I don’t particularly revel in writing negative reviews. But, to maintain balance and a credible critical outlook, I think it’s essential to weed out the bad from the good, communicating the full range of my views. Indeed, I’d love for every perfume to be a classic, but that isn’t the case. My wallet thanks me! And it especially thanks me in the case of Perseus, the latest from Parfums de Marly. To be sure, one needs deep pockets to afford anything from this house. So far, nothing’s tempted me to loosen the purse strings and add a Marly to the collection. For the record, Herod’s my favourite.
This write-up won’t be lengthy; honestly, there’s not much to say about Perseus. It begins promisingly, though. The tart grapefruit and juicy mandarin in the opening minutes match the striking bottle colour and align with the solar-themed marketing material. Even the aromatic geranium and vetiver in the heart hold some appeal. However, Perseus soon starts to fray around the edges.
The dry woods appear after about 20 minutes, and the whole thing becomes jagged and scratchy. The sun starts losing some bite, the clouds roll in, and the sky eventually goes dark. It’s neither as vibrant, buoyant, or charming as it was at the outset. And it ultimately falls apart entirely by the base (30mins). The ambery woody material becomes all-encompassing like a black hole sucking the life out of the scent.
It’s being compared to Terre d’Hermes online. Yes, scent adjacent, perhaps, but not a like-for-like. Let’s say it plays a similar citric aromatic game, but the Hermes plays in the major leagues, and Perseus languishes in the minor leagues. The sad part about it all is it had the foundations to be a contender, but it ended up striking out. Had I tested in-store (which I did) and gone on only the first five minutes, it might have passed muster. Always wait for the dry down; it inevitably disappoints in these modern fragrances. All that said, I’d much rather smell this on the “Fragbros” than some of the brand’s more overly sweet, obnoxious fare.
What do you think about negative reviews? Do you like reading them? Even though this isn’t a review but more of a first impression, I know any subsequent testing of Perseus won’t result in a change of heart. The old saying, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure comes to mind. You might like what I don’t like. We can still be friends!
Note: Bottle image from Google. And all the other photos are my own.
I appreciate the negative reviews when they come with a constructive purpose ( as yours). I see a lot of reviewers trashing brands to sound cool, and mostly for the fact that they didn’t receive as much freebies as other “influencers”. I stopped following a very well known YouTuber for noticing sarcasm in their reviews when the brand wasn’t among what they considered “artistic perfumery”, which I read as “sponsored”.
That is definitely not your case, tks for the honest review! I haven’t tried this scent, but PdM is not a house that I am interested in anyway. Too expensive fragrances that are always hyped on social media. A big NO for me.
Thanks very much, Tetê. Good to know! And thanks for the detailed response. I try to be as constructive as possible, and also give alternatives to a perfume that I don’t think is up to scratch. Perseus is clearly overpriced, with many better options to buy in the citrus genre. I think there will be plenty more negative reviews on my site, as finding the quality scents among the thousands of releases is becoming harder and harder.
I agree with your giving honest reviews. As Tete says above, too often reviews are predicated on freebies & relationships with brands.
I think I’ve tried just one PdM & can neither remember its name or how it smelt. It was a sample gifted when I bought SL Fille en Aiguilles in the old 50ml black label bottle.
Yes, I think we’re all on the same page here, Alityke. Those sorts of reviews lack credibility and come across as an advertisement.
I think you’re quite fair in both positive and negative reviews. It’s disappointing when a nice top note quickly gives way to a screechy woody-amber monster.
Thanks, Nose Prose. Yes, this one turned into something nasty quite quickly.
Negative reviews are essential and sometimes even funny (“fragbros”, ha! ha!). But I’m always aware that I could be trashing someone’s hard work. Love all your pics, dear Daniel.
Thanks, Rich. Yes, negative but not a complete trashing is probably the way to go.