PARFUMS DE MARLY
ALTHAIR

2023

PERFUMER
Hamid Merati-Kashani
Ilias Ermenidis

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orange blossom absolute
bergamot
cinnamon
cardamom

bourbon vanilla
elemi

ambrox
guaiac wood
praline
musk

REVIEW

It’s also not easy giving an in-depth description without knowing any of the notes, as those often help puzzle pieces fall into place. Yet, given the hype Althair will undoubtedly garner, it’s only right to share an extensive impression (after two full wearings). Edit: after posting this review, full notes have been added above.

First things that came to mind: Skin, floral, vanilla. Musky and citrussy. Not a thick vanilla in the mix, but overall more airy and fresh. In the direction of a blend of Nishane Hundred Silent Ways and Kilian Love Don’t Be Shy, but more vanillic than both and less cozy. Unisex by anyone’s standard I presume, but I expect more women to like this for sure. I’d call this the ‘Oriana‘ of the men’s line. Definitely something that will smell familiar at least partially to most people. It also has a pretty strong aromatic tinge akin to Ani. Someone else mentioned lavender, which I didn’t at first, but I guess that’s could be part of that aromatic element that pulls this back towards the masculine leaning side somewhat. (Edit: there’s no lavender in the notes)

Custardy vanilla and acidity builds for a while. It’s making me think of orange blossom, but sharper. Maybe even some ginger. Not unlike what I’ve smelled before in several vanilla-citrus-floral mixes. From my memory, this is similar to the scent profiles of Nobile 1942 Perdizione & Aerlig P3, although I haven’t compared those side by side, so take that with a grain of salt. Definitely not as feminine leaning as those, but I was a bit surprised nonetheless.

As it goes along, it leans into the sharper, harsher base. I have a feeling there’s quite some cashmeran in this base. Aside from the vanilla, it becomes a citrus-muddy-woody to me. I wonder if I’m getting an big dose of cashmeran or maybe also patchouli. After about two hours, Althair starts to lose some of its sharpness, in favor of… what I’d call boozy vanilla, maybe pulling towards caramel a bit. It still has that sort of liquid, citrussy vibe, but because it loses some freshness and feels a tad more spicy and woody, it registers as boozy to me (I’d not necessarily expect a booze to show up on the notes list though).

I’m hesitant to call this green, because it’s not a green fragrance at all. But there is something green and yellow in the way this vanilla-woody base wears on me. Perhaps is a lasting floral tinge and its definitely aromatic. The dry undercurrent here is reminiscent of your amberwoody drydown, but not as warm and a tad smoother than many. The sweetness isn’t overdone either. I often have issues with this type of base, as it goes on forever in a linear, slightly cardboard-esque fashion, but I do think it works okay here with the citrussy vanilla.

As you can tell by the references, Althair on first impression smells like an amalgamation of mostly women-marketed vanilla releases to me. At least on initial impression, before it pulls in a slightly altered direction. Still, I’d be surprised if more men like this than women, especially when smelling it in stores or briefly. The more the wear progresses, the more I think it appeals to men. I’m saying this as someone who considers everything unisex and as a man I’d gladly wear fragrances that people would consider a lot more feminine leaning than this. I’m just saying that people who see this in the men’s presentation bottle and expect a ‘masculine leaning vanilla’ may have to reset their expectations. If you’re like me and you consider Nishane Ani best suited to men (because of that aromatic not-quite barbershoppy facet), and the following Ani X more unisex, then picture Althair somewhere in between. Given that I think the Ani’s are better by a large margin.

I like the scent, but don’t like the texture. Athair is not one of the most substantial, well-rounded feeling Parfum de Marly releases. Similar feeling (not scent) with this as with BDK Vanille Leather; they would be significantly better for me personally if it was a bit creamier, denser and thicker. Instead, even though performance seems absolutely fine and bordering on extremely long lasting on my first impression, it comes across a bit sharp, schreechy and airy for a scent profile like this. It’s a vanilla scent with the texture of a musky citrus fragrance.

Almost guaranteed to be a popular release from the house, but not what I hoped in style and not what I want in quality. I can’t see this being in my top 5 Parfums de Marly, and top 10 is still up for debate.