Yazhini ManimudiParfums de Marly are known for their niche fragrances inspired by the royal excesses of pre-French Revolution Château de Marly. The newest member of the Parfums de Marly Court is Athénaïs. The women’s perfume is named after one of the most important women in King Louis XIV’s life, Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart. She was his most celebrated mistress.
Coming from Benedict Bridgerton, an offer to be Mistress is not ideal. But, in the French Royal Court, it was a position of great power and honor. In her time, Françoise-Athénaïs, titled Marquise of Montespan, was an authority on fashion, and an arbiter of art and all things beautiful. Only normal for something as luxurious and indulgent as fragrance to be given her name.
Parfums de Marly Athénaïs
Notes
Top: Neroli, Bergamot, Yuzu
Heart: Jasmine Sabac, Orange Blossom, Mahonial
Base: Tonka Bean, Amber, Vanilla
Fragrance Family
Ambery Floral
Athénaïs is the sweetest women’s perfume so far from Parfums de Marly. Orange blossom is the star ingredient, giving the perfume its sweet and rich quality. The amber-vanilla base amplifies this rich sweetness. A comparison can be made to Safanad, another one of their women’s perfumes with dominant notes of orange blossom, vanilla, and amber. A major difference is that Safanad is more powdery.
If you love orange blossom, you are bound to love Athénaïs. The opening is citrusy with bergamot and yuzu, the neroli enriching both. The mahonial lends a fresh, green, and clean intrigue to the rich white floral bouquet of jasmine and orange blossom. It’s quite sweet, sweeter than even Oriana. But I have a feeling it will be more popular than Oriana, geared to join the ranks of Delina and Valaya. Not because it’s anything extraordinary but because it’s simple and likeable.
Nothing against ordinary and easily liked fragrance profiles. Not everything has to be ultraniche and offer a completely new experience. But not every perfume house is asking for AED 1,000 for a 30ml bottle. When you’re asking for as much, the bottle should have a fragrance that is truly unique. Athénaïs is nowhere near unique.
It’s gorgeous and the people who love Parfums the Marly will buy a bottle and hype it up. But it is a worrying trend in the industry for regular fragrances to demand niche prices.
As a white floral, orange blossom enjoys great popularity in bridal perfumes. Along with the well deserved popularity of vanilla, Athénaïs has the potential to be a special fragrance meant for a special day.
Should you buy it? Sure, if you have one to one and a half thousand Dirhams just sitting around, collecting dust. Many designer orange blossom perfumes will do the trick just as well.
Sowmya Gibish
