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Darley Parfums de Marly 2012

7.8 / 10 367 Ratings

A popular perfume by Parfums de Marly for men, released in 2012. The scent is fresh-spicy. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Fresh

Spicy

Sweet

Floral

Woody

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Mint

Bergamot

Lemon

Heart Notes

Lavender

Orange blossom

Cinnamon

Rose

Rosemary

Base Notes

Tonka bean

Gaiac wood

Patchouli

Sandalwood Amber

Amber

Perfumer

Francis Deleamont

Ratings

Scent

7.8367 Ratings

Longevity

7.2327 Ratings

Sillage

6.8321 Ratings

Bottle

8.1325 Ratings

Value for money

6.4195 Ratings

Submitted by Apicius · last update on 12/27/2025.

Source-backed & verified

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Le Mâle Eau de Toilette

Cabal pour Homme

Reflection Man

Hartley

Comandante!

Guilty Elixir de Parfum pour Homme

Reviews

15 in-depth fragrance descriptions

04/27/2023

9.5Scent 6Longevity 7Sillage

ScentSlave
253 Reviews

ScentSlave

5

I love my PDMs…

…and saw that this is being heralded as a “hidden gem”. I dug a bit deeper, and saw it was compared to Reflection and Le Male, so I pulled the trigger.

I’ve given it a few wearings, and I do see why people would compare them, but it’s much closer to Le Male than it is to Reflection. Reflection is like if Le Male were made of Diamonds and Gold. A sheer elegance. Not the same thing, but a very successful, very very distant relative.

Now Darley is right in between the two, but closer to the Le Male feeling. Still a much higher tier in quality, but you smell the similarities more. It’s much fuller and richer, and if you smell them side by side it’s obvious. However….. a non-fraghead might not pick up that difference, so be aware of that…. If you’re going to get all mental if someone mistakes your PDM for JPG, it might not be what you want.

The scent is gorgeous, but I have that bias. I like these types of scents. Better than JPG, not as good as Amouage. Performance wise? It’s got a moderate projection 1-3ft, with a nice sillage that follows you for 3 hours, then becoming a skin scent for another 3-4 hours. Is that worthy of $300+? Nope, but you can find it at discounters for a more worthy price.

I don’t regret it, and I love PDM, but Amouage is my favorite house for a reason. ;-)

01/07/2025

9Scent 8Longevity 6Sillage

Ceesie
139 Reviews

Ceesie

3

Almost dismissed

I always dismissed the see-through bottles of Parfums de Marly as the cheaper, lesser releases. The pony releases as you will.

That is, until I sprayed it on my neck one day visiting the perfumery. First I smelled nothing. Hah there you have it, I thought. But during my trip homeward this creamy, soothing smell started to manifest. Weirdly it gave me childhood flashbacks. It reminds me a bit of vitamin drops we got as a kid. Difficult to categorize this. It isn’t woody. It isn’t floral. Just creamy I guess.

Okay so it isn’t the most prominent outspoken smell. It doesn’t radiate like a mad man (I wish it did a little harder). But I still find it rather unique and definitely a winner in my book. Maybe a pony but still an award winning fullblood.

10/23/2025

7Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

Joshlandry
29 Reviews

Joshlandry

2

A better Le male

This is definitely one of the most underrated from the house. I really enjoy this scent, it’s minty fresh with some added citrus and spice. It’s a more refined version of JpG le male so if you like that DNA you will Like this as well. Versatile and could be worn year round in my opinion. I don’t think anybody could find this offensive. Good easy reach that smell very pleasant

07/07/2018

9Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

Basti87
1117 Reviews

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Basti87

Top Review 26

Crowdpleaser with Subtle Performance

My last comment for now on a Parfums de Marly fragrance. There may be a few more to follow on occasion. My summary for this beautiful brand: Most fragrances are very safe and will likely appeal to the general public. I have tested Layton, Pegasus, Herod, Godolphin, Oajan, Carlisle, and also this Darley. The others haven't convinced me from the pyramids yet, but those I have tested are very solid and some are worth purchasing. Some, however, are a bit overpriced.

Now to Darley: A fragrance with little attention here. 3 comments and 2 statements. Justified or definitely worth a test? In my opinion, a fragrance with little recognizability, where I expect more for the money. A really pleasant scent that doesn't stand out unpleasantly anywhere.
It is indicated here as a fragrance twin to Reflection Man. Rightly so? Broadly speaking, perhaps in a similar direction, but upon closer inspection, there are very large differences. Even though this Darley has slight floral notes, they are rather in the background. At the start, it begins with a lot of mint, very pleasantly fresh paired with subtle citrus notes and fresh lavender. From the DNA, I find it more similar to Le Male than Reflection. Here, however, it is significantly lighter due to a lot of fresh mint. A pleasant freshness with a touch of sensuality. Also pleasant due to the beautiful base with soft woody notes, amber, patchouli, and a nice but subtle sweetness from the tonka bean. This is very well balanced and doesn't lean too much in one direction. A very gentle fragrance that should appeal to many.
The performance is decent, but the sillage is quite close to the skin. Even freshly sprayed, it is rather subtle and disappointing for this DNA. The longevity is okay with a few hours. Thanks to the rather weak sillage, it is versatile.
Unisex is justified, although I find it more masculine. Especially due to the similarities to its fragrance twins.

Due to the high price, I cannot recommend purchasing it. The price is 185 euros for 125ml. In many shops, you can get it a bit cheaper, but still significantly overpriced for this DNA. Reflection is not much more expensive than this.
As a budget alternative, I consider Rasasi Maa Arwaak for him. A great low-budget fragrance that goes in a similar direction and has a significantly better performance.
I give it an 8.0 because it is really very pleasant. However, I wouldn't buy it for this price.

Addendum April 2022:
I have since purchased this fragrance. About half of the MSRP. Probably more of a slow seller, and for that reason, they are likely sold at a discount more often. Definitely a fair price, as this Darley already has elevated designer quality. Smells like a freshly showered Le Male in an elegant way. A fragrance that can be worn anytime and never causes too much friction. It should definitely only be bought on sale, as I believe it offers too little for the Marley prices.

09/19/2010

7Scent 7.5Longevity

Apicius
1328 Reviews

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Apicius

Very helpful Review 10

Not Everybody's Darling!

At Parfums de Marly, they love horses. Once again, the name hints at equestrian sports!

Tonka bean, sandalwood, lavender, orange blossom, mint - just by looking at the pyramid, certain similarities become apparent to the perfume enthusiast. Exactly, here the successful scents of Francis Kurkdjian are being interpreted: Le Male and Fleur du Male. This has often been attempted in the budget segment, but rarely in the high-priced category. For good reason, because despite or precisely because of the controversy that Le Male and Fleur du Male provoke, the air here is very thin. Surpassing something unique (and demanding a higher price for it) is a rare challenge.

This challenge has been successfully met by Rancé's Francois Charles, which is why it is used as a comparison scent. It leans towards a spicy direction, with the gasoline-like Le Male note being underpinned with a certain breadth and balanced by neroli hints.

However, Darley has a slightly darker, rougher character. The gasoline note feels less refined and has this somewhat tar-like undertone. It is thus darker than in Le Male and aligns more with the interpretation in Fleur du Male. On the other hand, it lacks the fully opulent floral quality of Fleur du Male.

Orange blossom seems to be a tricky note. It easily becomes too sweet, too opulent, too sticky. It is probably a challenge for a perfumer to tame it. Here, it is done with a lot of mint, more than in Le Male. The mint carries its freshness into the drydown.

Without a doubt, Darley is a very good perfume. The quality is right. However, I prefer the overall finer, gentler, and yet more complex Francois Charles. And Darley does not surpass either Le Male or Fleur du Male. The gasoline-tar note corresponds more to Fleur de Male, but Darley shies away from its eccentric floral quality. Tonka and mint bring it closer to Le Male again. Viewed this way, it is neither fish nor fowl. And by no means better than the obvious models.

More reviews

Statements

80 short views on the fragrance

MarianoNoHe

5 years ago

4

This perfume makes me feel good, usable in all seasons, similar to Le Male but with more quality and elegant. One of the best of PdM

Omardo

6 years ago

8Scent 8Longevity

2

sweet "le male"ish fragrance, but more elegant. For a summer dinner with your girlfriend, on holiday.

Aspasia0

8 months ago

6Scent 8Longevity 6Sillage

1

2

I often get this with PDM. I just don’t see what’s so special about this one. Lavender and mint for him, as generic as many cheaper scents.

Ragas

1 year ago

10Scent 7Longevity 6Sillage

1

Niche take on Le Male, more versatile. Great French perfumery - scent a whiff in the air rather than a shout in your face.

NicheOnly

2 years ago

6Scent 5Longevity 4Sillage

1

Sweet, fresh, fresh spicy masc aromatic: lavender & mint w/ the patchouli adding spice & tonka/amber for sweetness. Bad performance for PDM.

PedroCabral

3 years ago

8Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

1

This perfume resembles Le Male, but it is a much more delicate and refined version. Very cool!

Ceesie

1 year ago

9Scent 8Longevity 6Sillage

It reminds me a bit of vitamin drops I used to get as a kid. It’s creamy, balsamic, clean, just enough sweetness.

Eggi37

3 years ago

7.5Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

39

31

Sailor Gaultier
In the Marly Orient
Sea of shower vetch
& herbal rosemary algae
Duel with sandalwood sword
For the cinnamon-sweet Tonka Islands

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Danny264

2 years ago

8Scent 6Longevity 6Sillage

37

59

with nice citrus soda
I chill in the lavender-rose garden
refreshing myself in the pool
showering with woody/sweet shower gel
fine, doesn’t hurt anyone!

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