the next summer

Mint + Grass. The 1st spray was so green and fresh, without any sweetness, and sometimes it reminds you of a mint-flavored toothpaste. It can makes you feel like the temperature around comes down a little bit.
On the skin it slowly turns into a faint lime flavor, and later some little floral notes with a greenish tinge appear (the floral notes are obvious on the test paper, but very light on my skin, even with a little leathery acidity)
It's a nice bottle of perfume, and I can give it a score of 78/100.
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薄荷青草。喷出来的时候真的很青绿，没有甜度，但也真的有点像牙膏。是能让人感觉周围的温度很快就降下来了的感觉。
在皮肤上会慢慢变成微弱的青柠味道，出现一些带着绿意的小花香（试香纸上花香很明显，在我身上是很淡的，甚至带一点皮革酸味）
是一瓶不错的香水，打分的话能给到78/100。

This is my (very youthful and cool) grandmother's summer scent. On her and on paper, it smells fantastic. Green, minty, citrusy– altogether refreshing and almost drinkable! If I'm visiting her on a hot day I sometimes spray it on a tissue and carry it around with me, as it fills the air with a lovely, cool scent. On my own skin, however, the mint really takes over and the scent isn't nearly as balanced. Definitely worth trying, but your mileage may vary.

It is my favorite bottle of Aqua Allegoria.
First on, the smell is cool and fresh dominated by the spearmint leaves with a slice of lemon peel, then it turns to a mist of a spearmint field where some purple wildflowers bloom. Although the air here is a little bit wet caused by the addition of the powdery green tea, it stays green and natural, and reminds me of the evaporation from meadow in summer.
It is a nice choice for wearing that can bring you some lightness and joyfulness in hot weather.

This is what I wish Elizabeth Arden's Iced Green Tea was (that was more pure VapoRub; medicinal to a fault). This is a sweet, almost chewing gum-like spearmint, and there's a nice touch of a sweet lemon iced tea in it to round it out. But at its core, it's primarily a minty lemon scent, which some people might find to be too reminiscent of hygiene/cleaning products and not perfume-like enough. I do agree with the toothpaste comparisons, however I really appreciate it in all its oddness, and I'll save the rest of my sample for an especially hot day, as that's what I'm sure it was made for!

Fresh spearmint leaves steeped in iced tea, with the breeze from the herb garden and meadow wildflowers filling the air: this is Herba Fresca in summary.

In further detail, the herb garden has melissa and basil growing, while the green grassiness of the meadow comes in strong and eclipses with the spearmint in the heart. Soapy florals underline the experience as it dries down further.

This leaves a veil on my skin for much longer than I had expected before experiencing it. Summertime, and the livin' is easy...

Herba Fresca was always the cause for confusion with me. When I discovered Guerlain counters and fragrance halls in department stores, I became enchanted by the Aqua Allegoria lineup. I tried various bottles and I fell totally in love with both Herba Fresca and Pamplelune (figures that they are both from the original Aqua Allegoria lineup), which made my decision on which Aqua Allegoria to get first a little bit awkward. Two bottles from the AA line later and here we are; Herba Fresca!

Fresh, cool and something special; the opening is a beautiful green and airy symphony of lemon and grassy clover, but once that initial top blast happens, within seconds the rest of the note pyramid jumps out and you become enveloped in a refreshing, uplifting mint iced tea bubble. Lemon, clover, mint and tea are the main notes which I can instantly detect, they work harmoniously together and transition so smoothly, I can't pick out any cyclamen or Lily-Of-The-Valley however on my skin.

The longevity is decent with me getting roughly 7 hours of wear with a moderate silage which, while it gets noticed, its not overbearing or heady. In true Aqua Allegoria style, Herba Fresca is excellent for the hotter months of summer but is equally suited to year round wear, especially if you work in quite an enclosed environment which gets quite stuffy or if you are someone that loves the idea of wearing a scent but doesn't want to wear something that is classically "perfume-y".
Office friendly, perfect for any situation, refreshing and something unique in my wardrobe, I am glad that I finally have a bottle of Herba Fresca in my collection alongside Pamplelune and Pera Granita.
Refill/repurchase worthy and forever in my wardrobe.

I recently uploaded a thread on the forum about a nice green fragrance. Among the answers that I got was this one. Luckily I was able to find it in my country so, I rushed into a department store to sample it. It was quite fresh and herbal more than green and I liked it. Unfortunately after 3 hours I could not smell it at all. What a disappointment.....Maybe it is due to the fact that it does not have any base notes like musk, or sandalwood etc....I did not expect that, from a house like Guerlain's and a perfume that costs 91 euros.

I've always quite liked the top notes of this, having sniffed it at counters over the years, but I only recently bought a full bottle as I wanted something fresh - and it does what it says on the tin!

It's not herby like a Diptyque might be, or Le Jardin series by Hermes. It's got a sense of earth to it which I really like. It's not too simple either, nor is it reminiscent of an Eau de Colgne. The main note at first is mint, but over time it becomes (as someone below mentions) dustier and a bit more complex, or I'd say earthier though not dirty or musky. I'm vaguely reminded of Goutal's Ninfeo Mio which has a similar herbs, leaves and earth feel.

I didn't know it was created in collaboration with Mathilde Laurent, but that makes perfect sense as she also created the lovely green floral Baiser Vole - which always draws compliments.

It's really perfect for summer, and not as light or short-lasting as you might expect from a herbal green perfume. Lovely, goes into my definite 'loves'!

blind bought a travel bottle based on all the good things I saw about this and oof... my bad!!! on my skin it's toothpaste and cleaning products, fading from harsh/cold/bitter to a very boring soap smell.

Melissa and green tea. And the scent of clover flower ... in nature it really smells 'dry', and when you touch it it's dry, I don't know how they did it :D, that's why some people mention dry grass :D

The smell of mint is the most dominant, that's why I bought it.

It opens fresh, thirst-quenching, with a palatable green mint, not blatantly as a cosmetic. Lemon, the clear note of clover and the uplifting note of tea.
In the base, floral notes are immediately present, clean from laundry, green, bitter cyclamen notes that remind me of geranium bourbon atmospheres with tea.
Uplifting, disengaged, but still elegant as it dries more dusty, sweeter, more feminine and tenacious for a drydown that lasted up to 12 hours on my skin. This dust becomes more and more marked with the passage of time.
Like other proposals of the line tried so far that are called waters, they are. But in a .. strengthened way!

If you want something minty with goodness of tea, this may be for you. Because my adoptive grandmother loved it! The fresh herbs, mint, lemon, and green tea are perfectly blended into an everyday fragrance!

If the mint were toned down in this by a large degree, I think this would be the perfect longer lasting replacement for Elizabeth Arden's Green Tea for me. As it is, it takes quite awhile to morph from toothpaste into fresh herbs and green tea with a slight minty kick, which is what I was hoping for. If it more closely resembled a fresh mint sprig from the actual plant and not an after dinner mint candy, I think it would be better and blend much better with the other notes. If you want something minty this may be for you, but it's not my cup of overly minty tea.

And here we go again! My sis my life changer! She is so uplifting, pretty green, gorgeous spring scent. So happy to wear it!

Although previously thought to be discontinued, I just ordered a bottle on the Guerlain website. New refillable packaging and all! Looking like it isn’t going anywhere:)

This scent carried me through my training months in the various ICUs in my hospital back when I was a resident. I never got to feel the sun on my face those days, but this scent transported me out into a dewy field of mint and fresh sweet herbs in springtime (perhaps mojito-esque). The sweet mint notes and cooling sensation are my favorite aspects, and for me, I catch whiffs of it all day long, even into the evening and while playing soccer.

Today, I needed a pick-me-up scent and dosed up with it on my way in.. and enjoyed strangers comment to each other how good someone smelled as I drifted on by to get started seeing my patients.

I've been looking for something very green that wouldn't pull aquatic and this fits the bill. I adore the clover and citrus combo in the opening. As it dries down, it becomes more green tea and mint dominant on me - the mint is smooth and not sharp at all. I can't pick up much on the floral notes. Very summery, like a sunshiny meadow.

This is my everyday perfume. It doesnt dusturb my coworkers as sillage is almost zero, but i can smell it all day. Smells like fresh crushed mint mixed with very cold lime soda. I love it.

I think this is very beautiful summer scent.

So so nice - even in the midst of winter. Wonderful mint with a tiny touch of lily of the valley. A true classic of this genre.
I never want be without a bottle of Herba Fresca all my life.

I deeply dislike spearmint. This almost goes there but to me it doesn't and so it's tolerable. It's minty and fresh, but not in a toothpaste or chewing gum way. More like crushing several varieties of mint at once in fresh rain-filled air. I love Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune, and in comparison I think Herba Fresca is downright boring. But the notes are quite accurate. There's also a bit of lemon soda in this, reminiscent of Comme des Garcons Series 6 Synthetic: Soda - just a little hint of it under the mints and light clean florals.

This is a cult-classic under the Allegorias. Mint and LOTV are the most dominant to my nose. It's very original and deserves credits for that. The whole composition does remind me too much of spearmint to enjoy it as a personal smell.
Natural smelling. Cologne performance. Suitable for hot weather.

It is very well done though and around this long for a reason. If you're in the market for a minty scent, this is it!

An elegant burst of delicately herbed citrus and mint on a base of airy and powdery musk. The lily of the valley provides an ever-so-slight freshly cut floral note to the composition and combines beautifully with the tea and lemon notes. The mint in this Aqua Allegoria isn't aggressive, nor mentholated as freshly crushed mint leaves. It feels closer to spearmint, i.e. softer and rounder in nature, and pairs nicely with the powdery musk. I get no toothpaste association with this fragrance, as the mint is simply too delicate to remind me of the often heavily mentholated, almost peppermint-y note found in local toothpaste.

Big park, sunny summer day, mothers and their babies , blankets on the grass, lots of smiles.

I didn't like it to be honest. Seems to be my least favorite from the line. Indeed it does smells herbaceous thus the name but there are much better offerings from the Aqua Allogoria line to be honest.

Herba Fresca opens with a big whoosh of mint and green tea. It's a spearmint fresh mint. There's a hint of lily of the valley. The lemon lasts less than a minute as far as I can tell though other people detect citrus on me for an hour or two and there's a little floral note in the background but I can't detect what it is in the opening, which has a strong sillage at this point. It reminds me immediately of another Aqua Allegoria - the long discontinued Mentafollia. It's a really nice opening.

Ten minutes in, Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca is spearmint and green tea with strong sillage.

Forty minutes in it's still basically spearmint and green tea but the lily of the valley is stronger and there is some cyclamen. At this point the sillage has calmed down considerably to an intimate scent projector.

An hour and a half in Herba Fresca has settled to a balance of spearmint, green tea and a background floral perfume and it stays like this in terms of the balance right up until it disappears. I get six and a half hours of steady gentle projection before it begins to fade. The fading process takes a long time - I get about ten and a half hours from Herba Fresca in total.

I like the intense opening of Herba Fresca most of all. I really like having a genuine fresh mint perfume. It's easy to see why, in a line where the perfumes rarely get a run longer than three years, Herba Fresca has been a mainstay since 1999. The quality of the blend and the ingredients is superb. This is one you have to wear properly rather than just have a test to understand. Like most of the Aqua Allegoria line, it seems most obviously a day perfume for spring and summer but I'd suggest it works well in the cooler weather as well. I don't think this is either masculine or feminine, I think it is a properly genderless, unisex perfume. The only reason I won't be buying a full bottle for a while is that I have several of my favourites from Guerlain and Hermes running low and in need of replacement first.

Supposedly Jean-Paul Guerlain wanted this fragrance to evoke the feeling of walking through a summer lawn as a very small child, and that's pretty much what this indeed does. The dominant scent is curly mint (aka common mint or garden mint), a variety of spearmint used in mint teas, and the addition of clover in the top makes the opening accord seem lightly sweet, too. The florals in the base are delicate, such as cyclamen and lily-of-the valley. This is very much an eau de cologne, so you should not expect the sillage or the longevity to be very much, but it smells clean, light, and youthful, and is very much its own thing.

I love this fragrance. What a gorgeous lily of the valley perfume!

this one is such a pretty, green scent. it starts with primarily mint and tea with lemon and clover in the background. the mint calms down later and it's more of a herbal lemon tea after awhile. much more green and tea like than floral to me. it's very refreshing and perfect for warm weather.

Screachy green grass opening that quickly mellows into spearmint and clean laundry musk. Odd but comforting in the heat of summer. Reminds me of Bel Respiro but with less performance and spearmint instead of green.

Smells just like a mint-filled sun tea with ice. Very refreshing. Unfortunately, performance is about 30 minutes. Otherwise, this would be a love for me.

The longevity on this is nowhere near as good as the Mandarine Basilic which I also have, but it smells AMAZING. Crisp, fresh, sunny - smells a lot like the taste of a cold glass of fresh lemonade with a sprig of mint in it. I doubt this is one anyone else would smell on me but it’s so lovely I don’t mind that it’s just for me.

Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca, Cartier's Oud & Menthe and Roadster--when Mathilde Laurent works with mint, good things tend to happen. This delightful, light EdC strength fragrance from Guerlain is among the best mint scents I know. This fragrance features a garden-fresh natural spearmint note coupled with a grassy clover, tea and a hint of florals and lemon. In hot weather, this fragrance really comes into its own. In sweltering weather, it is one of the few products I can enjoy. It is so light and refreshing.

Of course, for this scent, longevity is really more like brevity, but you soon come to regard this fact as a feature rather than a bug since reapplication from a travel spray provides a welcome cooling for hot skin as the alcohol in the fragrance evaporates taking heat with it. This product has enough staying power that you don't need to respray it constantly, just every couple of hours in intense heat.

I own a number of mint scents in addition to Herba Fresca, including Mugler Kryptomint, Heeley Menthe Fraiche, F. Malle Geranium Pour Monsieur, Imaginary Authors Saint Julep, ELDO You Or Someone Like You and Carolina Herra Virgin Mint. Of these, only this fragrance and Geranium Pour Monsieur are light enough for me to reach for them in very hot weather. Above 40° (104° F), only this fragrance or an ultra-light citrus cologne like Jean-Marie Farina Extra Vielle or 4711 really work for me, but the ancient colognes disappear in under an hour while Herba Fresca lasts long enough to be functional as a scent (while still allowing the delight of occasional refresh sprays).

I love this fragrance in hot weather and other lovers of green mint scents almost certainly will as well. However, some of the other scents mentioned above might be better choices for folks who like their mint sweet or who are looking for cooler weather fragrances.

Also, for what it's worth, I think the version of the classic bee bottle used by Guerlain for these Aqua Allegoria fragrances looks great with its gold honeycomb cage in place of the traditional bees. This is a unisex scent. Recommended.

Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca Guerlain-mint julep from Guerlain.

Put 10 mint leaves and 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar in a copper cup. Add the clover. Pour green tea with lemon 10 ml and lightly press down with madler. Fill the cup with crushed ice to the top. Pour the aged lily of the valley liqueur 50 ml and gently stir with a cocktail spoon. Add some crushed ice. Pour into a Guerlain bottle and garnish with a sprig of mint :)
I wear and can not get enough of these lily-of-the-valley-mint drops)) - a bottle of summer and a cure for winter!

-Opens reminiscent of minty toothpaste.
-Dries down more mint leaf. (-)

I really like Herba Fresca. It is long-lasting on me. However, I'm wondering something,...has anyone else been chased by bees when wearing this? That happens every time during warm weather. :)

I’ve enjoyed this scent for years, it’s a great spearminty herbal mix that works well alone or as a compliment to other fragrances - lasts intact for hours and hours - This scent is one to wear everywhere you want to bring a quiet subtle reminder of the simple magnificence of an intimate summer garden as you pass by.
At times I started using it with Mandarine Basilic if I wanted it a bit more green, and even with Lutens’ Cedre or Imaginary Authors’ Cape Heartache, Montale’s Taif Rose, and heavier scents like Habit Rouge on occasion to “wake it up” if you will.
Like those warm New Orleans afternoons, it reminds me of my roots of when the adults would all have Mint Juleps at tea time, the fragrance laying softly- like a diaphanous veil, falling over the men’s aftershave or the ladies’ perfumes. Definitely a purchase worth every penny.

This was lovely but not for me. I’ve learned I’m a warm spicy, creamy, woody, amber gal. This is very green and fresh, crisp and summery. It was a gift, so the bottle is 95% full if anyone wants to do a swap, or just wants the bottle. DM me if so!

EDIT - the bottle has been claimed

This has become one of my "go to work scents" because it is very pleasant, clean and as all aqua allegorias, soft and non offensive, it is long lasting on my skin and to my surprise, people have told me a smell very "clean" and nice even when I can't smell the scent anymore, this scent has lot of "herbal freshness" mostly given by the mint and the green tea but the floral notes makes it a tad sweeter than Aqua Allegoria Mentafollia, which is significantly more minty and green to my nose. I will buy a second bottle of herba fresca and possibly will end up buying back ups...I got mentafollia which is discontinued but I don't see myself reaching for it too often, it feels like chewing mint gum and inflating a personal bubble with the scent coming out from your mouth, and that is ..well..you know..kind of strange!

Upon initial spray out the box, this smelled like straight up mint green tea (that I drink often so that was an easy one to guess!). However, eventual sprays revealed more lemon and the scent got much more mellow and pleasant.

Probably my most unusual fragrance and I actually like it for that quality. I wouldn't call it a "dumb reach" kind of freshie for its uniqueness but should still be an awesome summer fragrance!

(I have an old bottle from 1999 and not sure if newer formulas are different :( )

fresh mint herb crushed in Arab Green tea... with sugar cubes, if you love that, buy this. mind blown on how they made such a realistic Mint fragrance. it offers very mature vibe from that mint, if you can get used to it, his will serve you well. reminds me of Hermes Un Jardin line a lot, very long lasting too.
10/10

Herba Fresca makes me feel happy, I can't think of any other perfume that does that for me to such an extent.

Uplifting, fragrant tea with lemon - wonderful. For a long time I thought I didn't like tea scents, I really enjoy this one though. It's fresh in a green, herbal way, but it's also warm - in a gentle climate it could be an all year round scent.

Great longevity: on my skin it lasts all day and on clothes 48+ hours.

Refreshing and clean smelling! The opening is like a new piece of spearmint gum. It then segues into an expensive triple milled soap, with only a hint of the original mint. Poor longevity but would make a great scent to wear to bed or a quick pick me up on a hot day.

Never would I want a fragrance to last less! Very, very long lasting. Lasts about 8 or more hours, through showers and scrubbing, and maintains its initial smell. Pulls very strongly of tea on me with some fluttering of lemon and a balance of mint. Very fresh, reminds me of cut lawns and lemonade while sitting poolside on a mid March (Florida) day. Quintessential spring and may work for summer as long as the temps are below 95, I can see this being too overwhelming to handle in sweltering weather. I’d rate it safe for high 60s through high 80s—if the weather is appropriate for some calf and forearm to show this fragrance will really shine.

@cherubi rubi (and others):

Let us be more discerning when we discuss mint as a note in a fragrance.

Please make a distinction between PEPPERMINT (of which Herba Fresca DOES NOT HAVE) and wonderful SPEARMINT (which is very prominent in Herba Fresca).

I had trepidation when I blind-bought Herba Fresca about a month ago, since I am male and most purchasers seem to be female. But I worship spearmint and HF seemed to be one of the few fragrances that has a prominent spearmint note that is widely available.

HF is wonderful! Yes it leans feminine, but irresistible in how it masterfully balances cut or fresh green grassiness with spearmint.

Longevity is a pleasant surprise for me (about 10 hours), as many reviewers complain about that.

HF provides some fresh unisex relief to my collection. Check out my Fragrantica shelves for the overtly masculine population of frags.

13th
Taking a break from tropical flowers today and am wearing this most of the day now.

Super pepperminty toothpaste(first sniff), the kind that clears your sinuses out.
Peppermint tea...I like mint tea...very cooling...

To me this is all potent peppermint and that's what makes it unique.

It's straightforward and sometimes you want to know what you are smelling like...:)

It's as fresh as real peppermint is-like tearing fresh leaves and then dropping them into a cup, then pouring hot water over them.

So there are other notes here which I do not smell (tiny touch of citrus), and perhaps they blend well to make this an extremely real fresh peppermint note. This smells very natural.

Simple and great! I would definitely get this if I wanted to smell minty clean. I think it is an excellent alternative to citrus or tropical flower based scents for warm weather (I could see it getting more bitter in colder weather). 9/10

Beautiful summer fragrance, fresh and pleasant, due to the floral basenotes (lily if the valley and cyclamen), it tends imo to be more feminine than unisex. I love to layer it with a gentle lilac fragrance, like Oriflame, adding sillage and longevity to this otherwise light EDC. A must have for hot summer days and evenings.

I was fascinated by this Aqua Allegoria perfume because it's one of the 2 original ones still in production. So, I ordered it. I detect 3 notes: mint, lemon and herbs underneath or mint tea. Those 3 notes are equally persistent and remain fresh after 6 hours on the skin. This is a good unisex fragrance. While nice, I probably won't be reaching for this very often.

The notes mentioned above are pretty much spot on.

Initial spray has a slight citrus but it quickly morphes into a minty herbal green tea scent. It is a very nice clean pleasing fragrance. Extremely unisex. A man can pull this off easily yet it's not too masculine for a woman.

I adore the Aqua Allegoria cologne line by Guerlain. Each one is unique and has decent lasting power. Herba Fresca has great longevity. Glad to have finally had the opportunity to get this one!

I think its finally time to review one of my long time all time favourite summer scents, Herba Fresca Aqua Allegoria. This is one of those few scents that I have bought over and over again, pretty much since I first discovered it 20 years ago. What Guerlain does so well is that it manages to get even the simpler scents, like the Allegoria range stay complex enough to never become flat or uninteresting. Herba Fresca is delightful and fresh par none, the mint citrus sugar aromatic combination is as fresh and current as it was when first launched, and that alone tells you something about this scent. Its timeless, always fresh, always beautiful, like eating key lime pie in the mediterranean sunshine. I have not gotten tired of this in 20 years and its unlikely I ever will. Its simply that fresh and delightful, like a fresh ice cold glass of sicilian lemonata with fresh mint after a long stroll in the summer sun on the promenade in Nice. A big love.

In Mandy Aftel's book, Fragrant, she describes mint as "the smell of home", and I couldn't agree more. Mint is one of the most common herbs that people grow in their gardens and many of us offer visitors fresh mint tea when they stop by. My grandmother, a traditional healer, gave me mint tea all the time growing up and it's the smell I most often associate with her while being in her kitchen learning her healing secrets.
It's a very hot day today and I reached for Herba Fresca because I knew the mint would feel cooling and fresh. Fresh scents aren't really "my thing" and this is one of two "fresh" scents I own. I think it's one of the best. The mint note triggered something in me, and I found myself lost in such happy thoughts of my grandma. Just recently I bought her house and am living in it. Near the front door, when I come and go the first thing I see are the mint plants she planted so many years ago and they always make me smile. Many of us wear fragrances because they are associated with memories. This lovely minty fresh fragrance is a true love for me because of that, but also because it wears so beautifully in such hot weather and smells like home.

In my quest to discover all of the pillar fragrances in Guerlain’s lineage, I realized that I’d never paid much mind to Aqua Allegoria. I think the idea of limited edition flankers that come and go seasonally each year is a novel concept for those with wandering noses who prefer to finish one fragrance and then move on to another. But myself, I want to be reassured that a fragrance will be available to me indefinitely so that I can completely fall in love with it, without compunction or the looming threat of heartbreak at discontinuation. For this reason, I tend to steer away from flanker collections, but a couple of months ago quarantine had me pining for the exhilaration of a blind buy, so I figured no better time to give Aqua Allegoria a shot, and no better place to start than with its cornerstone pillar, Herba Fresca.

Pleasantly, I was disgusted by Herba Fresca at first. I say pleasantly because, personally, I enjoy the push and pull of being turned off by a fragrance’s complexity at first, and having to spend time wearing it in order to understand it. At first, the only thing I could liken the smell of Herba Fresca to was the soggy clumps of grass that accumulate around a lawn mower’s blades if you mow the yard too soon after a rainstorm. That, with Extra spearmint gum somehow involved. I was confused, but eager to become more familiar with its eccentricity.

Weeks of wear led me to the point now that I thoroughly enjoy Herba Fresca, and I can understand why it’s Aqua Allegoria’s enduring trailblazer. Something about it incites a sort of wanderlust in me in such a way that I can then begin to understand why so many fleeting variations have come in its wake over the past couple of decades. By design, Aqua Allegoria fragrances are meant to be invigorating snapshots that each have a corresponding color, as if each one is a uniquely developed film with varying vibrancy. I imagine it like an Instax photo developing in reverse: you snap the photo and it appears from the cartridge at once, then slowly fades away into nothing. Likewise, you spray Aqua Allegoria and enjoy all of its vibrant colors, and then soon it's gone.

In the case of Herba Fresca, each time I smell it I imagine a very specific (albeit peculiar) snapshot: I always imagine a young, professional woman wise beyond her years. She wears a tailored gray wool pantsuit and large sunglasses, and she carries a black leather briefcase. She’s seated at a park bench somewhere in New York City where, through the cracks of the concrete, patches of grass become greener by the day as springtime turns to summer. The air is warm, but crisp—on a street corner somewhere nearby is situated a florist’s cart, and the breeze carries the vague fragrance of freshly clipped flower stems. The woman is drinking an ice cold lemon San Pellegrino on this warm, sunny day. And she's chewing Extra spearmint gum. Obviously.

Herba Fresca (and more specifically, the image it elicits for me) feels symbolic of both whimsy and sophistication. The person who wears it is headstrong by nature, but eternally young at heart. It doesn’t fail to amaze me how such incredible complexity can be contained in the temporary wear time of a cologne-style refresher. But for those couple of hours that Herba Fresca rests on my skin, I somehow feel reassured. Oddly nostalgic this one, yet it smells of the promise of hopeful days to come. I doubt I'll let myself fall in love with any of its temporary siblings, but I'm smitten with the one (of two) that started it all.

Perhaps Pamplelune will be next on my list.

This is the only freshy in my collection that made my list of best ones. Normally I wear only orientals with a sweet side. And I also wear orientals in summer, I don't care. But this is outstanding as a fresh scent because it's not only fresh. It's also weird in an almost thierry mugler kind of way thanks to the bubblegum note.
I hope this gets never discontinued because otherwise I will wear orientals only in the heat.

This one grew on me once I learned what to expect from the drydown. The dominant notes (on me) are clover, muguet, and cyclamen, soapy-clean and reminiscent of the florals in China Rain type scents, albeit with little to no musk. The zippy mint notes persist, but in a supporting role. If you like soapy-green-clean spring florals à la China Rain, this may be your cup of tea.

This perfume has the perfect balance of herbal, citrus, and green floral notes. It's slightly sweet, very grassy, very minty, and very refreshing! Some people find this somewhat unrefined and say it smells like toothpaste, but I find that the prominent grassy/tea/clover accords prevent it from venturing into the oral care territory. Either way I don't think I'll ever get tired of this beautiful minty creation!

BEAUTIFUL! If a pastel color could come to life in a haze of scent this would be it. Beautiful fluffy haze of pastel green with a refreshing, zingy burst of the most natural spearmint leaf throughout. Beautiful, delicate, demure. I. AM. IN. LOVE!

I couldn't help myself, I blind bought this based on the delicious notes. I love myself some fresh mint! I received it today and was swooning upon first spray. It then turned screechy on me, I can't put my finger on the note but it's loud and piercing, too sharp. After a sleepless night with an 8 month old it gave me a headache and made me feel quite ill. Oh it was so promising! Hoping the hate will turn to love like one of the previous reviewers who said same thing.
I owned a bottle of Commes des Garcons (Play - Green) which had a very similar vibe without paint stripping note.

I got a decant of Herba Fresca (fresh herb) from my swap partner, and I am so happy about it. I've never tried this Aqua Allegoria scent before.

My first thought I admit was: our toilet freshener smells a lot like this.. Well, of course, because it has similar notes.It is understandable that a perfume that has mint and lemon in the opening, might smell similar to some toothpaste or even air/toilet refrehsner. But that doesn't mean it is not a good fragrance. Similar notes, that is all. (They use rose and lavender also in home care products)

Then the scent settled on my skin and produced a perfect herbal fresh aroma, that I love.
It is fresh in a subtle, elegant way. Not like a wave of ocean in your face, but like a morning dew in a garden full of herbs and plants. Gentle green breeze, perfect for the warmer seasons.
I've been buying too many perfumes lately, but I have to add this to my want list. Maybe a mother's day wish?

This was a strange I-hate-it...no...I-love-it experience for me...
I blind bought this (I'm on the hunt for a perfect minty perfume), and right after opening the box, I sprayed a single spray on my wrist. After half an hour I had to go scrub it of, but the scent stubbornly remained on my skin even after trying to remove it with some rubbing alcohol (I was getting desperate!). The scent was just too repulsive to me - way too sharp, too grassy, too lemony - most of all it reminded me of Ajax cleaning soap, not something I would want on my skin.
I put it back in the box and was going to put it up for sale. After a few days I decided to give it another try and sprayed a single spray on a piece of paper and liked it enough to try a single spray on my wrist... and much to my surprise I didn't hate it this time. Now I have been wearing it on my wrist for a few days and slowly but certainly I have fallen in love with it.
It's so strange how this started out as a repelling scent to me and now just days later I really love it. Maybe it has something to do with me wearing Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait for several days just before trying this one out... maybe the jump from the sweet BR540 to Herba Fresca was just to wide for my nose to comprehend :-D... anyway - I now get why so many people love the scent of Herba Fresca, and I really enjoy the minty-lemony opening as well as the gentle scent of lily of the valley when it settles.
The longevity on this is a beast... this lasts for almost 12 hours on my skin - and I'm not complaining (anymore :-D).

Definitely this Aqua Allegoria is not for me.
Smell too much like a bubblegum of mint or a toothpaste, I don't like that.
Its sillage is very poor and its longevity more of the same.
I normally love the Aqua Allegoria collection, most of them, but this one is not for me.
Its aroma of green tea is very strong too and I don't like it.
Sorry Guerlain.

Very beautiful. A must-buy. Starts off as spearmint gum. Dries down to a green, grassy, slightly sweet scent.

In due time, i found my perfect herbal fragrance. This is Herba Fresca by Guerlain. It a mint temptation against the background of meadow grasses : clover, melissa, cyclamen, sage & sagebrush. A scent after acquaintance with which my consciousness perceives it no other way than grass-dew-sun. It smells of freshly mown grass and water ; the smell is tart, refreshing, cool and colorful. Even not so, more precisely, he is colorful-juicy. The fragrance not overly resistant, but by weathering it is not interpretes into synthetics, musc or soap. It just subsides. Scent is harmonious, nothing superfluous. People respond to it only positively : " Oh, Herba Fresca Guerlain! " :)

Love it and rest in it when i wear Herba Fresca in the megapolis.

When I first smelt it I thought it smelled like skincare products. Then it reminded me of that mint julep face mask from queen helene. yup, smells exactly of mint julep mask. I like it to layer with overly floral scents 👍

This was my first Guerlain. I love it so much, I can't be without it.It smells like early summer morning, when the sun just starts shining and the grass is dewy.
I wear this scent when I don't feel well and it lifts me up. I am wearing it as I'm writing these words. Woke up with nausea and vertigo, didn't feel like perfume...except for Herba Fresca of course.Let me report I'm feeling good now. This perfume is my nausea medicine, ha :)

Works even better in winter.

I am surprised that it has taken me this long to review Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca. Last Summer I wore this fragrance almost exclusively. My bottle of Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca didn't last long at all and a re-purchase may be on the cards.

Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca does have a minty toothpaste vibe, however, the chemical aspect is not overwhelming. The heart smells of crushed green mint leaves, herbal green tea with a dash of lemon, and the drydown introduces a smooth white musk.

Although linear in terms of its composition, this is one of the few times that I appreciate a lack of complexity. Summer is my least favourite season as I don't tend to cope well in the heat. My fragrance choice is less about enjoyment and more about the necessity of keeping fresh and cool. Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca is Summer perfection to my nose.

Many Aqua Allegoria fragrance releases have come and gone over the years, yet Herba Fresca is still in production and has been since 1999. This is a testament to its popularity and versatility.

My experience with mint-based fragrances is limited. Before Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca, I wore quite a bit of Jean Charles Brosseau Violette Menthe, another refreshing mint fragrance. Mint was never on the forefront of my mind as something that would appeal to me, but now that I've started to explore this note more in perfumery, I am keen to discover more Summer appropriate mint scents.

I bought Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca thinking it would be a cheaper substitute for Un Jardin Sur Le Toit by Hermès, which is one of my all-time favorites for its fresh grassy smell. But despite their names (herba fresca means fresh grass) these two are not alike at all. Herba Fresca has a powerful minty smell that is almost too much like mouthwash. It's a good fragrance, but the top note of mint is too overpowering. Wish they had incorporated more fresh grass for an outdoorsy smell.

I really enjoy this one and it does work very well in the heat. The scent is reminiscent to me of a very weak, cold mint tea. I was expecting a more definitive scent, this one is wishy-washy, but what I’m getting isn’t bad. I am familiar with the Aqua Allegoria line, which are basically modern edts. I don’t have too much of an issue with longevity, about 4 hours in 95+ heat and 90+ humidity.

Rereading this review, it sounds negative but it isn’t. The mint tea scent I’m getting is delightful and appropriate for the hottest time of the year. I was just expecting more bracing mint and greener grass.

spearmint with something horsey ,peppermint tea with milk , lactonic mouthwash ? , herbal , wet hay, some trace of mothballs ,it smells damp, weirdly addictive... carman / blistex lipbalm
elegant maybe even a bit salty. dense fresh cut flowerstems, lily of the valley,
wouldnt surprise me if it said cloverhoney and ambergris. theres a weird warmth to it. strange strange strange. good. strange. i can smell tomato leaves , cumin or clove. very odd mixture smothered by spearmint. i like.

Herba Fresca is like a morning walk in the summer, barefoot, in a dewy garden, where you can breathe the first hints of grass and the scents of mint, fruit trees and wild flowers.
Fresh like an iced mojito, truly addictive.

I was looking for a summery, fun, clean herbal smell, and I really wanted to love Herba Fresca. When I first sprayed it on the little paper strip, I still had quite high hopes: it smelled classy, like a garden, not too sweet. On my skin though, it was a disappointment: the mint, citrus and lily-of-the-valley combined to a smell very much akin to dish soap. Also, it did not develop; it stayed the same throughout, which may be a plus to some, but which I felt was a bit of a pity. The bottle is very classy and the longevity is impressive.
In the end, it comes down to a compatibility with the skin, I suppose. I prefer the Aqua Allegoria Mandarin Basilic, which has a similar style sprayed on paper, but develops much better on my skin and changes a little (albeit not enormously) over time, too.

Revisiting the review section because I'm shocked about its longevity!

Herba Fresca stays after a humid and hot day where you sweat madly for 9 hours straight, then shower and then you will be still smelling of it the next morning.

I barely like the category fresh scents, while Herba Fresca is highly recommended by me for a. its fun fruity fresh but kind of expensive smelling scent and b. weather that is unforgiving.

Most beautifully refreshing fragrance I own. Nothing else feels like it lightens the day and my spirits and cools me off the same way. No one has ever commented on it and I dont know that anyone ever will but nothing else is as fresh and cool as this. Exactly like a mist of grape water on your face etc.

Very refreshing, it's like a shower on a hot day in the city. Beautifully blended green tea and mint, I almost don't get the citrusy notes, but it doesn't bother me at the slightest.
At the same time, one of the least synthetic Aqua Allegoria scents, and one of the more long-lasting ones. No wonder it has stayed in the range for years.
Clean and elegant, it's suitable for every age group. It reminisce every single green tea-based fragrance I've had in my collection (including the iconic Elizabeth Arden Green Tea), but brings this little something on top that makes it stand out.

This is minty! Like the scent of organic toothpaste. Lemon comes first in the opening. Mint follows in abundance. Along side there’s also that super grassy note. Could be the clover or cyclamen. The tea comes up a little later and softens the sharp herbal concoction. This scent will cut through any heat and sluggishness of summer. I was deciding between keeping this or Limon Verde as they both smell very green to me and went with this. I find this to be more unique and versatile.

Very refreshing and unisex. Ultimate summer fragrance for both genders. It will layer so well with my Teazzurra and possibly all the other ones I love from the collection.

Mint. Mint. Mint. In the opening, lemon is secondary to the mint however, when the mint mellows, the lemon and light florals emerge as well. I do not sense any bitter green notes. This is a great fresh, out of the shower scent for the really high summer heat. Longevity is decent. Crisp white cotton shirt or dress compliment.

For some reason, Guerlain Aqua Allegoria scents don’t work for me - my skin gobbles them up five minutes after application. Take, for example, Herba Fresca: it’s very nice, green and refreshing, but soooo fleeting... Perhaps I’m anosmic to some of its components.

My ultimate favourite summer scent. I can't imagine not having this one, when there's something like thousand degrees outside. Herba Fresca is extremly fresh, but without those citrusy cologne notes. Very green, very natural, nothing too sharp or too soapy.

Imagine walking on the meadow full of fresh green grass, clover and thicket of wild mint - this is how Herba Fresca smells like. Absolutely love it. Summer dreams in the bottle.

I blind bought this based on the reviews here and I have to say I was disappointed. To me, it does indeed smell like toothpaste. Not horribly so, but it's reminiscent of it. I found it a bit manly for my tastes, I prefer sweeter, feminine scents. It also had 0 lasting power on me. It's refreshing after a shower on a hot day, I'll hand to it.

Mint (mint toothpaste) + lemon verbena + burdock leaves, sorrel and nettle.


I love this wild, weed-y sensation, but it's to "toothpasty" for my taste. Like going outside with toothpaste stains all over my shirt.

This smells like a Fairmont hotel's spa, so refreshing and clean. I love to spray this on after I shower or during the summer. It's light, yet noticeable. Fresh greens, mint, poolside cocktail in a sugared glass, very much like an iced mojito. This will be the first of many allegoria fragrances that will be in my collection. My first real herbaceous scent and I love it!

Projection-Best Skin Scent

Longevity-2-3 Hours, but I don't care!

Overall 9/10

This reminds me of all the green tea fragrances that were so popular in the 1990s

Green tea floral with spearmint. Think Elizabeth Arden green tea with mint tones added.

How could some people not smell mint in Herba Fresca? It has hints of Wringley's Spearmint Gum with natural Kentucky green grass notes and some citrus and florals to balance everything out. Personally, it leans unisex for my taste. But that could be because my wife wears this sometimes. Sometimes when she's not around I like to smell the nozzle, and it reminds me of spending a weekend day together on a hot summer day. It's part of her aura, beauty, and femininity, just like many of her perfumes.

In short, Herba Fresca is a cool summer breeze you wear to feel fresh, clean and alive on those hot and humid days when you need a little reminder of how beautiful the world is around you. They could of easily named this fragrance, "Ahh, Nice Breeze" and it would be perfectly fitting.

Herba Fresca is a green scent that smells like walking in a shaded path. I smell a mix of herbs, with a hint of floral. The nondescript nature gives it an artificial impression. I don’t specifically detect any mint, but it definitely smells cool and refreshing. It’s suitable for hot weather. Projection is soft to moderate.

This may be the greenest of all scents I have today. Drydown is spearmint and for me, lasts all day on clothing. There are days that I feel like it's taking too long to disappear but it does make you think you are fresh. This would be best on a hot sticky summer day. It's quite an unusual scent compared to what you would usually find in stores.

I was told that this wouldn’t smell like gum. But the first thing I thought when I smelled it was gum. Don’t get me wrong it is actually in my top 5 fragrances. I just want to let you know that I definitely get a wrigley vibe. When I take time to process what I’m smelling though, I smell grass, not a sweet grass, but a very acidic grass. I can pick up a slightly watery aspect to it. It is very effervescent and airy like a cool breeze. My girlfriend was actually very impressed with this, she loves it. She had never smelled a guy who smells like acidic grassy watery mint before I guess. My mom thought I smelled like a girl had been cuddling up to me though and I see why; it’s actually more feminine than masculine. It reminds me of Elizabeth Arden Green Tea so much that it’s strikingly similar. I feel like this elevates any fragrance that I layer it with. It adds a touch of freshness and makes anything it touches a little more natural. Two things that stick out to me are it’s impressively natural smell and wearing it feels like I’m wearing a quality smell.

Spearmint open. Super natural but stick of chewing gum spearmint. Clover adds a slight sweetness balanced by the - subtle for me, and sour - lemon. Tea smooths it all out. Very smooth and very natural.
This is the perfect hot weather concentration for this fragrance. Light and fresh. Can reapply often and get fresh whiffs of a light summer day. Brings me to a place by myself in a huge meadow.
I wore this on a nature walk through grasslands and it smelled like a fresher, more floral version of what I was walking in. When it mixed with my skin, as I got hot over an 11 mile walk in 90 degree weather, it started to seem sexy and exotic. By the end of my walk there was just a trace clean scent on my skin, ready for me to freshen back up, like splashing cold water on my face. Or caudalie grape water from the refrigerator.
This smells like how I imagined Roadster, another Mathilde Laurent fragrance, would smell when I blind bought it. Roadsters approach is heavier while Herba Frescas approach is light and sparkly. Champagne touch.
Fresh and clean. Perfect hot weather white linen fragrance. Perfect -it's too hot for fragrance - fragrance. I like reapplying light fragrances in high heat anyway because it's refreshing without being cloying.
I always wanted to get into this line because I love the bee bottles. Nice cooling effect from the mint. Exactly what I have been looking for.
There are fragrances many times more expensive than this that achieve the same effect and do not smell any more natural or of any better quality.

It seems these perfumes are totally different depending on the person. From this one, I don't get the fresh mint scent but more a spearmint chewing gum scent and I wish it would stay there.

What ruins it for me is that this is followed but a harsh chemical-like lemon that makes it more a smell of toilet cleaner for me, I really dislike it.

I also tested the bergamot and calabria one which contrary to a lot of reviews saying they get the household cleaning scent, instead I get musky, cardamom, spicy-woody, slightly more perfumy but kind of too sweet for me.

I agree this is one is more like a body spray category and I usually like this category anyway.

I was gifted this perfume and I am wearing it in the mornings because it is totally acceptable to give you a fresh, clean like scent. Kind of the same feeling when you make a peppermint tea to feel more awake. I am hoping maybe I could enjoy it more during summer, however, I still wish the harsh lemon edge wasn't part of it.

This was one of the first scents in the Aqua Allegoria line. I love the minty herbal grassy mix in this EDT especially in extreme heat. And it is an EDT after all, so I don't expect it to last more than a few hours. At the price point, that's reasonable. It's still a very quality scent from a good house. As always, it's only my opinion and YMMV.

Unique, minty green fragrance! Perfect for the summer, but longevity seems to be lacking. I can't detect it past an hour, though I've gotten compliments around the 2 hour mark.

This is one of my favourite fragrances for weekend, I love its sharp minty blast and the cut-grass smell. I usually have this layered with Dior Homme Cologne, giving me the after-shower clean feeling sensastion.

The most Hermès one from Guerlain.
Expensive, natural, unsweet, un-smelled.

I bought Herba Fresca after having complimented a women on her scent and I was almost about to say "It's Hermès you are wearing, right?" D'uh.

I think this is a great travel fragrance, besides that the bottle is really not carry friendly! Damn you, Guerlain. It throws a freshness on you when you need it desperately (plains / waiting areas / trains etc.). In times I feel like this is almost too clean (air refreshener nauseaus vibe). But now, 34 Celsius in Berlin, it cuts through the smogsweatmoist. A nice scent for putting on a white T-Shirt.

99? 2018!

I got a bottle of this scent at long last. Herba Fresca is very basic and pure - it helps me to disconnect from negativity. Uplifting is the word that best describes this perfume. As for performance, it is soft (aqua) but long-lasting. I don't know why I waited so long, this is just perfect!

This is J.U.S.T. Amazing frozen mint&lemon ice-tea, so perfect for hot summer Days and so mouthwatering! Spearmint, fresh cut mint leaves with lemon juice is what you feel. Yes, the scent remains quite linear, but I can almost feel the drops sliding down the glas of ice-tea.

Very safe, non-offensive summer frag, office (and beach) friendly, but leans on a feminine side.

If you like Heeley Menthe Fraische, that would just as fine alternative on a budget.

Although I'm a die-hard Guerlain fangirl, I have to admit that the Aqua Allegoria line doesn't work for me at all. Yes, many of the scents from this collection are very enjoyable (Herba Fresca, Bergamote Calabria, Passiflora etc.); however I wish I could enjoy them for a bit longer than two hours max! Namely, they don't stick on my skin - less than two hours after application, they're completely gone; and even while they're there, they offer very soft silage and fail to make any sort of impact. If they were truly cheap, I wouldn't worry; as it is, they're quite overpriced for what they offer. Tbh there's no point in investing in Guerlain if I can get the same kind of scent, with the same or very similar performance, from Yves Rocher for a faction of the price.

This is a wonderful green/citrusy scent for summer daytime. Totally unisex, uplifting and safe, with the same philosophy as in Hermes Jardin line, Clinique Clinique Happy etc..

On my skin the big boss is the lemon along with the mint. This dominant couple is well mixed with a mild tea note and clove. Simple yet great fragrance for high temperatures that makes my mood. 

Performance is moderate overall. Very nice scent! It's a Guerlain..

Not a bad fragrance. If you accidentally hit a mint garden with a lawn mower, this is what you would smell. Spearmint mixed with grass.

It is definitely more refined that that however, and is not an unpleasant scent. However as a guy I am not sure when I would ever wear this...perhaps in the evening at home to relax. It does have the Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy vibe (a good thing).

For me, I wouldn't pay the asking price for it though. Just not interesting enough, and limited opportunity to use it.

if only this could go directly to the drydown, i would love it for the rest of my life. it would be a lovely scent for many many summers. i love how light and fresh and delicate and green it is. not sweet, and smells very natural, so many things i like in a perfume. however, something there makes me uneasy physically. also, i have never previuosly smelled such a realistic mint in a fragrance. but unfortunately, this mint is of such type, that i can not shake association with a toothpaste. why oh why. this phase lasts unfortunately quite long. i don't know. i will have to re-test later but it is most likely not for me.

It is a light, weightless and delicate fragrance. Associations - I lie in the spring on the field, and around there are many beautiful and colorful butterflies. And around the mown grass. The aroma of a summer morning, but at night it was pouring down a warm rain.

I love Herba Fresca. Guerlain's Aqua Allegoria line is really surprising and affordable. Featuring refreshing green tea, lemon and mint. After a few minutes I pick up grass notes. I'm ready for a heatwave.

I love this perfume, it smells like mint, citrus fruit and tea so basically a mojito.
However, my body chemistry just won't work with it.
I get the fresh mint and lemon when I first spray, then it dries to a rubber tire type of weird smell. The lasting power was terrible as well, disappeared within 30 min.
Such a shame, it's so fresh in the summer.



Edit - I've purchased this maybe 3 years ago and tried it a couple of times but it just turned into the rubber tire smell.
I've been re-trying some fragrances that have been sitting on my shelf and it didn't turn this time!
I get a really fresh mint tea and it smells amazing!
I layered a lilac scent over top and it's probably going to be my go to this spring/summer! Loving this!

P.S this is gym appropriate opposed to those sugary sweet scents that girls often suffocate me with.

I find this fragrance delightful even on stressful days. Refreshing yet strangely, feels like a hug for me. Definitely a summer fragrance, perfect for the searing heat of Jakarta. If only this would last longer though...

This perfume is delightful, in my opinion. If you are a fan of "green" fragrances, then I highly recommend this one.

I don't think this is a very complicated perfume, as it's very easy to detect what the notes are. The notes that stand out the most for me are the mint and the citrus. As the fragrance dries down, I pick up on more of the green tea and other green notes. The combination of everything makes it smell very fresh and earthy.

I know that some have described this perfume as mojito-like, to which I completely agree with. And just like mojitos, Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca is very refreshing on a hot and humid Summer day!

When I first spray this I can smell the lemon, clover, fresh garden spearmint and a little bit of green tea. Then it dries down to this lovely, fresh "meadow" type of a scent. It smells very pretty and natural. I do not get "toothpaste" from this, as I read in some reviews. I also read some people comparing the to the original Herbal Essence shampoo from the 70s (the emerald green one, with a picture of a women with flowing blonde hair). Although I don't think it smells exactly like that, I do see the similarity, as this is also a fresh herbal type of a scent. A light, quality, natural smelling perfume. I love this one.

It's just what the name of the perfume (fresh grass) says it is, really: Grass + lemon + mint. But extremely well-done and totally natural; the mint in this is probably the best I've ever smelled, not toothpastey at all.

I have been on the fence about blind buying this as there is nowhere near me which carries this line. It is not quite what I was hoping for based on reviews and listed notes. My expectation was for a herbaceous, unisex green smell. The reality is more of a laundry detergent scented breathmint. It's not at all unpleasant, but it is similarly not at all unisex. Feminine, powdery, minty, soapy, and clean. As many of these lighter "fresh" scents do (for me), it does not live long on my skin.
Still on the search for the perfect green scent...

I adore this fragrance, it is my all time favourite perfume. smells like lemons, fresh cut grass, mint in an exquisite blend that smells expensive and lasts all day.

This is different to Clean Lovegrass, which smells of sweet mown lawn , and different to Hermes Jardin sur la Toit (aquatic with strong waterlily and white flowers), . This one is not sweet at all. It is herbal. Like a waft of icy cool mojito.

>>Updating this 6 years later in 2023:
When you spray it you get a cool blast of mint and fresh cut grass. Imagine brushing your teeth and cleaning the lawnmover at once, with a hint of lemon .

One of the Allegorias I just struggle with. I love almost all other's that I've tried and I have to be in a VERY specific mood for this.

It's a very realistic freshly mown grass smell with some smashed mint and perhaps a green tea beverage. I actually find this much too strong and longlasting, for what I want ... which is odd, I usually like very long lasting scents. This, and the rest of the original Allegorias, are very long lasting.

What one can do to mellow it out is layer: I've discovered it goes very well with Eden (layered on top after 2 hours) and Green Tea by Elizabeth Arden.

Oh my god...having spent most of my childhood in a small Serbian village with grandma and grandpa, this is just such a huge, ubelivable throwback to thise days...cutting the grass to feed the cows, playing with dogs and lambs around the village...this us really something special huys. Acqya allegoria thrully is the best representation of nature Ive ever smelled! I just cant put it into words.

Super nice. Well done Guerlain. Just made my top 5 list for fresh herb fragrances.


9/10

I'm rapidly becoming a big fan of Guerlain's Aqua Allegoria range. The best of them provide extremely natural and realistic compositions of exceptional quality, especially considering the relatively low price-point.

The whole range are (intentionally) fairly simple in composition, but the clarity of the main themes and notes are often outstanding. Herba Fresca smells PRECISELY like dried mint tea - open a new box of mint tea, press your nose to the box and inhale deeply....that's the same olfactory experience as the opening of Herba Fresca.

It's fresh, clean and invigorating with absolutely no harshness and comfortably matches the similar (and more recent) composition of Menthe Fraiche by James Heeley for quality, but at a fraction of the price.

Totally unisex (I'm a male) and an essential hot-weather alternative to citrus-themed fragrances.

Herba Fresca does an exemplary job of evoking both the aroma and the invigorating sensory jolt of freshly crushed herbs. As one might expect from a scent in the Aqua Allegoria line, it isn't a literal representation of a particular herb; rather, it is a symbolic representation of the platonic ideal of a herb - refreshing, bitter and green. The main accord behind this impression is lemon, tea and prominent mint (think garden, rather than toothpaste), bolstered by powdery musk. The muskiness extends Herba Fresca's freshness into the dry down, even as the greenness gets darker and the mint softer. The overall effect is pleasant, clever even; ultimately, though, it leaves me cold due to its lack of complexity or development.

Giant blast of mint on spraying this, which is perfect for a mint lover like me! Can definitely smell lemon strongly too, especially once the initial mint blast is over. It's a very fresh, bittersweet scent. Sillage and longevity are low, but it is so refreshing, beautiful, and decently priced if bought from discounters, so it is still a LOVE for me. The bottle is truly gorgeous. It is my favorite mint fragrance that I've tried.

I am a (amateur) gardener, and there is something visceral that happens to me when I pluck a few leaves of lemon balm, mint or lavender, crush them in my fingers, lift them to my nose and inhale deeply. It's like a little happy jump in my stomach. I keep sniffing, and while there is no moment as intense scent-wise as that first, freshly-crushed moment, the smell lingers on my hands and gives me a lift.

This fragrance comes close to replicating that feeling, for me. Both in the happiness it gives me, and the short-lived intensity. A very green, minty and sharp herbaceous scent, and a bit chilly in a pleasant way. Then the mint mostly evaporates and leaves an uplifting light citrus.

This is the perfect scent for hot weather. If you're puttering around the house on a summer morning, spray this on only for you - then later when you shower, you can put on your going-out fragrance. Or spray this on before bedtime to feel like you're going to sleep on a bed of fresh minty lemony greenery... ah. It's not long-lived, but it's not expensive either. Nothing gold can stay!

The best fragrance for hot and humid tropical summer in South Florida. So fresh yet not harsh. Mint, lemon, some herbs and some light flower notes at the end.

The only drawback that it disappeared from my skin literally 10-15 min after I tried it the wrist. I sprayed from the tester and by the time I got into my car, the smell was gone. I could barely smell some basic flower notes.

I really expected to love this one, based on the reviews and notes... herbs! Mint! Freshness and lightness and summer! It sounded perfect. The opening was a very, very, VERY strong mint (as expected) - it burned a little on my wrist. As the mint subsided, I got... a frighteningly accurate rendition of Irish Spring soap! My mom used to buy this, a long time ago, and the similarity was uncanny. Not really what I was hoping for, unfortunately, so this one is a no-go for me.

Edit: After testing a couple other mint fragrances (Imaginary Authors - St. Julep, Heeley - Menthe Fraiche, and Urban Outfitters - Menthe Maroc), I tried this one again. It's blisteringly hot here, sticky and humid, with a heat index up around 105(F). It's hard to find anything comfortable to wear (in terms of fragrance). And, you know what - this worked. It still reminds me (a little) of Irish Spring, but it smells light, fresh, clean with the tiniest bit of sweetness. The lemon seems to freshen it up, but happily doesn't turn into something that I'd clean the floor with. The whole thing seems slightly bright and sweet and really pleasant. Catching whiffs is making me feel clean and lovely, despite the suffocating weather (and general sweatiness that goes with it). I'm glad that I gave it a second try!

Perhaps the most unusual and interesting perfume of the Aqua Allegoria range. Instead of heading for fashion-victim sophistication, the strength of this original fragrance resides in its dewy, summery simplicity. With gorgeous top notes of garden herbs (mint, clover, do I detect a hint of marjoram ?) backed by the subtle purity of green tea and lily of the valley, this juice is as blissful as a stroll barefoot through the wet grass on a glorious June morning.
The mint is not overpowering, rather it blends nicely with the other ingredients, creating a combo that would not smell out of place on your skin if you had just picked the herbs yourself. Be warned, however, that this is not a strong perfume. And rightly so : had it been stronger it would have missed the point. A truly artistic garden scent should be green and white and subtle.
Just as Nature intended.

For fans of : Un Jardin en Mediterrannee.
Best worn with : a white dress and little make up.
Buy it : on the first day of the Summer holidays, when the weather forecast is nothing less than glorious and the days ahead are full of promises.

i am a fan of unusual fragrances. aqua allegoria is a nice thing,i had the pamplemousde and mandarine basilic and currently have this for test. all of them are very pleasant and this one is also very gradsy and "tasty"-like picking herbs for cooking. a good smell eśecuslly for summer.

I’m normally pretty indifferent to Guerlain, but this little perfume is wonderful. I bought it after trying three others from the Aqua Allegoria line: Pamplelune halfway interested me but struck me as too heavy for summer; Flora Nerolia was too generic a floral for my taste; and Mandarine Basilic was just plain too generic. But Herba Fresca was impossible to forget, and as soon as the weather grew hot, I ran back to the store and got it, craving the unique refreshment it provided.

To enjoy this refreshment, you definitely need to be fine with mint, or you *will* feel as though you spent your money on a bottle of liquid Colgate. Mint is by far the most dominant note, so no matter how much one argues that it’s finely done and natural smelling, an amount of toothpaste associations is inevitable.

Still, what Herba Fresca lacks in versatility (I feel it’s summer only, and then not for every day—not the one to pack for a desert-island vacation) it amply makes up for in how efficient it is as a special treat, almost a secret weapon, to reach for when you really need a refreshment and a boost to your mood. It works beautifully when nothing else does, lacks any of the screechiness one usually fears with ‘bright’ scents, and doesn’t cause headaches no matter how much you apply. It also doesn’t reek of any of the sillage-boosting chemicals that plague sundry Acqua di Gioias and other popular summer scents.

My experience of wearing it usually starts with “Mint! How wonderfully refreshing and quirkily original is that?” Lemon, though listed, doesn’t come through, and I count that as a welcome departure from the usual citric openings. About ten minutes later, some insecurity sets in: “Hmm, maybe too much mint. Is it really original or silly and juvenile? Geez, I hope I don’t smell like I bathed in mouthwash!” But just when I start fretting that the whole thing was a terrible mistake, the mint starts morphing into a freshly-cut-grass note, then into flowers, most prominently cyclamen. Soon the flowers dominate, and though the mint never goes away, I’d classify the whole as a pretty, fresh, delicate floral.

To my nose, it’s so floral I wouldn’t recommend it to a guy, although if a guy really liked it, I think the naturalistic feel would help him pull it off. Anyone can smell like a meadow, after all, and a meadow—brightly green, sunlit, in full bloom—truly is what this perfume brings to mind. There's nothing else in my collection that brings such a visceral feeling of relief from the heat or such an instant injection of optimism and calm. Gorgeous.

Mint and clover. Perfect for a hot day.

I chose this fragrance amongst many other contenders as work gratis. I decided to choose Guerlain Herba Fresca because I've never owned anything Guerlain and I don't see myself ever purchasing from this fragrance house so I seized the opportunity. This is not an everyday go to fragrance intended for those who like wearing the likes of Flowerbomb and Miss Dior Absolutely Blooming. This is a unique scent for those with an evolved sense of fragrance. This scent is earthy and fresh with the top note as mint with a bit of grassiness to it. The mint is bold in the fragrance's sillage. This is a light fragrance maybe lasting 2-3 hours tops. I don't smell the base notes mentioned in the dry down except may hints of pear blossom or cyclamen. This is a fragrance intended for Spring definitely, maybe summer. It can also be layered but choose with which you layer wisely. Needless to say, I am happy to own a piece of Guerlain and am excited to have it in my fragrance wardrobe.

Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca . This is a fresh and cool mojito
without a doubt . I get a very minty, cool , mojito from this , would be great to spritz after being stored in the fridge. Wonderful for hot sticky days. I find everything from the Aqua Allegoria line , to be comparable to a body spray due to nill longevity and projection , but it one heck of a beautifully packaged body spray !

Goes on with citrus that smells like lime instead of lemon, huge mint and an almost basil note. As it dries down the grass/clover smell comes forward. PERFECT for summer.

Green, minty with a bit of sweetness, maybe the sweetness comes from the clover, but not too sweet, perfect for the summer. I made the mistake of buying a bottle of 75ml while pregnant and after my chemistry changed after giving birth, it gives a too sharp mint on me. I'm selling my barely used bottle for a lower price, located in Brussels

Herba Fresca is summer in a bottle, at least if your summer comes with cool minty cocktails, as mine does if I have any say in the matter. Just like those cocktails, this scent only feels right for beautiful warm summer days; I'd probably never even think of it at any other time of year, and feel indifferent about it if I did use it out of season, but when its time does come it's perfect: light, natural, green, and very refreshing.
Of course, it's for mint lovers only; I can't distinguish any other notes, except as a pleasant but vague background of fresh herbs. For me, mint is usually one of those notes I can take or leave, but I do like it when it's done well. And it is here: no peppermint or toothpaste, just lifelike fresh mint leaves. I don't suppose I'd ever give Herba Fresca more than a few days' wear a year, but all the same I would love a little decant to have on hand, just for those rare days of real summer that do call for mint cocktails.

This is a summer favourite of mine. It's simply beautiful, but oh so fleeting. If you want to smell of this all day be prepared to apply every hour! It goes on a bit screechy but quickly settles into something transcendentail. It's at its best about 20 Minutes in on me. If only this could be longer lasting . . .

While it is around, it speaks of fresh summer days, bright blue skies, mountains, lakes, butterflies and warm breezes. The mint makes this and sets it apart from other herbal / citrus fragrances - the mint is unexpected, so fresh and sweet and blends perfectly with the lily of the valley.

Sprayed this on my wrist and all I can get is a cold glass of mojito. It's weird cause when I smelled it on it's own, it was much greener. But then again, a mojito in the summer is just what you need.

This is a weird one. But I love it. As others have said it's very clean and fresh. I get major mint, lemon, and clover. It's a crisp, dewy morning in a young herb garden surrounded by newly cut grass. Once dry the scent loses any lingering sweetness and turns very soapy. I don't mind the short wear time. A smell like this is meant to be fleeting. This is what I want to wear on a early summer day to sit in my garden patio reading a book while it pours down rain just outside. I guess I'm a romantic...

This smells of freshly cut grass for me. I've loved it since I was 14. But it's definitely love it or hate it. Unfortunately most people I know hate it. It's a very unusual scent.
I'm not really getting any mint or lemon. Just sweet freshly cut grass.

Herba fresca is a heartbreaker for me. A beautiful, fresh, evocative scent - but it doesn't last long enough. I find myself frequently reapplying and trying to smell it on myself which eventually becomes tiring. Such a shame because the scent makes me so happy.

Washing up liquid. Or cleaning the bathroom just after you've brushed your teeth.

I really don't get this one at all-its not working at all well on me. Cheap spearmint, cheap tea. it just stays as a minty blob on your wrist like you've splattered yourself with toothpaste-there's no evolution, just monotonous mint.

I can't believe how hard I've fallen for this light, fleeting fragrance that I really have to lay on with a heavy hand. If I could find this scent in a long-lasting greater silage I'd be set!

This does indeed smell like toothpaste. And chewing gum. And lemon. And herbs. So, it's not exactly a perfume for seduction, but it's a more of a thought, a moment, a mood. When I spray it, I'm uplifted and transported to my yard where there are three varieties of mint, including my mother's bequest to me, "chocolate mint." I remember Willow Creek running by our childhood house with its lemon balm and sprigs of purple-blooming mint growing in between, and watercresses. This is the smell of early spring, of that creek, the bark of trees, the first day of school, mouthwash, toothpaste, lemon-aide.

I realize as I write this, that many may go "blech." And, normally as an Amouage Epic and Jubliation lover, I would too, but this is a "memory" scent and a lifter. As someone who abhors "clean" scents--this is "uber clean!" How much cleaner can one get than hygiene elixirs and pastes?

But it's so refreshing and lovely that I'm spraying with abandon on these last days of August. After the minty blast of fresh cool air, comes a lemon right behind, and then, most lovely as a very light skin scent, LOTV. So for those of you worried that an hour after you spray this, others will be blasted with Colgate, fear not. They will either smell not much at all, or, just a faint, cool fizzy lily.

As a woman of a certain age, this is also perfect for those moments where we appreciate a "cool breeze" to temper the sudden heat.

I'm stocking up so I can enjoy more of these memories in a bottle.

oh yeah ... its me again... new parfume...again..
i am faithful Guerlain fan i think they are one of the best.
Love it, it is fresh minty, limon and fresh grass
little bit similar to one of Prada infusions at least that mint part
very soft
i am powdery scent lover but for hot summer you just need something clean and fresh and this is it!
p.s. i a migrane sufferer and this is migrane safe parfume no matter how much you use!

Wow, this is great. I love natural perfumery, herbal, green, grassy, woodsy smells, so is why this really suits me for a fresh fragrance.
I'v been looking for a great, realistic, quality, fresh, green, grassy fragrance, that's also very cleansing. This is one of the very best I have found.
The mint note is the most natural mint note I have ever tried, of many. It actually reminded me of when I picked some real mint leaves for tea, decades ago...
I like mint in several of my fragrances, Memoir Man, Guerlain L'eau Boisee, Yatogan, Eloge du Traitre, Nuit Etoilee, but this is the best.
Annick Goutal's Nuit Etoilee is the most similar to Herba Fresca, but it's too sweet. I like the dry realistic quality of Herba, it also makes it more refreshing.

I do get some citrusy freshness, a natural tea note, and some other natural notes. Lilly of the vally is my favorite floral, here it's a nice nuance.

I think there may be very light woodsy notes, just adding a bit of texture. The clover gives that natural cut grass smell, making an accord with the mint and green tea.

I have tried some of the Hermes Jardin (garden) series. Sur Le seems childish and synthetic compared to this. I have bought Pamplelune, the grapefruit edition of AA series. It is great, but felt to feminine aftet a while so I gave it to my Mom. Herba Fresca is fine for me, truly gender neutral, like mint tea.

Rating 9/10

God bless. John 3:16

It is really green scent. To me, at first, smelled like a mint pastile (not in a bad way), and after a while, the mint gets weaker and i could feel fresh lawned grass. It is unusual scent, but not so thrilled whit it. For me, it lacks complexity and longevity is very short.

The initial scent you get upon spraying is so, so lovely! It's a fresh burst of mint and leaves with a hint of citrus - just perfect for those humid summer days.
Unfortunately, from fresh, crisp mint, the scent evolves into a dry, soapy smell. It isn't unpleasant at all, in fact, it smells a bit like clean laundry, which is great too -- it's just not quite what I was hoping for when buying a fresh, green, minty scent.

I absolutely love the mint in this, I disagree it is the same mint as in toothpaste or chewing gums, it is a fresh mint from the garden, not harsh at all.
Somehow it reminds me of Elizabeth Arden 'Green Tea', very fresh and fits into my idea of a refreshing summer scent. I am so sad I only have a sample of it.
Absolutely beautiful in its freshness and simplicity

Smells like mojito-scented soap to me. I am actually surprised at how soapy it reads to my nose. The mint is very green, as opposed to peppermint. I could get into this.

And now something completely different... I Wanted something that was missing from my collectio and I found it. I simplylove it, really different from all the similar perfumes that are out now.. And yes. It reminds me of a mojito

Smells like tomato leaves to me. Fresh and green, but light.

I am in a tropical zone. I think this scent is really great. It is quite moderate longevity but strong sillage on my skin. It's very fresh and herbal green sometimes. Like an oasis in a desert, I recommend this scent for your summer.

I tried a tester and thought I was crazy about it. So fresh! It did seem to go a little flat, to straight lemon, within a few hours. Then I had my husband smell my wrist and he said it smelled like 'one of those lemon urinal pucks." :(

I'll have to try it again another day, see how it goes.

This was nearly a blind buy for me. After purchasing AA Mandarin Basilic I was so in love with it I wanted to buy some more of the AA scente, and Herba Fresca seemed like I perfect choice. I loved the idea of a scent of a fresh summer morning, the herbs, the dewy grass.. however today I finally tried it in the shop and I am so glad I did because had I bought it, it would have been an expensive disappointment.
I sprayed Herba Fresca on my skin and immediately smelt very strong lemon. There was a slight scent of mint which faded quickly and all I was left with was strong lemon.
On me, it didn't smell of herbs at all. Nor did it smell of a fresh sunny morning, meadows or anything like that. I could smell only smell sharp lemon which followed me for good six hours, until I got home and washed it off. It was the kind of lemy smell that gets to the back of the throat and burns a bit. Very, very different from what I had expected Herba Fresca to be. I'm just glad I didn't blind buy it!

It smells like the beginning of holiday in the countryside - fresh herbs, grass, humid soil in the morning and cool, sunny weather. After testing it again, I totally want it for summer!

Smells like mint toothpaste mixed wih men's shaving cream or aftershave. Delicate spice overwhelmed by the mint toothpaste makes this a miss for me. I agree there is a faint cooking herb scent underneath, as I first detected thyme or sage, but I couldn't get past the toothpaste.

Like walking barefoot on the dew-wet grass. At dawn, when the sun has not risen yet, early in June.

I enjoy the smell of mint so I thought I was going to love this. But I get way too much Irish Spring soap from this. Straight up clover. I am so disappointed!!!

So beautiful, so fleeting. Like a snowflake in summer

I sometimes think I spend more money on perfumes than I do food. Only the most ephemeral of perfumes seem to satisfy me. I am like a forest creature forever grazing on the lightest of foods, forever consuming vast amounts of vegetation in order to gain enough calorific content and nutrients.

Herba Fresca is so perfectly suited to my tastes. It is light, completely natural smelling and utterly magical. The herbs, the mint, the soft elusivity of the composition... I truly love it. I have no doubt that I will go through this bottle perhaps more quickly than even my L'Artisans. Once an hour I need to reapply. Like a crack addict chasing the dragon. Chasing an ethereal minty lemon dragon that leads me from the blazing sun of the city into the cooling enchanted forest. Take me. Take me away from the world, if only for a moment.

I love it! Smells exactly like a mojito! I love mojitos! And in the hot, sticky summer this is what I want to smell like :)

On paper, Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca seemed like a perfect fragrance, given my love for fresh cut grass and all things Guerlain! The opening notes are sour lemon and grapefruit. Next, a pungent mint follows, reminiscent of a Mint Julep (muddled spearmint leaves mixed with bourbon and sugar syrup). Herba Fresca would be an ideal summer spritzer, as it is light and refreshing. Sillage is low; longevity is weak. Overall, I found it rather disappointing.

I wanted so much to like it... and I loved it for the first ten minutes, fresh green grass, but after that it was as I had a peppermint chewing gum on my arm, very sinthetic :'(
Still looking for the real "Herba Fresca" scent!

This allegoria smells like gin, to me. Not my favourite beverage at the best of times.
Or maybe gin and chartreuse with a little creme de menthe. Does not behave on my skin.

I was really excited to try this, but I found that the mint (which was absolutely lovely) wore off quickly and I was left with an overwhelming lemon scent a la Chanel Cristalle Eau Verte, which I found too sharp and a little headache inducing. A scrubber for me unfortunately. If only the mint had been more enduring!

EDIT: Tried it again a year later and found that the mint scent really does endure. I sense the lily of the valley, the tea, a little citrus, and a cool whisper of mint that lasts until the perfume disappears. Longevity is not long, about 3-4 hours. But altogether really lovely! Perfect for the thick heat of summer. WANT.

Updated review on Herba Fresca

Herba Fresca - most beautiful when worn in 85+ hot and humid summer days. The heat and humidity really plays well with this fragrance as all the harsh notes fade away in the heat and instead makes you feel clean and fresh. The blend becomes well balanced and the flower notes awaken to release the most wonderful aroma. I don’t think this is meant to be worn in doors in a nice air conditioned room, it is meant to be worn outdoors to allow this little beauty show its true nature.

I never thought I would meet a Guerlain that I didn't care for, but this one is just not my cup of mint tea. I was hoping for the fresh herb garden, dewy green grass scent with lemon that everyone else is getting. But no, I just smell like spearmint chewing gum. Not toothpaste...but definitely gum or breath mints. Disappointing, but I still love Guerlain. I guess they can't all be winners.

Herba Fresca opens with pure mint, then the tea note appears faintly. That's all I get, and while it is fresh, and light, it reminds me more of chewing gum than perfume. Skin scent, lasts about 2 hours.

Wonderful !! smells like peppermint with a touch, natural citric rusty ... good persistence that can be expected from Guerlain.

It smells too green on me, and also presents a little cheap feeling. I expected it to be fresh and natural but it turns out disappointing. Maybe it would be great on others but just not on me.

Very nice opening, but it quickly turns into basic soap scent on my skin(( Same with all Aqua Allegoria perfumes. Definitely test before you buy!

I like this better on my boyfriend than on me. It's rather too intense on the citrus side for me (I prefer musks, white florals, and gourmands). His skin pH (men have lower acidity making their skin oilier) brings the mint out tremendously and is perfect for a spring day out.

A beautifully balanced mint and citrus cologne which feels instantly cool, fresh and alive.

It has none of the harshness of other mint based perfumes, yet still affirms itself with a soft, finely tuned clarity.

When I smell this, I imagine myself stirring mojitos on a manicured green lawn in the height of summer.

Use this to conjure up a welcome breeze in the oppressive stuffiness of your poorly air-conditioned office.

I smelled this perfume today for the first time while purchasing Mandarine Basilica. The minty-ness of it makes it interesting, however if you're worrying it's a toothpaste kind of mint, fear not - it isn't. As other reviewers have said, it smells very much like real mint leaves, quite beautiful, and different. It's the sort of smell I can imagine wearing both on a wet, green spring day or a sweltering hot summer day. It's probably a good thing that the Sephora that I was at was out of stock or I might have been tempted to get both. As it is, it's now on my wish list.

For me this opens very sharp citrus and the green seems to be lemon leaves. It is not a real pleasant opening as it is quite sharp, like squeezed lemon leaves and fresh cut lemon. It takes a while for the tea and mint to develop but the citrus is still very dominant. I would say the heart is very light and the pear is what I get last but very faint.

This might be a nice summer scent, it is still pretty cool here in South FL, and I’ll wait for summer to see how this works then. For now I am on the fence on this particular scent.

A skin scent with light wear.

I was surprised to find out how flat this fragrance is. Thin and plasticky. Not sure what the allegory is about - if it is about evoking the feeling of walking over freshly cut grass, of passing through a mint leaves garden or of drinking well cooked green tea, then this allegory is one big failure. Because in the end this one does not allude to any of the above mentioned three. Smells cheap, is unpleasantly sticky, and brings allusions to some of the orbit or peppermint gums.
*(****)

Herba Fresca is a funny fragrance.. On me, I mostly pick out the mint and tea, and on my sister mostly the lemon. On antoher friend of mine more the florals. I really think this is a safe blind buy (if you love fresh that is), for everyone. Somehow this scent is an 'all sizes fit', it transforms to your skin and you'll be wearing her, instead of otherwise. She'll find a way to adapt to you and make the most of your skin without hiding you behind a veil of scent. She is softly on the background and she gently touches your nose and leaves an pleasant impression of her, softly.

It's mostly a fragrance to wear in summer or spring, but she can easily be worn in colder days as well. She layers beautifully with other fragrances (my favorite; chocolate notes), and is an easy to put on in a lot of occasions. Can't really go wrong with this one. But, even with her talent to transform an adapting, she is a perfume, not to be treated like a deodorant.

Has an good sillige (within armlength), is not heavy at all, but definatly noticable. Wears for almost up to 4 hours and settles quick to the heart (she doens't take long to adapt) and wears out very slowly. No regrets at all of my 75ml bottle.

It's very green mint leaf fragrance. A little balsamic to me, fresh - rain like smell. Very natural and wonderful.
It's transparent, airy, even windy kind of smell, soothes the mind - almost zen-like.
I'm liking this one a lot. And it's my first Guerlain! Makes me asking for more of them.

Green Tea with Mint...

What a wonderful, lovely scent! So green and innocent! It is said that Jean-Paul Guerlain wanted to evoke with this the impression of when you are a child playing barefoot in the grass... and what an impression this one creates! The tea combined with the cyclamen, lilly-of-the-valley and clover, really give a light, airy, fresh, ozonic feeling to the whole fragrance, but the mint is the real player here. It's not a toothpaste-like mint, this is more of a green mint leaf crushed between your fingers kind of mint. It's extremely refreshing! Especially when combined with the lemon and green tea.

It's definitely beautiful stuff! I put some on earlier and it lasted six hours! Even longer on clothes! In my opinion this one is perfect for any time of year... and totally unisex! In fact, men, women, children... absolutely anyone can wear it! It's calm, clean, natural and inoffensive. A real masterpiece of freshness!

I love the Aqua Allegoria line, I have three different bottles and Herba Fresca is my favorite. I went through two bottles of this quickly while I barely use Orange Magnifica and and still have Mandarine Basilic. Herba Fresca lifts my mood instantly... I live in the french countryside and this is how spring mornings smell like...Yes it's toothpasty but I kinda like that. It also smells very much like wild mint growing everywhere here. This doesn't last on skin but it does on clothes. While shopping in a departement store in Manila, the sales clerk told me "You smell good Ma'am", I told him " Oh I don't think it's me " since I sprayed Herba Fresca hours ago. But he insisted it was me and that it smelled really fresh.
I have many summery perfumes but none of them lifts my mood and makes me feel close to nature than Herba Fresca !!!

I'm rediscovering this one after I received a carded sample with three Allegoria from a very kind SA.
I always liked it, not loved it, but I need a refreshing perfume sometimes and this one is so nice!
I never gave it enough time to develop on my skin.
It's light and it fades in 2 hours at most, but I love the way it lingers on my skin as a bare trace after the initial burst of mint and grass.
It's uplifting for my brain.
Less simple than it may seems.
This is a well done herbal scent, regardless of natural vs synthetic. Not sure about the aromatherapy effect, but it gives relief in close crowded places in winter, too.
Its style is very carefree and Holiday-like.
IMO it can be worn as a perfume with no problem, because anyway it's classy enough and nobody will think that you just rolled in the grass! And even if...

It could be that I've never smelled anything like it before, and that in time I may come to appreciate this type of fragrance. But the more I smell it , the more my nose becomes atune to it.
I tried some again today and I'm starting to get it.