Ganymede Marc-Antoine Barrois 2019 Eau de Parfum

Yes, it’s a controversial one. Released in 2019 and composed by the Bisch himself, and replicated across several brands many times. And honestly, I get why.

More inspired by Greek mythology than physical celestial bodies, this fragrance stands out as archetypal. Despite a muted market debut, its relevance grew steadily, especially after Bisch’s started collaborating with Parfums de Marly.

Scent-wise, it might not be my all-time favorite, but when it launched and when I first experienced it it was truly unique - so, it gets an 8. I still remember spraying it for the first time at M-AB’s boutique in London 3 years ago.

Ganymede opens with a sharp metallic mandarin note, paired with what feels like lab-crafted florals that don't exist in nature. Usually, I don't associate fragrances with abstract concepts, but this one evokes images of fractal architecture and futuristic suede. Not the animalic kind, more like a clean, aseptic version of leather.

Sure, we can debate and critique some of Bisch’s more recent creations, but I’m convinced Ganymede will be remembered as a classic.
You might not love it, but if you’re into fragrance, it’s a must-try.

You know that scene at the end of Pulp Fiction when Jules finally opens the suitcase and reveals the glowing golden something inside?

It's a bottle of Ganymede.

This may very well be the best thing I've ever smelled. It's so smooth, balanced, blended, intoxicating. I don't know if I've ever wanted a FB of something so badly. I want to smell like this forever.

To start off, I think this is a little too unique. To describe the scent, It smells quite literally like a warm server room with all the metallic wiring OR a freshly used solder station with the steam coming off the PCB, that warm metallic smell + leather/oud + some warm spices is Ganymede. It has absolutely 0 amount of sweetness which makes this fragrance absolutely unforgiving.

Smelling this invokes nostalgia: the moment when you insert a DVD into a warm plastic DVD-Reader with that static TV screen. It smells exactly like that but with extra leather.

Longevity-wise, this stuff is nuclear, I cannot go for more than 2 sprays. More than that can be a bit nauseating, especially in spring/summer. I can't even tell how it changes over time since it is just too strong. At the end of the day, I had to scrub it off...

Will probably will never get a bottle or even a decant because I can't think of any occasion or reason to why I would want to smell like that.

I’ve actually grown to hate this the more i wore it. At first sray i loved it, it was unlike anything i had smelled before, i was convinced i found a new 10/10 fragrance. HOWEVER, the initial “awe” faded after the first couple wearings and i was left with something that gave me a bad headache and became irritating to smell for 12+ hours (this stuff lasts forever, literally. It gets stronger and stronger the more it sits on your skin)

The more i wore it, the more it smelled very sterile and almost like a hospital. The intense metalic and suede notes became almost suffocating. I ended up selling my bottle last week.

This stuff has staying power. I put it on yesterday and I can still smell the base notes even through a shower and multiple hand washes! What the heck! I’m impressed.

At first glance this doesn’t seem like it has notes I’d really like. I’m not a big fan of leather, yet here it works because it’s done with a light hand. This is a cool, but not cold fragrance; there’s something otherworldly about it. The leather and florals work beautifully together. I like it more and more as it progresses, though I appreciated all stages and it was interesting to see how different it was as time passed. This is original and unlike anything I’ve smelled before, very impressive.