PARFUMS DE MARLY
Perseus

2024

BERGAMOT
GRAPEFRUIT
BLACKCURRANT

VETIVER
GREEN MANDARIN
GERANIUM

AMBERGRIS
CASHMERAN
DRY WOODS

‘A refreshing, citrus-based creation for invigorating virtues on the body and the mind. A contemporary twisted-grapefruit associated with fruity notes and vetiver to uplift energy. Citrusy notes meet the elegance and power of a woody trail for refined and contrasting freshness.’ – Parfums de Marly

In one sentence: ‘A nice, but familiar fragrance, that’s impossible to recommend to anyone, but a die-hard Parfums de Marly collector’. I actually really like it; in a sense more than I expected, but sometimes, that’s not enough to get excited.

There was a lot of speculation online about Perseus possibly having a Bvlgari Tygar or Louis Vuitton Afternoon Swim DNA, but this is untrue in my opinion. Perseus is citrus-heavy, but it’s also a vetiver fragrance.

In the opening minutes it has a greener, sharper citrus. I would’ve guessed ginger to be in here. It opens rather abrasive, but at the same time, it does not have a sparkling citrus. There is no natural grapefruit scent and I didn’t pick up on blackcurrant specifically; it’s more of nondescript, flattened fruity-citrus mix. The scent is pleasant: Fruity with a relatively neutral vetiver straight away. A vetiver that’s not overly green or earthy, but not fully soapy either. What I didn’t expect is how quickly Perseus grows sweeter.

My mind first went in the direction of Terre D’Hermes Eau Givree, with a different texture. More fizzy than sparkling. Overall on the harsher side, but with a softer side, like suede. Texture wise it reminded me more of Hermes H24 EDT perhaps. However, within the hour it settles into something a tad sweeter and it starts to lose the tangy side of the citrus.

Still citrussy somewhat, but more so a full-on vetiver. Warmer, sweeter, but at the same time a bit soapy. The longer I wore this, the more I was reminded of Essential Parfums Bois Imperial (I wonder if Quentin Bisch made Perseus?). It’s more fruity than Bois Imperial for sure, but that fruity facet fades slowly during the wear. Based on my first wearing and a half, Bois Imperial is easily the closest reference point.

I feel that it gets more soapy once I was adjusted to it, so comparisons to Tom Ford Grey Vetiver are not far off either, but Perseus definitely seems sweeter to me. There is something lactonic to me in the texture, that I mostly get when smelling myself up close. Similar to the lactonic fruity quality you get in fig fragrances.

One thing you can (almost) always count on with Parfums de Marly is performance. Given that I had a serious cold during my first impression, I can’t confidently say much about it, other than that the performance seems fine. The fragrance feels a bit thin and minimal, but I think it suits the scent; a citrussy scent doesn’t need to be heavy or thick (as opposed to how I felt about Althair). It gets pretty smooth and I started liking the texture of this fragrance more about an hour into the wear. No complaints there, although, to come back to Bois Imperial again, that one has immaculate performance and I can’t see Perseus outpacing it.

On first impression, a really pleasant scent and I like it more than the previous releases from the brand (Althair, Valaya, Haltane, Oriana for sure). Still, as a release, it’s one that’s very hard to justify. I’ve felt this way about most Parfums de Marly releases and not everyone agrees, so take my opinion for what it is, but to me, this feels like a 100$ fragrance at best. It doesn’t feel luxurious, complex, natural or unique. The aforementioned Terre D’Hermes Eau Givree wears much nicer and feels more natural. The very similar Bois Imperial is under a 100$; an absolute no-brainer to recommend over Perseus. Other vetivers that may be an alternative, like Tom Ford Grey Vetiver, are nicer and much less expensive as well. You can branch out to fig fragrances as Essential Parfums Fig Infusion or Beso Beach Beso Pasion or others that differ more, but have some similar components like Goldfield & Banks Ingenious Ginger or even the Salle Prive x Skins collaboration and the Parfums de Marly at its price point doesn’t add up.

Perseus feels very contemporary and linear. There’s nothing wrong with the scent profile, as I like all the fragrances I mentioned in this review, but the value proposition offered is among the worst in my opinion (aside from what Creed has been doing with their latest releases). Regardless of the scent itself, there is no way for me to consciously recommend Perseus, unless you find it at a 50% or more discount.

I will say that for Parfums de Marly fans, Perseus is probably something that was missing from their line. They haven’t had a vetiver-like scent since the discontinued Shagya and Perseus fits in pretty well between their brighter and more versatile releases; probably closest to Greenley.