Masculine Signature Collection

Percival 2018

Percival by Parfums de Marly
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Ranked 54 in Men's Perfume
7.9 / 10 2052 Ratings
A popular perfume by Parfums de Marly for men, released in 2018. The scent is fresh-spicy. It is still in production.
Pronunciation
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Main accords

Fresh
Spicy
Citrus
Aquatic
Woody

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
Aromatic notesAromatic notes BergamotBergamot Mandarin orangeMandarin orange Pink pepperPink pepper
Heart Notes Heart Notes
LavenderLavender CorianderCoriander GeraniumGeranium JasmineJasmine VioletViolet CinnamonCinnamon
Base Notes Base Notes
Balsam firBalsam fir PepperPepper SpicesSpices MuskMusk Tonka beanTonka bean

Perfumer

Videos
Ratings
Scent
7.92052 Ratings
Longevity
7.81920 Ratings
Sillage
7.51923 Ratings
Bottle
8.41848 Ratings
Value for money
6.41460 Ratings
Submitted by eBOSS, last update on 02/06/2025.
Interesting Facts
The fragrance is part of the "Masculine Signature Collection" collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
Absolutely Dark by Zara
Absolutely Dark
Fierce (Cologne) by Abercrombie & Fitch
Fierce Cologne
Legend (Eau de Toilette) by Montblanc
Legend Eau de Toilette
Gambit by Mind Games
Gambit
Inspirato by Christian Provenzano
Inspirato
Legendary Knight by The Dua Brand / Dua Fragrances
Legendary Knight

Reviews

63 in-depth fragrance descriptions
4
Pricing
9
Bottle
6
Sillage
7
Longevity
9
Scent
Elysium

858 Reviews
Elysium
Elysium
7  
A Knight In Search Of The Holy Grail
Those who know the Parfums de Marly house will know that their creations are named after famous horses, including Percival. However, Percival or Perceval is one of King Arthur’s legendary Knights of the Round Table. In Welsh his name is Peredur. One version of the legend depicts Percival as a thief whom Lancelot took under his wing. Having displayed the virtues of a knight, Percival was made a knight and invited to join the Knights of the Round Table. Percival became one of the “greats” of Arthurian legend when he was one of the knights to find the Holy Grail.

Back to the scent, Percival will not thrill people who were expecting another creative gem. This is not in the PdM style. It belongs to the group of fresh and aromatic perfumes. The citrus, herbaceous, spicy, slightly musky but, above all, salty notes are very noticeable. Strangely, no one mentions the overpowering ambery facet, which explodes and persists forever. Resinous, musky, and salty ambroxan in a good way! Percival begins with a fiery blast of citrus and salty accords, with a masculine slant. The bergamot and the mandarin appear harsh with a briny twist, and I figure out some sliced fruits topped with marine salt. Despite aromatic and spicy nuances’ dominance, the pink peppercorn is pleasant, and the usage of the ambroxan in the recipe is clear. No question about it. The latter, herbal, and other nuances, cause Percival to be associated with other design perfumes such as Fierce Cologne or Legend Eau de Toilette, which ultimately all belong to the same olfactory family. On the paper strip, the aromatic notes are amplified, instead, the citrus and salty notes pop up from the warm skin.

Moving toward the heart, Percival takes a dry twist and shows a woody edge on a citrus underground. Yes, the citric accord that gives it a very juicy burst stays with it for a long time. I get the creamy and fougére facets of the lavender, with some more complex accords that come into play. Animal musk, a little bit of spicy cinnamon, and a little bit of pungent coriander add depth to the fragrance, boosting freshness with a touch of spiciness. I also catch a kind of mintiness, yet PdM does not mention mint. From the violet, I do not get any powdery or dewy edge, while a slightly sweet and floral jasmin oozes smoothly.

The musky, amber and spicy base blends perfectly with the other notes perceived so far, giving it a very consistent and masculine scent. I think there is a gorgeous accord of synthetic woods and musks that I find intoxicating, especially after a long day of wearing it. With this, I don’t mean that women who love the genre can’t wear it; instead, that it is very reminiscent of the barbershop genre without crossing the threshold of the classic cologne. There is a sort of smooth transition from start to finish, but the citrus stays vivid on my skin throughout.

Any similarities with A&F Fierce? Percival turns around a citric and briny backbone, whereas Fierce is nearly green and resinous. To me, they have nothing in common with one another. Overall it is a fresh out-of-the-shower scent. Is it an innovative perfume? At all. It is a fresh, bluish, and clean type of perfume whose formula resembles cheaper designer fragrances that often garner a lot of compliments. Yes, this is mass appealing and incredibly versatile. However, what it does, it does it well. It’s a year-round scent that you can wear for virtually any season, occasion, and time of day or night. Still, I like wearing it from late spring to early fall, and mostly on summer evenings. For such a fresh scent, the fragrance’s performance is quite surprising. On me, the scent projects strongly for a few hours and lasts nearly all day long. Percival is ideal for the office and suitable for both formal and informal events. Again, Percival is a rocket of amber and ambroxan, so you must like it to appreciate all its qualities.

I'm basing my thoughts on a bottle I've owned since July 2021.

-Elysium
0 Comments
7
Pricing
7
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8
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9
Longevity
8
Scent
Connoisseur6

8 Reviews
Connoisseur6
Connoisseur6
Helpful Review 4  
The ultimate dumb reach
Percival is one of few colognes I own a bottle of, at the same time It's not one I would immediately think of as one of my favorites. The bottle perfectly represents the juice inside it: pure blue.

Percival is a safe bet. It's a mass appealing, familiar, performant blue fragrance and it's the definition of "dumb reach". With Percival you know you'll smell good the whole day. That's why it's one of three full-sized 125ml bottles I've got in my collection.

However, the reason I won't immediately think of it as one of my absolute favorites is that it's simply too boring in regards to my other colognes. It's not unique, it's not interesting, but Percival is made to be a mass-appealing beast, and damn straight it is.

Therefore I think Percival is worth every penny and should be in your collection.
0 Comments
8
Sillage
8
Scent
Mitchcraft

36 Reviews
Mitchcraft
Mitchcraft
Helpful Review 4  
First impressions of something borrowed something blue.
I used a similar title for Bleu De Chanel as it was the one being borrowed from, but this time I feel this is now from the perspective of the borrower. I don’t say this as a jab at it, not at all. As someone who enjoys blue fragrances I like what is happening here which I will explain along the way. And with that I say,…

Good morning everyone. It is time for another test from the discovery kit of Parfums de Marly, and today’s choice is Percival.

I am just going to jump right in to what you came here for, the scent.

Instantly I get a good strong smelling fragrance that reminds me of a number of blue fragrances I either own or have tested. Some designer, some indie and some niche.

The lavender definitely brought thoughts of Sauvage and Luna Rossa Carbon. Sauvage because of the strength of it, and Carbon because I am getting a little soapy smell from it. I get Dylan Blue from the violet but of a higher quality. I am also reminded of Legend, but not from Mont Blanc as listed in the similar tab, it maybe does smell like it but I don’t own that so can’t attest to that, I do however own Legend 2023 from Aaron Terence Hughes which I smell here. I also felt like I was getting a little bit of 40 knots from Xerjoff. All of this probably sounds like a mess but it’s not, I am just giving people an idea of what to expect. It doesn’t smell like one of these fragrances on their own like a clone or something but rather that the notes are reminiscent of the fragrances mentioned. Though it is not listed in the notes there is definitely ambroxan in this.
Being a lover of blues I would have loved to have found this at the start of summer, because I love blue fragrances and this is way up in my top 3 blues from what I am smelling so far.This is the kind of blue I have been looking for, for a while. Even though I say I would have liked this at the start of summer I should mention however that this is a blue that I feel is very versatile and can be worn all year round especially because it is very strong and could cut through the cold air in winter without problem.

If like me you are looking for a good quality blue fragrance to add to your collection and don’t care if you have smelled similar blues already this would be one to add to your list if you like the fragrances I mentioned. It’s not as unique as 40 knots but it has that kind of quality to it.

If you are someone looking for something new you have not smelled before and already have a few blues you are happy with I think you should pass on this. Especially if you have Luna Rossa Carbon or Sauvage as the lavender is strong in this one. To you I would say try something like 40 knots by Xerjoff which to me is Xerjoff’s fresh blue take on their Naxos fragrance.

After roughly an hour the strong lavender and soapy feel starts to tone down slightly and the violet takes its place giving me a closer resemblance to Dylan Blue. I am not saying they smell the exact same, just that is what the violet reminds me of but without the incense and some other notes that make Dylan Blue what it is. It’s close to the shower gel kind of blue is what i am trying to say and projection is not as strong as it was with the lavender up front. This is something I have noticed in Parfums de Marly fragrances, there are notes that like to dance around one another taking turns in the spotlight and when you think one of them has gone for good it will pop up with a cheeky grin saying hello now and again and if it was a strong protecting note that took its strength with it when it left it brings it right back with it during these periods when it pops in and out every so often.

A while later something strange happens, the top note of mandarin orange starts giving off a slight sweet juicy smell to it which is a nice welcome that was totally unexpected.

Once that has all happened I feel like the projection starts to fade and another surprise happens when the lavender that we smelled at the beginning comes back and brings that strength with it once again.

So I have a little more to add here. I thought I was imagining it earlier but after a 2nd application with more sprays there is actually a mint in this and it actually helps cool the skin which I presume comes from the balsam fir. I thought I maybe had sprayed Sedley by mistake, but nope, Sedley’s spearmint is unmistakable. This is Percival for sure. I am getting a very fresh, cool mint with ambroxan and I think the cinnamon is just there in the background also giving this masculine feel to it. This phase of the fragrance would be great for a very hot day. Shame that it’s grey overcast here today lol.

There is not much more I can say. Do I like this? Yes absolutely, I can see a number of my other blues not being used as much when I get a full bottle of this, oh yes this will be a full 125ml purchase for sure. Unless there is a sudden change like I had with Greenley yesterday which ended up leaving me with the smell of an Aventus profile for the entire day but instead of the smoke being accompanied with pineapple we had apple instead which made it a non purchase for me which is a shame as the first 3 hours were gorgeous.

So far as a first impressions Percival has everything that I like from a blue in it , and the little dance of notes popping in and out makes it a little more exciting than the regular blues and of course the quality is good. I just beg it doesn’t turn in to a smoke only fragrance that I will be trying to scrub from my hands and wrists all day. I don’t mind smoke if it is mixed with some other notes, as long as it is not just smoke and a single fruit note all will be good.

I will come back if there are any drastic changes that make me change my mind, but so far this fresh blue scent is smooth sailing.

And I can come back and say that I did discover there was that further stage with the mint and cinnamon I spoke of and not a single bit of smoke to be detected. It’s a good day for Percival and a good day for me.
1 Comment
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Scent
Ceesie

65 Reviews
Ceesie
Ceesie
Helpful Review 2  
Back to the 00’s
How do you improve on a perfume that basically embodies the 00’s? That must have been the mindset of the perfumer.
Fierce Cologne is fresh synthetic and it’s also very familiar. Not an easy task but PdM pulled it off.
Whereas Fierce is very linear and keeps its freshness and Barby-like syntheticness its whole (short lived) lifetime, Percival shifts into a smoother, more lifelike version of Ken. It’s got a warmer, creamier drydown, a hint of cinnamon here and there, some florals too.
My first impression was like, who would buy this overpriced copy of a cologne? Now I’m like, yeah it’s worth the price difference to go for a more delicate, more grown up version of a classic.
0 Comments
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Snowflake013

1 Review
Snowflake013
Snowflake013
4  
Perfect summer fragrance
Girls love it, it smells masculine, not an everyday smell. People compare it wit AF Fierce, but this one has much better dry down, quality and longevity. I love this fragrance and everybody around me loves it. Easy blind buy. With other words, don’t look at the reviews who compares this with other perfumes. People try to convince themselves not to buy Percival because they have a simulat smell
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Statements

35 short views on the fragrance
ElysiumElysium 2 years ago
9
Bottle
6
Sillage
7
Longevity
9
Scent
Strangely no one mentions the overpowering ambery facet, which explodes and persists forever. Resinous and salty, ambroxan in a good way!
0 Comments
Patj1994Patj1994 2 years ago
8
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
7
Scent
Smells like a more expensive version of abercrombie fierce. Nice, but not worth 300+ usd.
0 Comments
Nik604Nik604 3 years ago
300 euro for this??!! Someone at the marketing department must change the pills .
1 Comment
TaoEuringerTaoEuringer 3 years ago
9
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
7.5
Scent
Not unique. Not cheap. Perhaps the best inoffensive fragrance out there.
0 Comments
BertolucciKBertolucciK 4 years ago
9
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
8
Scent
Percival is pleasant. It opens fresh with some citrus and flowers, then some spices and tonka to create this all-rounder. The DNA is common.
0 Comments
KuraiKurai 1 year ago
6
Sillage
7
Longevity
4
Scent
Contemporary aromatic fougère. Easily mistaken for a cheaper alternative from the discounter store
0 Comments
HaliscsharpHaliscsharp 8 months ago
Feels like a niche version of Versace Dylan Blue. Just a showergel scent. Good, but for the money it is a bit ridiculous.
1 Comment
MonstaroMonstaro 2 months ago
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
8.5
Scent
Yes, this is A&F Fierce. But it's crafted much better. You could still wear this if you're not a 16 yr old boy. Leans spring/summery. Fun.
0 Comments
FlvFlv 4 months ago
A little peppery, and even though its reminiscent of male hygiene products, it's doesn't smell overly soapy. Fresh and easy to wear.
0 Comments
SeaplusSeaplus 7 months ago
fruity (orange to my nose) soap
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