There was a time when finding a signature scent meant flipping through glossy ads, spritzing paper strips, and settling on a fragrance that felt aspirational, but rarely personal. Today, that notion feels dated. In an era where individuality is everything, perfume is no longer about fitting into a mold. That’s where Parfums de Marly comes in. Founded by Julien Sprecher in 2009, the French maison has been taking the savoir-faire traditions of haute parfumerie and updating them with a modern sensibility. When it comes to choosing a perfume that fits your personality, there’s no one doing it better. Whether you re drawn to smoky amber or soft floral scents, your perfume should evoke a sense of self, and Parfums de Marly has a scent fit for every wearer.
Take Delina, the iconic female fragrance that has been a bestseller since 2017 and a viral sensation on TikTok, celebrated for its compliment-magnet scent and irresistible flacon. An ode to the Damascena rose—one of the rare raw materials that Parfums de Marly employs—Delina’s romantic rose scent is blended with vanilla and white musk, then elevated by top notes of lychee, rhubarb and bergamot. It evokes the freshness and femininity of a contemporary coquette. Encased in a charming matte pink bottle, inspired by 18th-century French moldings found in the Château de Marly from which the maison drew its name and philosophy, Delina becomes an art d’objet on any vanity table.
On the other end of the spectrum comes Castley, a new male fragrance which just launched nationwide on May 26, right on time for Father’s Day. Inspired by travelers of the 18th century like Charles-Marie de La Condamine and Nicolas Bodin, Castley blends bright citrus notes from lemon petitgrain and neroli, along with fresh ginger and spicy black and Timut pepper, which were introduced to the French court in that same era. The bottle is cast from a smoky glass that evokes the grays of a city skyline, capped with a shining silver top—a perfect match for a modern Renaissance man on the go.
For those new to perfumes, Parfums de Marly released their first Home Diffuser, allowing you to personalize a scent for each room. An elegant hand-crafted oak base houses up to three recyclable scented refills, which can be customized from one of four fragrances, including Delina and Althaïr, an unexpected, modern ode to Bourbon vanilla. The innovative dry-air diffusion system disperses the combination of your choice while preserving the air quality, a nod to home fragrance traditions that date back to 18th-century France, but reinvented for today.
Happily, all of the maison’s inimitable scents can be sampled at the new boutique at 796 Madison Avenue in Manhattan, a jewel box of a store with a dedicated salon, where guests can also indulge in a virtual reality exploration of the Château de Marly in its heyday.
Perusing the marble console, one can savor the joy of finding an exquisite perfume that speaks to your inner self, not a passing trend. What could be better?