Velvet Whisper House of Thêom 2025

I got the chance to try Valaya Eau de Parfum last spring, and its freshness and clean scent immediately caught my attention. Without sharing any real kinship with Sculpture Homme Eau de Toilette, it brought to mind that same genre — the one that evokes freshly pressed cotton and linen shirts. It also called to mind the Zara collection created by nose Olivia Giacobetti, inspired by mineral essences and vapors.

This House of Thêom collection, sold at DM stores, has finally arrived in Italy. I saw three on display in-store: Heaven’s Reserve, Midnight Cherry, and Velvet Whisper. While the first two sit in the opulent, gourmand family, this one is a fresh, musky, citrus composition. All three come housed in a hexagonal bottle design — as if representing two solids fusing into one another — and for this particular scent, the glass is pure, minimalist opaline.

But let’s get to what matters: what kind of fragrance is Velvet Whisper? A full, generous spray releases citrus notes that are sweet and creamy. I pick up citrus peel distinctly, softened by a creamy touch of nectarine. This isn’t a bold, assertive citrus in the vein of TF Neroli Portofino or CD Homme Cologne — it’s closer to a sorbet. Underneath, a green rhubarb facet balances out the citrus and fruit.

Though it’s not listed on the notes, the heart carries a creamy, indolic jasmine nuance that stands out. The heart is indeed built on white flowers and fruit, with orange blossom appearing here powdery and creamy. Despite the presence of lily, the fragrance remains floral yet fresh, never veering into overtly feminine territory.

The part I love most is the drydown. There’s an herbaceous vetiver and a soapy white musk that leave a clean trail, one that seems to linger endlessly thanks to a well-dosed, never overdone ambroxan. And it is creamy, exaggerately creamy, which is a plus! The creamy texture Imentioned comes from notes like nectarine, powdery orange blossom, and a creamy jasmine nuance, giving it a sorbet-like freshness rather than a sharp citrus blast.

For my taste — and without any hang-ups about it — I’d wear PdM Valaya without a second thought, but in this case I appreciate this dupe just as much: it performs equally well on hot, sultry mornings and days of spring and summer, fresh and floral without ever tiring or overstaying its welcome. Both projection and longevity sit above average. I see it as a spotless choice on a windy summer night.

I’ve owned this fragrance since August 2026 (BC C0958, exp. 05/29).

—Elysium

In general I'm not a fan of dupes but, in this case, with the absurd pricing of PDM, I think it is totally justified to buy this instead if you like Valaya without the fruity opening. This goes straight to the clean/powdery drydown of Valaya which I liked better than it's opening.
Sillage- and longevity wise you certainly won't need Valaya. My boyfriend finds the sillage of both perfumes way too strong, so I won't buy either.
But this is a good dupe for sure. Maybe a bit more 'flat' and linear, but I think that is in it's favour. I really liked the sample of Valaya, but I found it took a bit too long to get to it's drydown.

I love gourmand fragrances with vanilla, coffee, or/and plum. That's why I needed something for light days. Something that has a subtle scent and doesn't immediately hit the nose.

That's when I found "Velvet Whisper | House of Thêom." I didn't have high expectations. I thought I would spray it on in the morning before work and by the afternoon it would be gone.

Today, it underwent a long-term test. Sprayed on at 5 AM. I was complimented on it several times at work. At 1 PM, my clothes still smell of it. Throughout the day, I often smelled fresh and clean, despite wearing a thick winter jacket.

It's now 5 PM and I'm sitting in my chair, fiddling around on Parfumo. And I can still smell it very prominently, but not overpoweringly in my nose.

I didn't think it would be so long-lasting. I will gladly use it again for light days and enjoy it.

I will try to give a fair assessment here, although the scent is personally difficult for me because I really dislike jasmine. And I definitely get that "jasmine vibe" here, even though jasmine is not listed in the official notes. Maybe it comes from a very dominant interpretation of lilies or something like that, I have no idea, but that’s how it smells to me.

Still, I wanted to evaluate the fragrance because I can easily imagine it finding a large fan base. What the scent does really well is this "freshly washed laundry" feeling, and not just in a casual way, but genuinely. I sprayed it on a cosmetic tissue at dm months ago, right when it was released, and that tissue still smells pleasantly clean, fresh, and soft.

For everyone who likes floral, clean scents, definitely give it a sniff. It is very consistent in its execution and captures that "fresh & clean" vibe really well, almost as if you were holding freshly washed laundry in your hands. If you are into that direction, then Velvet Whisper is, in my opinion, a true highlight in terms of price-performance ratio.

Unfortunately, it’s not for me personally, but that says more about my taste than about the fragrance itself.

One really shouldn't test fragrances out of boredom in winter; actually, something completely different drove me to the local DM today... well, these towers (they remind me a bit of chunky chess pieces) have been around for a while now, and somehow I've avoided testing them until now. So, I first grab the white tower (Velvet Whisper). A not-so-gentle spray hits my jacket sleeve instead of my wrist, of course. I'm in winter, bundled up in a puffer coat and scarf, with my shoulders constantly raised, so I'm a bit of a clumsy person. Oh, should I find you repulsive or just okay? Compared to "Amara | Avapari," you have more citrus and synthetic notes. Compared to "Delilah Blanc | Maison Alhambra," you seem colder but also fruitier at the same time. Something here is unbalanced. But what do I expect for a price of around 20 euros for 75ml... Personally, I rarely reach for this type of fragrance. If I calculate it, not more than 10 days a year... that's why I stick with my Delilah Blanc decant. What I must give credit to the brand for is the longevity and sillage. Checkmate by a whisper that is more of a shriek.