PARFUMS DE MARLY
VALAYA EXCLUSIF
2025
PERFUMER
Quentin Bisch
bergamot
mandarin
almond
orange blossom
white flowers
powdery notes
akigalawood
ambroxan
sandalwood
vanilla
My review for this may feel two-sided. On one hand, I think Valaya Exclusif will appeal to more people than its predecessor and I can see this being a big hit for many. If I was in charge of Parfums de Marly’s financial department, Valaya Exclusif is what I would’ve ordered. On the other hand, I feel like it takes away from the Valaya DNA in a somewhat disappointing manner.
Let me explain; when Valaya launched, I saw mostly mixed or even negative reactions to it (I think more people have warmed up to it since). I personally did not love Valaya, but I did like it and I particularly like that it felt more understated and less brazen, youthful and not so strongly targeting mass appeal.
While being very modern and synthetic, almost clinical and bareboned, it had a charm to it and the aldehydes being prominent felt like a nice curve ball coming from Parfums de Marly anno 2023. The latter is still true for Valaya Exclusif, but Exclusif seems to aim to bring Valaya back in the spotlight in a popularity driven manner.
A ton more sweetness is introduced here. You still get aldehydes, airy, watery florals and tart citrus, but it feels a lot less understated and goes the louder, more contrasting and vibrant direction that we often see from Parfums de Marly. The sweetness has an almond / tonka bean scent and almost palpable taste to it, that at one point after the opening minutes felt bordering on gourmand, like biscuits and rice cookies.
To my nose, this combination didn’t work and while it’s easy to see why Parfums de Marly would want to pull in a new audience for Valaya, I’m not sure if those that did appreciate the original, will appreciate the new take as much. I personally don’t.
In the later drydown (and this has a very strong longevity), you get more and more of the Valaya DNA, where the sweetness has pulled back again, but it still doubles down on the vibrancy when compared to the first Valaya. It feels more fruity, more floral, more everything. Not bad at all, but therefore coming across more generic to my nose as well.
To me, Valaya was not a fragrance that needed more sweetness and attention-grabbing. I’d rather see Parfums de Marly use the Exclusif flankers to create more daring or less conventional takes on an already popular name (like they did with Layton Exclusif, which is arguably the best release from the house in my opinion), instead of using it as a second chance to make a fragrance more lovable by the masses.
