Top Notes 
Sea breeze
Litsea cubeba
Bergamot
Heart Notes 
Orris butter
White thyme
Tonka bean
Base Notes 
Sandalwood
Patchouli
Leather
StinkSultan
81 Reviews
StinkSultan
Very helpful Review
7
Soap With a Sprayer
Anyone who wishes to smell clean to the point people wonder if you've hidden a couple of bars of soap in your pockets should definitely give Pelagos a sniff. I, for one, can't stand overly soapy fumes, and so this is anything but for me.
Nevertheless, judging from a quality/blending standpoint, I cannot give this a very low rating, for it is fairly decent in those respects. The opening strikes with a strong clean, fresh, soapy Litsea cubeba, aided by some citrusy bergamot and some floral undertones. There's also this fresh, aquatic edge which at first it strook me more as a pool-like aquatic smell rather than the sea's breeze. But above all, the intensely soapy character was easily overpowering the rest.
With things slightly smoothening out, a powdery and buttery floral scent blends in with the soapy aspects, coming from the Orris butter. The white thyme adds a warm aromatic undertone with even a subtle green character. The tonka bean keeps things in check when it comes to sweetness, with a very faint touch of vanilla. But do trust me when I say "very faint"; it's hard for anything else to stand out here other than the soapy, clean, buttery, and powdery protagonists.
That also applies to the base. The sandalwood struggles at first to peek through with some woodiness, eventually managing to do so after about an hour or even more. The patchouli is either not there at all or just a very tiny amount, as I struggle to identify any more than some musky/woody aspects attributed to it. As for the leather? Don't get any. I guess the soap washed it off, or the notes pyramid here has it mistakenly listed. Some musky elements do appear deeper in the dry down. Overall, I'm not a fan. For me, it's soapy to the point my nostrils nearly burn, so I guess there's a skill issue too. It's also got a particular "old person" sort of vibe - this is the fragrance you'd smell on the elderly. Not a bad thing, just something to consider. And other than that, is also appears quite linear, which ultimately also translates to pretty boring.
It was rather difficult for me to get a clear answer regarding longevity here. After about 2 hours in, the fragrance just seemed to become extremely faint when smelled up close. Not exactly skin scent, since it was still mildly projecting. Eventually, after thorough testing, I got around 6-6.5 hours of longevity, which is not too impressive. For projection, I would've expected worse. The first hour, I got a pretty solid 1.5 foot bubble around me, with sillage being significantly better. After the first hour, it would gently mellow down up until hour 3-4, where it was still detectable at times.
Given all that, it's not very difficult to rock Pelagos in a variety of situations. It could do as a daily/leisure scent, office or school, and maybe even semi-formal occasions. You just really have to like the scent, 'cause as for someone like me who hardly tolerates it, it will be significantly harder to wear and pair to different contexts.
It's an easy pass for me. I'm not too fond of overly-soapy fragrances, nor do I find Pelagos in particular to be doing enough to justify its $200-$250 retail price. Little development and excitement, and overall not the highest quality either. It's decent at best, but I'm also biased, so in the end give it a try if you're curious and DO NOT blind buy it.
Overall Rating: 5.2/10
Nevertheless, judging from a quality/blending standpoint, I cannot give this a very low rating, for it is fairly decent in those respects. The opening strikes with a strong clean, fresh, soapy Litsea cubeba, aided by some citrusy bergamot and some floral undertones. There's also this fresh, aquatic edge which at first it strook me more as a pool-like aquatic smell rather than the sea's breeze. But above all, the intensely soapy character was easily overpowering the rest.
With things slightly smoothening out, a powdery and buttery floral scent blends in with the soapy aspects, coming from the Orris butter. The white thyme adds a warm aromatic undertone with even a subtle green character. The tonka bean keeps things in check when it comes to sweetness, with a very faint touch of vanilla. But do trust me when I say "very faint"; it's hard for anything else to stand out here other than the soapy, clean, buttery, and powdery protagonists.
That also applies to the base. The sandalwood struggles at first to peek through with some woodiness, eventually managing to do so after about an hour or even more. The patchouli is either not there at all or just a very tiny amount, as I struggle to identify any more than some musky/woody aspects attributed to it. As for the leather? Don't get any. I guess the soap washed it off, or the notes pyramid here has it mistakenly listed. Some musky elements do appear deeper in the dry down. Overall, I'm not a fan. For me, it's soapy to the point my nostrils nearly burn, so I guess there's a skill issue too. It's also got a particular "old person" sort of vibe - this is the fragrance you'd smell on the elderly. Not a bad thing, just something to consider. And other than that, is also appears quite linear, which ultimately also translates to pretty boring.
It was rather difficult for me to get a clear answer regarding longevity here. After about 2 hours in, the fragrance just seemed to become extremely faint when smelled up close. Not exactly skin scent, since it was still mildly projecting. Eventually, after thorough testing, I got around 6-6.5 hours of longevity, which is not too impressive. For projection, I would've expected worse. The first hour, I got a pretty solid 1.5 foot bubble around me, with sillage being significantly better. After the first hour, it would gently mellow down up until hour 3-4, where it was still detectable at times.
Given all that, it's not very difficult to rock Pelagos in a variety of situations. It could do as a daily/leisure scent, office or school, and maybe even semi-formal occasions. You just really have to like the scent, 'cause as for someone like me who hardly tolerates it, it will be significantly harder to wear and pair to different contexts.
It's an easy pass for me. I'm not too fond of overly-soapy fragrances, nor do I find Pelagos in particular to be doing enough to justify its $200-$250 retail price. Little development and excitement, and overall not the highest quality either. It's decent at best, but I'm also biased, so in the end give it a try if you're curious and DO NOT blind buy it.
Overall Rating: 5.2/10
Updated on 09/28/2025
2 Comments
StinkSultan
Omnipotato
BamBamNYC
MrHonest
Dixieland88
Rachelg
Alladream
Chrissysmell
Floyd
Yatagan
