The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Tagetes Homme was launched in 2012 by perfumer Shelley Waddington for En Voyage Perfumes. The name points to tagetes, or marigold, a flower whose crushed leaves carry a famously pungent green aroma. Rather than turn that botanical into something sweet, Waddington placed it beside sage and violet leaf, then built a woody amber structure around it. The result is a study in masculine florals: sharp, earthy, aromatic and quietly unconventional. The marigold here reads as a crushed leaf rather than a petal, snapping with green bitterness before the herbs settle into something drier and more composed. Sage lends a herbal sharpness, violet leaf a cool leafy brightness, and the woody base draws everything down toward the ground.
The marigold in Tagetes Homme arrives green and almost peppery, interesting from the first breath. Sage adds medicinal clarity, while violet leaf introduces a cool metallic edge. Cedar, patchouli and woody notes then pull those fresh herbs toward the soil. Amber, frankincense, myrrh and Spanish labdanum complete a familiar incense-and-resin vocabulary, but here it grounds the flowers rather than making the composition remote. As the opening gives way, the green foliage softens into resinous warmth, and the floral heart becomes less leafy and more textural.
The evolution
The opening starts with visual clarity: marigold leaves, sage and violet leaf create a green, aromatic surface with a distinctly herbal edge. That brightness quickly warms as amber, cedar and patchouli take over. The heart feels darker and more tactile, like damp soil, polished wood and a thread of spice moving beneath the herbs. Later, the composition gathers itself into resin. Frankincense and myrrh sharpen the center, while Spanish labdanum gives the base a leathery, ambered warmth. By the time the floral opening has disappeared, the scent settles into a woody, balsamic trail, earthy and distinctly masculine. The green accord lingers longest at first, then recedes behind the resins, and what remains is smooth, dry and quietly spiced.
Cultural impact
Tagetes Homme takes marigold, a flower most often met in gardens and market stalls, and sets it inside a woody amber structure. Some wearers draw comparisons to the earthy spice of Bel Ami, but the composition's character comes from the tension between the sharp green foliage and the resins beneath it. Sage and violet leaf keep the opening brisk and herbal, while cedar, patchouli, amber, frankincense, myrrh and Spanish labdanum draw the whole thing down into warm, dry wood. It's an approachable way to explore a masculine floral, and one that rewards attention to how the greenery softens over time.
The House
En Voyage PerfumesEn Voyage Perfumes translates wanderlust into scent. Founded by American artisan perfumer Shelley Waddington, the house offers a curated line of niche fragrances that echo the geography, colour and rhythm of far‑off places. From the citrus‑bright Nectars des Iles to the amber‑rich Captured in Amber, each bottle invites the wearer to step onto a new shore without leaving home. The brand balances a modern, minimalist visual language with a deep respect for the raw materials that give each composition its character.
The Creator
Shelley WaddingtonWaddington favors rich, layered compositions with a pronounced opulence. She works comfortably in oriental territory, deploying resins, incense, and warm woods as foundational elements.
