The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
When Hanae Mori introduced HiM, it marked the house's first dedicated men's fragrance, a significant statement from a brand expanding its perfumery into new territory. Thomas Saujet, president of ICP worldwide licensee for Hanae Mori Parfums, put it plainly: "We wanted to do a real men's scent." Not a light daytime refresher. Not another blue bottle. The fragrance opens with crisp, green notes that give way to a heart of warm spices and rich woods. Cardamom and pepper provide an immediate spark, while cedar and sandalwood anchor the composition with creamy, resinous depth. As it settles on the skin, the scent reveals layers of amber and light musk that add warmth without heaviness.
The challenge with spicy-woody compositions is restraint. Cardamom and cinnamon demand attention by nature. Teakwood and fir balsam ground everything in density. On paper, the note list reads like a fragrance that wants to shout. What the perfumer understood is that fig wood and tonka bean are the essential counterweights, they don't soften the structure, they soften the wearer's experience of it. The result is a fragrance that projects warmth and spice but never heaviness. HiM achieves something counterintuitive: a composition built from demanding materials that manages to feel approachable throughout its wear.
The evolution
The opening arrives with citrus brightness, bergamot and mandarin orange cutting clean through the top. But there's an aromatic edge here too: violet leaf and cardamom give the first minutes a green, slightly herbal lift that signals this isn't a simple fruity-citrus fragrance. Within fifteen minutes the heart takes over. Cinnamon and fig wood arrive together, the spice warm and dry, the fig contributing a milky, subtly sweet woodiness that prevents the cinnamon from sharpening too far. The tonka bean smooths the transition, adding a soft vanillic quality that makes the heart feel almost edible. By the third hour the drydown settles in. Amber and musk create warmth and skin-like intimacy while white cedar, fir balsam, and teakwood form a woody base that doesn't overpower, it just stays. The drydown on this one is its quietest act and its best: a soft, warm, slightly sweet wood that stays close to the skin for the remaining hours.
Cultural impact
HiM presents a masculine interpretation of the house's signature warmth. The fragrance translates that sensibility into a woody-spicy register, offering a character that feels both confident and intimate. The scent has earned a devoted following precisely because it doesn't shout, its warm, spicy-woody character rewards the wearer who doesn't need their scent to compete for attention. On the skin, the fragrance unfolds gradually, opening with bright, aromatic top notes before revealing a richer, more complex heart of spices and woods. The lingering dry-down invites close engagement, unfolding new facets over hours of wear.
