See Prices

More

We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

Castley Parfums de Marly 2025

7.5 / 10 391 Ratings

A new perfume by Parfums de Marly for men, released in 2025. The scent is fresh-citrusy.
Compare

More

We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

Main accords

Fresh

Citrus

Spicy

Woody

Synthetic

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Black pepper

Bergamot

Ginger

Heart Notes

Nepalese sichuan pepper

Lemon petitgrain Neroli

Neroli

Base Notes

Akigalawood® Benzoin

Benzoin

Labdanum

Videos

Watch video

Ratings

Scent

7.5391 Ratings

Longevity

7.3347 Ratings

Sillage

6.9347 Ratings

Bottle

8.2329 Ratings

Value for money

5.8297 Ratings

Submitted by Telekinec, last update on 09/24/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Bois Impérial Eau de Parfum

Sedley

Imagination

Boss Bottled Beyond

Galloway

L'Enfant Terrible

Reviews

11 in-depth fragrance descriptions

05/29/2025

5
Pricing 8
Bottle 6
Sillage 7
Longevity 6.5
Scent

Omnipotato
338 Reviews

Omnipotato

Top Review 15

What did you expect?

Parfums de Marly are not innovators. Maybe they once were, with their black bottle collection released in 2013 (Kuhuyan, Habdan, Hamdani, Oajan, etc.), but for quite a number of years now they have not only not released anything that is majorly imaginative, but are playing it very safe by slightly improving upon already-popular fragrances or using accords that are trendy, at least among their male-oriented releases.

Going backwards chronologically, we have Perseus, which is just a slight variation on Le Gemme - Tygar; Althaïr, which comes really close to Club Black Eau de Toilette; Haltane is a fougere-y reinterpretation of Oud for Greatness Eau de Parfum; Pegasus Exclusif is a flanker; Sedley is a mild shower-gel freshie that doesn't seek to innovate in the slightest; and Kalan is based heavily on Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau de Parfum. Sadly the most unique offering of the last 7 years is Greenley and it might be the worst-smelling of all of them.

This is why I'm confused by comments like someone said in the statements, "this is too generic for PDM." Is it? Their releases are pretty dang generic.

And Castley is not close to being the most generic of them. Perseus and Althair for sure have it beat, as do Percival and Godolphin. Yes, it is a kind of bland peppery-musky freshie, but the akigalawood gives it nice dimension and roundness. I haven't tried Bois Impérial Eau de Parfum or the akigala-based Ex Nihilos so I'm not sure if it's redundant to those, but if it is not, this is actually a very nice release, and I wouldn't mind owning a bottle (at the right price, that is). Akigalawood is trendy, yes, but for me it beats all the BR540 saffron-ambrox-maltol releases that have been coming out the last few years.

And it should come as no surprise that PDM is riding the hype train. They have been doing it for so long already.

Castley opens with a peppery ginger tinged with bergamot. The actual effect of the bergamot is very slight, but I think we want to assume that all freshies have a strong citrus component, which is why it's rated so high. I actually get more of the neroli and petitgrain; floral, woody notes that are slightly hinting at citrus. The akigalawood, though listed as a base note, doesn't last very long — I perceive it as more of a heart note, along with the resins which give the akigalawood a slight sweetness. Instead the base is quite musky, which I think is where the comparisons to Sedley are coming from, because otherwise it is not similar at all.

Mass-appealing? Definitely. Innovative? Not at all. But if the fragrance smells good, and does its job, does that really matter all that much?

Edit: every wear of this fragrance is disappointing me further. Super super bland. I take back my opinion that this is a nice fragrance that is just non-innovative. It's basic and more like a department store designer release than anything else. At least Percival is an improvement on Legend Eau de Toilette

05/22/2025

4
Pricing 6
Bottle 5
Sillage 5
Longevity 5
Scent

NicheOnly
101 Reviews

NicheOnly

Helpful Review 6

Predictable throughout

If anybody reading this is still expecting big things from Parfums de Marly in 2025 then I don't know what to tell you. The brand has no recent history to showcase they're capable of launching anything with even mild originality. With Castley, I feel like the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Castley opens fresh, slightly fruity & woody. In my notes, I have written that the contrast of accords is somewhat in the realm of Ex Nihilo's "Blue Talisman | Ex Nihilo" as the scent clearly has a Bisch-esque (i.e. perfumer Quentin Bisch) signature to it, implying the use of akigalawood (listed in the base notes). The scent has some fizzy feel, but up-close smells mostly fresh spicy and woody with implied light florals. The ginger opposes these accords more moderately, pushing the structure towards the realm of scents like Ex Nihilo's The Hedonist Extrait de Parfum. Throughout the wear there is a light fizzy feel which does have a similar-ish style to the way it is executed in Sedley, but given the overt spiciness & woodiness, it is not the best overall comparison to be reaching for.

Relative to the accords voted on by other Parfumo users, I don't get anything citrusy with this fragrance. The scent is fresh, spicy and woody with a light fruitiness implied from the ginger. The various peppers and the akigalawood are the leading notes. Within Parfums de Marly's catalogue, the scent offers key accord overlap with both Galloway and Shagya. Needless to say, Castley doesn't smell similar to either, albeit the structure itself is simple and definitely something befitting of the Parfums de Marly name on the fresher end of their catalogue.

As it relates to the performance, my initial impressions are that the scent is light-to-average. Sillage appears to be within arms length or just above, I am initially guesstimating around 6 hours of longevity. In terms of value, I feel like Castley is a better value proposition than Ex Nihilo's extraits line, esp. given better grey market availability, but that simultaneously doesn't mean much with PDM retail now at €270/125ml. Utility wise better suited for spring as the core dry-down is entirely structured on a fresh spicy & woody DNA. Overall, not the worst I've seen from Marly over the last handful of years, but nothing worthy of strictly positive coverage either.

05/14/2025

8
Pricing 8
Bottle 7
Sillage 8
Longevity 8.5
Scent

Cimi
326 Reviews

Translated Show original

Cimi

Top Review 34

Fresh and spicy "evergreen" with guaranteed favor!

I could hardly wait for the release, especially because of the Akigala. Sprayed on - jackpot! Absolutely not a masterpiece, absolutely not special, but still damn good! Why? Well, I already liked Sedley a lot, but somehow the fragrance was too much of a "shower gel" for me, something bothered me a bit. The Greenley also has a nice refreshing apple note, but it loses me with the performance and the drydown.

So what makes Castley so damn good? Well, it's super pleasant, simple, yet somehow special; not just a shower gel, not just a "musk club", but a great concept.

The details? Let's get into it:
- The fragrance starts off fresh and spicy, almost metallic; the combination of bergamot, ginger and pepper is really well done and is reminiscent in the broadest sense of a mix of very, very little Imagination, Immensite and other suspects in this segment; perhaps this tea-like association also comes a little from the petitgrain, but for a brief moment the fragrance simply reminds you of it.

- As the fragrance progresses, it gets closer and closer to my beloved Sedley; it gets those shower gel vibes, but thanks to the Akigala, a certain amount of light earthiness comes into play, which I personally missed in Sedley; don't get me wrong, the fragrance remains fresh and shower gel-like, but with that certain subtle earthy twist that makes a difference in my personal perception. The whole thing is enveloped in a - and this sounds abstruse - slightly "warm shell" of benzoin/labdanum, which sounds strange, but you can tell that there's a bit more complexity in the drydown here than in the Sedley.

- The performance is sometimes rated far too negatively here; I think the performance is quite solid for a freshie, you just always have to put it in context; it definitely lasts longer than Greenley for me and about the same as Sedley, so in that respect the whole thing is fine for me.

To summarize: a successful release for me personally, because it hits my key quite well. I don't know if everyone will agree, but you have to like a) fresh, spicy fragrances, b) those shower gel vibes with that slight earthiness. It's not a masterpiece, but it's definitely worth a look; for me it's an 8.2-8.3.

05/24/2025

8
Pricing 8
Bottle 8
Sillage 8
Longevity 8.5
Scent

ScentExplorer
11 Reviews

Translated Show original

ScentExplorer

Very helpful Review 16

Castley - When fragrance becomes the crowning glory of the day

It's the year 2025 - and even though spring has got off to a slow start this year, a glance at the calendar tells me that the hot days are not far off! Vacation plans have long since been made, and you want to smell fresh and clean after a day at the beach on the Costa Brava.

Two months ago, I spread the good news here in the forum that PdM would soon be launching a new fragrance called Castley. Further research revealed that this could well be a freshie.

Here on Parfumo, opinions on the PdM fragrances are often divided into 2 areas. Some are of the opinion that PdM can't do good freshies and should stick to fragrances for the colder months. After all, Carlisle, Oajan and Herod have made the house what it is today! And then there are the others, including myself, who also appreciate their spring/summer creations and find them really cool.

A glance at the fragrance pyramid of Castley suggested to me that it could be a great replacement for my too heavy Bois Impérial Eau de Parfum. And since it had been too overpowering for me for some time, I decided to replace it with the new Castley. Brief spoiler alert...my plan worked!

Thanks to a lucky circumstance, I was able to call a few 5ml bottlings my own many weeks before the official release. Greetings go out to this dear Parfumo !

I had quickly emptied my first 5ml filling - and just as quickly it was clear to me that this freshie could also move in with me. In the meantime, it has taken its place in my fragrance wardrobe, and as I write these lines, it is lying gently on my skin! Just this morning, on a cool 10° Saturday morning, he was allowed to accompany me on my weekly shopping trip. But first things first...

Parfums de Marly is a French perfume house that saw the light of day in 2009. The noble perfumes of this niche brand are based on the era of Louis XV and are intended to tell of his passion for furious horse racing and extravagant fragrances. The sophisticated fragrance creations are intense, rich and multi-layered. Visually, the fragrances are presented in lavishly decorated bottles featuring images of racy horses.

Parfums de Marly aims to revive the memories of pompous festivities that entertained the royal court at the Château de Marly. The name of the noble brand is derived from this very manor house and pays homage to the bygone era in which Louis XV lived.

Well then - here it is in front of me! This transparent, gray bottle. The color could not be more appropriate for this fresh, slightly metallic fragrance. The design runs like a red thread through the "Masculine Signature Collection". It is timeless - and elegant at the same time!
Let's move on to the first impression: the aforementioned glass flacon can be seen as soon as the fragrance is removed from the traditionally simple but harmonious outer packaging. The simple design and the horses and logo cast into the glass make an impression and are extremely appealing. The lid is manufactured to the usual high quality, is solid and weighs a lot! As with all PdM fragrances, the sprayer is absolutely top-notch and distributes the fresh water excellently.

Castley is a great fragrance! One that is not only great to wear in the warmer months. Rather, it is an everyday fragrance that masters almost every situation and is suitable for every conceivable occasion. And that all year round. Immediately after spraying it on, this very fresh, spicy-metallic fragrance spreads. A peppery ginger-bergamot blend meets agikala. I immediately notice clear parallels to Bois Impérial Eau de Parfum. However, it is not nearly as overwhelming and much softer. This right dosage of agikalawood, as I perceive it, gives this fragrance its recognizable note. Please don't get me wrong. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, it's not innovative and you won't smell any fundamentally new fragrance DNA. But the way in which the individual fragrance components are interwoven is what makes this fragrance so special. It's a great wearable mix of Sedley and Bois Imperial!

After this sparkling, metallic opening, the finest neroli and petitgrain accords are added as the fragrance progresses. The peppery spice remains well dosed at the start and accompanies us for quite a while. Woody support is added later in the drydown. The labdanum gives the whole thing a touch of ambience, while the benzoin adds additional balsamic notes.

The fragrance does not undergo any major changes and is relatively linear in its entirety. It's a mix between Bois Imperial & Sedley and I don't mean that in a negative way - on the contrary, I really like what I smell. In my opinion, it has what it takes to become a signature fragrance. It's a fragrance that will definitely go down well out there. If you like more experimental fragrances, you should try this one first. If you are looking for a crowdpleaser with a charming bolt of character, you can buy it without hesitation.

Anyone who loves the fragrance DNA of a Bois Impérial Eau de Parfum but finds it too penetrating in the long run will find a more than worthy replacement in Castley. Because it is much more wearable and a lot more pleasant for those around you!

Whether the high price is justified is ultimately for everyone to decide for themselves. In any case, it is not cheap. And the expectations of the end consumer are probably in line with the price. Many will say that it is simply too expensive for what you get. For me, however, this fragrance almost has signature quality. Precisely because it smells so high-quality and is a blatant all-rounder.

In terms of longevity, Castley does not disappoint, because the H/S is good to very good for a fresh fragrance of its kind. It lasts 6-8 hours on my skin. That's all I need for a fresh fragrance of its kind. How it lasts in really hot temperatures and whether it will even find its application at over 30°C I can't say at the moment. However, I will report back here at a later date.

In my opinion, Castley has a moderate projection, which means that the fragrance can be perceived very well for many hours in a reasonable radius. It is definitely not a room filler like Bois Impérial Eau de Parfum - and that's a good thing! Due to its Sedley vibes and the associated feeling of freshness, it is guaranteed not to offend those around you. Quite the opposite!

Conclusion: Both thumbs up! The Castley convinced me and has found a permanent place in my collection. You can at least try out this niche fragrance to form your own opinion and not be put off by the price.

05/30/2025

7
Pricing 8
Bottle 8
Sillage 10
Longevity 9
Scent

Jojo222
3 Reviews

Translated Show original

Jojo222

10

The best PDM

I'm not someone who likes to write a lot, so I'll keep it short.

The hate on Castley seems very artificial to me. Because this PDM is the best in my opinion, here's why:

-in terms of smell, it is the most "special" PDM fragrance in my opinion. It doesn't smell boring like a freshly showered man like the many other PDM fragrances

-its sillage and longevity are remarkable. I could still smell it strongly after 10 hours of shopping in Seoul Korea

-especially the different peppery notes make this fragrance so interesting and sexy

- P/L unfortunately a bit too expensive, but nothing new at PdM

Conclusion: if you want to buy a PdM, then Castley is best. In my opinion one of the few that is worth the money :)

More reviews