The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
HB Homme 12 was launched during the 2010s by Héritage Berbère, the Moroccan perfumery associated with Marie-Jeanne Combredet. The fragrance draws on a contrasting palette of aromatic materials: frankincense and rose, star anise and sandalwood, tobacco and amber. Its numbered name gives it a straightforward, masculine identity without attaching a literal story to the number. What defines HB Homme 12 is the combination itself. Resinous frankincense meets the floral lift of rose, while star anise introduces a sharp, herbal sweetness. Sandalwood brings creamy woodiness, and tobacco lends a dry, smoky depth. Amber adds warmth and sweetness beneath the drier materials. The result is woody, spiced, aromatic, and layered, with each note adding a distinct texture to the composition.
What makes the pyramid worth a closer look is the friction between its halves. Frankincense and star anise bring resin and aniseed to the top, while rose adds a floral note that keeps the opening from reading as purely resinous. Then the heart turns sweet and heavy: caramel and honey laid over cedar, patchouli, and sandalwood. Tobacco and amber close it out. Sweetness and smoke sit right next to each other, keeping the composition from settling into a single character. The dry woods give the fragrance a steady background, while honey and caramel bring a rounded sweetness.
The evolution
The opening combines frankincense, rose, and star anise in a distinctly aromatic way. Frankincense brings resinous depth, rose contributes a bright floral impression, and star anise adds a clean, liquorice-like snap. The arrangement feels direct and lucid, with each note clearly legible. As the fragrance develops, the sweetness arrives through caramel and honey, softening the incense without entirely covering it. Cedar and sandalwood add dry structure, while patchouli brings an earthy depth. The rose continues to move between a fresh floral reading and a darker, more textured one. In the drydown, tobacco becomes the defining accent. Its smoky character meets the softer sweetness of honey and caramel, while amber contributes warmth beneath the woody materials. Sandalwood, cedar, and patchouli keep the composition grounded.
Cultural impact
HB Homme 12 expresses the house's interest in Moroccan aromatic materials through a fragrance built around frankincense, honey, tobacco, and rose. Its character comes from the meeting of resin and floral notes with sweetness, dry woods, and smoke. Frankincense gives the composition an incense-like depth, while rose introduces a contrasting floral layer. Star anise contributes a sharp aromatic accent, and the heart combines caramel and honey with cedar, patchouli, and sandalwood. Tobacco and amber provide darker notes in the base.
The House
Héritage BerbèreHéritage Berbère is a Moroccan fragrance house founded by Marie-Jeanne Combredet in 2008. Rooted in her connection to Morocco and her earlier experience working in Grasse, the house develops personal fragrances, candles, home fragrances, accessories, and skin care. Its compositions draw on the character of Moroccan aromatic materials, including oud, incense, cedar, orange blossom, and fig, often arranged with the depth and dryness associated with the region. The house occupies an interesting position between French perfumery and Morocco, combining classical fragrance forms with a distinctly North African sense of atmosphere.
The Creator
Marie-Jeanne CombredetHer signature palette combines ripe berries with woods, earth, and animalic textures. Strawberry supplies a vivid top-note sparkle, blackberry adds darker fruit, and patchouli gives compositions weight and mineral warmth.
