Perseus Parfums de Marly 2024

This is one of Parfums de Marlys latest creations and my expectations werent super high as i thought it would just be another fresh normal citrus scent. But when i tried it i actually really enjoyed the scent! It opened up with a blast of grapefruit which is one of my favorite citrus notes and then it got more citrus, woody in the dry down. Great perfume from PDM but sadly a bit overpriced.

Opens with a strong burst of citruses—grapefruit leads—but right from the start, you can already pick up the dry, slightly dirty woods and earthy vetiver in the scent composition. As it develops, the balance shifts: the woods and vetiver become bolder while the citrus lingers, just not as loud. So yeah, still citrusy, but the ratio leans more woodsy the longer it’s on skin.

Not love at first sniff, but it grows on you. It has a unique character. There are moments in the mid that might remind me of some aspects of Terre d'Hermès Eau Givrée , but overall, it stands quite apart in my opinion. The vetiver is prominent—like in "Elysium Parfum Cologne (Eau de Parfum) | Roja Parfums" —but not as green, and it’s definitely paired with more woods here. So regardless of the comparisons, this still feels like its own thing.

Performance is no joke—strong projection and serious longevity (more than 12 hours on me), so definitely in the compliment-puller category because of the performance, probably due to the ambroxan (marketed as ambergris accord), and I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some clean, light oud hidden in there too—but they seem to have kept that chef’s kiss a secret.

Overall, it’s a bold and unexpected release for a freshie. Still growing on me, but there’s definitely something addictive about it.

I'm convinced that most people just need a place to gather and complain, and, sadly, they come here. I find this to be quite nice indeed. Very impressive projection and longevity, on hydrated skin. Makes me wonder if half these complaints are from poor skin care? The vetiver comes outta the gate strong, and holds its own for a good couple hours. Although PdM is using an ambergris accord and not the real thing, the desired outcome is still longevity. The only other citrus that is this good is Elysium, IMHO.

Initially I dismissed Perseus as just another fresh, citrus Terre d'Hermès Eau de Toilette clone. But giving it some more wears it actually has this intoxicating, addictive edge to it.

Where the defacto office freshy consists of a woody base, this one is citric all the way. It has a bit of bitterness of a grapefruit/pomelo. It has the acidity of lemon and lime. Truly freshness in a bottle.

It lasts, it packs a punch, do I think it’s worth full price? I think it’s steep. Do I want it? Yes very much indeed!

I generally don't have a lot of great things to say about PdM fragrances. They are often too sweet and cloying or seem to be a facsimile of other fragrances on the market with just a slight tweak by the perfumer to make it just different enough.

It has been discussed adnauseum in countless forums so I don't need to get too into the weeds about that here.

While Perseus does follow a similar path the thing that I appreciate about it is that they finally decided to come out with a new release that isn't so sweet that it borders on giving the wearer Type 2 diabetes.

Perseus opens with a very photorealistic grapefruit that we've experienced from some of the Dolce&Gabbana Light Blue Pour Homme flankers like Forever and Italian Love. It is bright, tart, and ever so slightly effervescent. Similar to the D&G LB flankers, this beautiful rindy grapefruit opening persists throughout most of the life of the fragrance. Blackcurrant is there but very shyly providing a touch of sweetness to balance the tartness of the grapefruit.

This opening is soon met by a nice dose of aromatics in the form of mandarin, bergamot, geranium, and vetiver. This combination takes some of the best parts of Terre d'Hermes and blankets it under the grapefruit opening.

As this continues to work its way to the dry down some of the fluffy and musky attributes of the cashmere woods show up to keep the fragrance light and elevated as geranium specifically can start to travel down a green and dank path if left unchecked.

The "dry woods" and ambergris (I have to assume it is an accord and not the real thing) are most likely an overdose of ISO E Super and Ambroxan used as a fixative to provide lift and projection.

In terms of performance, this fragrance comes out of the nozzle SCREAMING and will project for a good distance for the first 30 minutes to an hour. Afterward, it does settle into something more tamed and refined.

You can expect 6 to 8 hours out of this fragrance and perhaps a little more depending on the weather you are wearing it.

I can see the initial wave of PdM enthusiasts who live and die for Layton, Althair, and Sedley to say that this is better for a more mature man, or that it is dated because of the geranium. For me, this is one of a few select PdM fragrances that I feel are meant to be worn by men and not just a unisex fragrance released in the male-targeted bottles.