The best Parfums de Marly Cologne for men are a recent addition to the world of fine fragrance, so choosing the right one for your style and budget can be tough. That’s why we’ve done the research for you, and put together our findings in this handy guide to the best scents from the Parfums de Marly collection.
Parfums de Marly was founded by Julien Sprecher in 2009, thanks to a love of perfume passed on from his father and a desire to evoke an older, more opulent time in French perfuming. The company draws on the fragrance recipes from the court of King Louis XV, and leans heavily on roses, flowers, exotic fruits, and strikingly direct compositions.
In this guide, we’ll be introducing you to our top five favorite Parfums de Marly colognes for men, complete with notes on their aromatic profiles and suggested times and places for wearing each scent. Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
5 Best Parfums De Marly Cologne For Men In 2022
Though the company has not been around for long, Parfums de Marly’s selection of colognes for men is already quite well developed. We sorted through each of their offerings to present you only the best of the best below. Creed is also another expensive cologne brand if you’re looking for more options.
Parfums De Marly Pegasus (Our Top Pick)
Made in the ultra-classic oriental fougere style, Pegasus is without a doubt Parfums de Marly’s best cologne for men. Since its release in 2011, it’s gained cult status among cologne lovers thanks to its uniquely complex and long lasting formulation. If we could only choose one Parfums de Marly cologne to add to our collections, this would be the one.
Exotic heliotrope flower, a relative of borage with a cool and herbal tone, is joined by savory cumin and fresh bergamot in this cologne’s top notes. Slowly transitioning to heart notes of bitter almond, lavender, and intoxicating jasmine, it is supported by a dense and ever-present base of vanilla, sandalwood, and amber.
Boasting an almost-eternal longevity, Pegasus is a harkening back to a time when fragrances were meant to last for days, not hours. It’s startlingly complex, with a developing intensity that shows off different aspects of the composition throughout the entire duration of wear. If you can afford it, Pegasus is a fantastic upgrade from almost any other cologne for daily wear.
Notes:
- Top notes of heliotrope, cumin, and bergamot
- Middle notes of bitter almond, lavender, and jasmine
- Base notes of vanilla, sandalwood, and amber
Best For:
- Becoming your new signature scent
- Year-round wear
Parfums De Marly Herod
Debuted in 2012, Herod is Parfums de Marly’s take on a traditionally masculine woody spicy style cologne. It’s densely packed with spicy aromatics and the most overtly masculine of any Parfums de Marly cologne, making it an excellent choice for anyone looking for a date night cologne.
Cinnamon and black pepper announce Herod with a vigorous attack of top notes, quickly moving into a lush and sumptuous heart of tobacco, burning incense, tropical osmanthus flower, and waxy labdanum. The base is especially complex, with vanilla leading the way into musk, cedar, nagarmotha, and vetiver for a strongly woodsy impression.
Exceptionally long lasting and possessing a balanced intensity, Herod is worth every bit of its high price tag. The powerfully spicy and woodsy tones make it show best during the fall and winter, but it’s equally versatile as a nighttime cologne any time of year.
Notes:
- Top notes of cinnamon and black pepper
- Middle notes of tobacco, incense, osmanthus, and labdanum
- Base notes of vanilla, Iso E Super, musk, cedar, nagarmotha, and vetiver
Best For:
- Fall and winter wear
- Nighttime wear
Parfums De Marly Layton
Layton is one of Parfums de Marly’s most unique fragrance offerings. An oriental floral scent made in a unisex style, it has both the barbershop aromatics that make it attractive to men and the flower bouquet of popular perfumes, all mediated by fruits and vanilla. If you’re looking for a truly one-of-a-kind fragrance, Layton is a fantastic choice.
Green apple is the primary top note in Layton, accented by lavender and given a fresh and juicy tinge by mandarin orange and bergamot peels. The heart notes are all flowers, with geranium playing evenly alongside violet and jasmine. What really draws the whole composition together, though, is the complex base: filled with vanilla, cardamom, sandalwood and guaiac wood, and given a lift by patchouli and black pepper, it’s wonderfully deep and balanced.
Incredibly long lasting and sporting a pronounced intensity throughout its entire duration of wear, Parfums de Marly Layton is guaranteed to make a unique and lasting impression. We’d be happy to wear this anywhere, from the office to a date night to a special occasion, and at any time of year.
Notes:
- Top notes of apple, lavender, mandarin orange, and bergamot
- Middle notes of geranium, violet, and jasmine
- Base notes of vanilla, cardamom, sandalwood, black pepper, patchouli, and guaiac wood
Best For:
- Making a unique and lasting impression
- Men who love barbershop fragrances
Parfums De Marly Carlisle
Perhaps the largest and most exaggerated floral fruity fragrance available on the market today, Parfums de Marly’s Carlisle is made in a decidedly modern and entirely unisex style. Though it may not be everybody’s cup of tea, lovers of rose and fruit will want to have a bottle in their collection for special occasions.
Juicy Granny Smith apple is the major player in Carlisle’s top notes, where it joins freshly grated nutmeg to create an almost confectionary entrance to the fragrance. Similarly, rose plays the starring role in Carlisle’s heart notes, accented only slightly by sweet and spicy tonka bean. Anchored by a classic base of patchouli and vanilla, it’s an amazingly straightforward and minimalist composition.
A single spray of Parfums de Marly Carlisle is likely to stay on your skin for a full day, and your clothes for two or more days. It has a longevity approaching the eternal, and an intensity that will announce your presence in any room — all while maintaining a mature, sophisticated style.
Notes:
- Top notes of green apple and nutmeg
- Middle notes of tonka bean and rose
- Base notes of patchouli and vanilla
Best For:
- Projecting maturity and sophistication
- Wearing on special occasions and date nights
Parfums De Marly Percival
The most crowd-pleasing of all Parfums de Marly colognes, Percival is a unisex citrus aromatic style fragrance that debuted in 2018. It builds on the simple citrus compositions that are so popular among young professionals today, and leads them in a classical direction that gives much greater complexity and longevity. It’s an ideal cologne for wearing to the office.
Zesty bergamot and mandarin orange are paired with lavender and geranium in Percival’s top notes, which lead slowly and insistently into heart notes of violet and jasmine offset by spicy coriander and cinnamon. In the base, you’ll find three exceptionally well-balanced woody components as well as a refreshing burst of balsam fir.
Exceptionally long lasting, but with a balanced intensity, Percival is the best Parfums de Marly cologne for summer, though it works quite well any time of year for daytime wear. If you’re looking for a fresh and sophisticated cologne to wear to work, it would be hard to find anything better than Percival.
Notes:
- Top notes of lavender, mandarin orange, bergamot, and geranium
- Middle notes of hedione, violet, jasmine, coriander, and cinnamon
- Base notes of ambroxan, balsam fir, amberwood, musk, and clearwood
Best For:
- Spring and summer wear
- Daytime wear
- Wearing to the office
Why Is Parfums De Marly So Expensive?
In the American market, many buyers of perfumes and colognes aren’t aware that what they are buying isn’t a true eau de cologne or eau de parfum, but a diluted version of a more classic fragrance style. Because of this, they may be used to reapplying fragrances multiple times during a day — but it doesn’t have to be this way.
In comparison, Parfums de Marly fragrances are quite expensive because of both the quality of their ingredients and the intensity of their concentration. So even though these fragrances are expensive, the amount of wear time that you’ll get out of a bottle is proportionate to the price — and the complexity of the scent will definitely draw more attention your way.
How Can You Tell Parfums De Marly Is Real?
Short of buying any perfume or cologne straight from the producer, it can be exceptionally difficult to tell if the liquid that’s in a fragrance bottle is the “real thing”. Furthermore, colognes and perfumes can vary in their formulation from year to year and batch to batch, making it even more difficult to tell if a cologne you’ve worn before is the same one you’re buying next.
Here’s how we consider a fragrance to determine whether it’s authentic: First, inspect the bottle as soon as you get it. Does it have any signs of wear, broken seals, or damaged packaging? This can be an indicator that the cologne isn’t real. Second, how long does the fragrance last? All of Parfums de Marly’s colognes and perfumes have at least a 6 to 8 hour lifespan, so anything less than this might indicate that you have a fake.
Is Parfums De Marly Niche?
Two categorizations from the perfuming world have led to many a fragrance lover’s confusion: Designer and niche. Here’s how they work, and what this means for Parfums de Marly:
Designer colognes and perfumes are made as an offshoot of a fashion design house, but fragrance making is not their main business offering. Prominent examples include Armani colognes, Dior colognes, and Issey Miyake fragrances.
Niche fragrances are made by a company that specializes in fragrance design and production, rather than as an offshoot of a fashion house. This means that Parfums de Marly is definitely a niche producer, alongside the likes of Amouage fragrances and Acqua Di Parma fragrances.
Brian Adee
Brian has been fascinated with fragrances since his 8th birthday, when his Dad gifted him a bottle of Acqua di Gio. Since then, he has become a men's grooming & style aficionado who teaches men how to look sharp. Backed by personal experience, Brian's articles are known for his no-holds-barred style where he holds nothing back. You will get his real opinions on the latest men's grooming products and best practices where he reveals the best (and worst) style advice every man should know.