Transcription
Once upon a time, Creed had the niche fragrance world in its grip. If you wanted luxury niche fragrances that still had that designer sensibility, that designer wearability, then you bought Creed with arms wide open. But then Parfums de Marley showed up. They took things higher. They took that Creed styling and they said more.
And then fast forward to today. Creed is 6 feet from the edge and they're taking one last breath at the top while PDM pushes things even further. [Music] Hey friends, Ash here. Welcome back to Gen Sense. Hope that you're doing well. I think my wires got crossed somewhere in that intro. Today we're talking Parfums de Marley, but more specifically 12 of the biggest PDM fragrances ever and the best alternatives to those that you can get on the cheap. All of these are going to be linked in the description below, so feel free to check them out down there.
Also, you will probably hear from a few different places that there is a big sale going on right now and serendipitously, it's a Parfums de Marley sale. That's crazy. It's linked in the description below. So, if you're actually wanting to take yourself higher and get actual PDMs at a heavily, heavily heavily discounted price, including the new Cassili, then check that sale out. It runs only for 48 hours. The details are here on the screen as you can see and also in the description below. So, basically, if you've been waiting to pick yourself up some Parfums de Marley, now's the time, bro. Some of those jammers are 55% off. That's 5*2. It's just math. Two fives is 55.
All right. The first fragrance that we need to get the clones for is Layton. The big boy. Parfums de Marley Layton. Layton is for a lot of people the first thing they think of when they think Parfums de Marley, like Aventus to Creed, for example, or Kalan to Xerjoff. It is Layton for PDM. Ultra sexy, huge compliment puller. Great for fall and wintertime. Apple, cardamom, vanilla. Yes, please. When it comes to this fragrance, there are a lot of different alternatives out there, some better than others. The two that I'm going to highlight are Detour Noir by Al Haramain and then Dusk by The Woods Collection.
Now, Detour Noir, pretty much everybody knows. This was really the first Layton clone. And I'm going to let you in on a secret that's not a secret at all. When you're the first brand that comes out with a really well-done alternative to a popular fragrance, a lot of times that becomes the go-to for that fragrance, regardless of what comes after it. And that's kind of the case for Detour Noir. This one has first mover's privileges. Detour Noir does look really cheap as far as the presentation goes. Actually, most of the letters have rubbed off the front of my bottle. So, yeah, it does have good staying power for me. It's long-lasting. The projection is nice, especially for a really cheap scent. With Detour Noir, for some people, they feel it comes across slightly synthetic when you first spray it on, but it quickly mellows out and you have a really sexy vanilla that it dries down to. And just overall, the bang for buck in Detour Noir is fantastic.
But if you want to spend a little bit more money, I think that Dusk is probably the better scent between the two. This one is going to be smoother than Detour Noir. It is maybe a little bit closer to getting actually like Layton itself. It has a fruitier opening with this kind of cardamom sparkle to it that you're not going to find in Detour Noir. And it has just overall more of a refined feeling when you smell it side by side with Detour Noir. That being said, Dusk is usually just a little bit lower as far as overall projection compared to Al Haramain. And like I said, if we're talking just straight up bang for buck, Detour Noir will win. So, it really depends on what you're after. If you want more of that fruity, sparkling opening with a nice vanilla dry down, you want it to be a little bit smoother, a little more refined, and you don't mind that it's not quite as heavy as far as projection and performance goes, then Dusk is the one to get. If you want the best bang for your buck, you don't care that it's slightly synthetic in the opening, and you prefer that slightly bolder take on the DNA, then Detour Noir is the one to get. But really, you can't go wrong with either one in terms of how much you pay versus what you get, both of these are awesome.
Herod is the next fragrance that we need to do clones for. Herod, of course, really well known for being the first big tobacco scent from Parfums de Marley. And at the time that it was first launched, people were like, "Oh, PDM is ripping off Tobacco Vanille." And part of that is because they had Guelain, which smells similar to Tuscan Leather. But Herod actually is its own thing when you smell it side by side with Tobacco Vanille. The two alternatives I'm going to highlight are this one, Hercules by Maison Alhambra, and Radical Brown by Armaf. And these are both quite different. In fact, Radical Brown is not really a one-to-one with Herod. It does have similarities with Herod, but it also has similarities with Uomo and Black, Black Orient. So, sort of a mix between the two, leaning a little bit in that Herod direction perhaps. And then Hercules is more just trying to be Herod.
So between these two, if you're going more for just a straight-up Herod type of scent profile, you want Hercules. Really inexpensive. It has that tobacco cinnamon sort of scent profile. Nice vanilla sweetness in there. Smells fantastic for the price point. The performance is not as strong as the Parfums de Marley though, so keep that in mind. And then Radical Brown over here is definitely a spin. It has this kind of cherry sweetness to it and dries down with a smooth amber tobacco sort of scent profile. And Radical Brown, also kind of like Hercules, not the strongest clone out there. Between these two, if you're after just the closer Herod interpretation, you want this one. But if you want one that has a bit of a twist and even a callback to a discontinued Man in Black, you want this one.
The next one is Althair, which is a massive release for fall and winter time. Very sweet, warm, sexy, has a really prominent praline note. Two different fragrances for this one. Liquid Brown and then Historic Sahara by Afnan. And when it comes to Althair clones, there are a lot of good ones out there, not just these two, including Art of Nature 2 by Lattafa and also Code Lodge Island Vanilla Dunes. These are both really good as well. Now, Liquid Brown was the OG. It was the first big Althair clone. So, it is still to this day the most popular Althair clone. It has heavy vanilla, cinnamon, praline sweetness. It has kind of a creamy scent profile as well. It has subtle woody undertones as it dries down. It's really cozy, sexy, inviting, extremely well done.
Alternatively, the Afnan here opens up with a different flare. It's less sugary. It's maybe not quite as warm and rich as Liquid Brown is. It has a spicier kick when you first spray it on. So you're going to get more of this like cardamom and cinnamon poking through. You even get a little touch of bergamot as well. So it's kind of taking part of that that sugary aspect and stripping it down a bit and freshening things up slightly as well. But it does still keep things very warm, very fall and wintertime. Both of these are great. Both of them have amazing quality. You can't go wrong with either one. It's really just which way do you want your Althair alternative to go?
The next fragrance is Oajan, which is another classic fall and wintertime fragrance. Spicy, almost like apple pie-esque, you know, really good holiday fragrance. Smells fantastic when it gets cool outside. For this one, I just have one and it is actually called Oajan. You have a few notes on the front of the bottle here. Stock bottle with a little sticker. Uh, cinnamon, amber, and vanilla. And this stuff right here, as it ages, it's like a fine wine. It just gets better and better and better. And as far as the alternatives, the clone fragrances out there, this to me is the best one right now. Has great quality. Soon as you spray it on, smells amazing. Great performance, great quality. Pretty much everything that you would look for.
We move now to Greenley, which is more of a spring summertime fragrance, obviously with the green name, green bottle, green note breakdown. You get the point. I have two for this one. The first one is Ether Extract, which was the first big Greenley clone from one of the major clone houses. And then the newer one is from Lattafa right here. Share. Share. Now, as far as the presentation goes, I think Ether Extract is way way better. The Lattafa one uh looks and feels a little bit janky in the hand. This one looks really cool and feels much nicer and heavier in the hand, but ultimately that doesn't matter at all. What matters is how it smells. Ether Extract leans into the fresh green apple, crisp citrus, that really nice opening. It's clean. It's airy. It's slightly sugary sweet. Just really super appealing. And I've said this before, I'll say it again. When I first got this one in, it did not really smell like anything. Actually, the first spray I did of this, it smelled like rubbing alcohol. Then I let it sit on my desk for a few weeks, went back to it, and it smelled amazing. So, be aware of that. This is, at least for me, one of those clones that you have to let mature. The Lattafa was not. This one smelled good right away.
And between the two, this one leans a little bit fresher still. So, it's like pairing back, you know, drawing back some of that oakmoss, some of the not really heavier, but some of those base notes from Greenley, taking some of those and, you know, making them less of an emphasis, and instead really emphasizing the fresher notes of the fragrance. So even though these are really similar when you smell them side by side, the Lattafa is maybe slightly more sugary and also trying to be the fresher of the two, whereas Ether Extract is trying to give you a little more oomph while still maintaining that airy freshness. Which one you like more is going to be dependent on your style. Both are really good.
From there, we move on to Carlisle, which is a little bit similar to Red Tobacco, but classier. And for Carlisle, we have Maison Alhambra Cassius and Boucheron Perle Noire. Now, between these two, Boucheron is going to be more expensive and also is a smaller bottle. But also between the two, I think that Perle Noire is the higher quality fragrance. So, if that's all you're after, this one is a little better. But as far as best bang for your buck, that's probably going to be the Alhambra. The Alhambra here is going to give you a slightly uh more toned down scent profile. It's not quite as strong as Perle Noire because Perle Noire is beastly. This is going to be more intense, more woody and bolder compared to the Maison Alhambra and just overall is going to have a much richer, deeper smell profile to it. You know, capturing more of that Carlisle vibe. Whereas Cassius over here has an almost slightly fruity brightness in the opening and feels like a a more reigned-in Carlisle style of scent, but it still is quite similar to Carlisle. So between the two, bang for buck. You want to go Alhambra. If you don't care about that, go for Perle Noire.
After that, we move to Sedley. One of their most popular warm weather fragrances. Really blue fragrance vibes with that one. And when it comes to Sedley, there's really just one big choice that pretty much everybody is going to go towards. And it is this one right here, My Hero Legacy. Kind of a weird looking bottle. I've actually never really liked the look of the bottle. I think it's kind of kind of weird. It's a fingerprint magnet. It's mirrored and a strange shape with just like a horse head slapped on the top. Um, sadly, like I just said though, there are not really any other big well-done Sedley alternatives out there, which is kind of strange because it's a really popular scent. And you would think that more of these clone houses would be like, well, we got to come out with one, right? We got to get our share of the pie or whatever, but they've pretty much just left it to Lattafa and been like, oh, whatever. So, this one, just like Sedley, fresh, clean, easy to wear, you know, kind of out of the shower vibes with it. Long-lasting, good quality. If you're looking for a Sedley alternative, that's pretty much your go-to right now.
Pegasus is up next, and I got to say Pegasus, as far as the really popular Parfums de Marley fragrances, might be my least favorite. I don't like Colon at all, but I know Pegasus is way more popular than Colon. So, when it comes to Pegasus, two of the ones that you're going to hear about a lot are these right here, Armaf Craze and Nitro Blue. Now, when it comes to Dumont, Nitro Red is the most popular one. Nitro Blue actually is a little bit more under the radar. Like between these two, the Armaf is more well-known. And Nitro Blue is also a little odd in the sense that when you look at the note breakdown, it doesn't really read like a Pegasus clone, but it is with a little bit of a twist. So, it's fresh, it's sweet, it's also a little spicy, it's woody, it has that kind of creamy facet that Pegasus has. It has all of that going on. And between these two, Nitro Blue is going to outperform Craze. And I also think that between the two, the Nitro Blue is just the better fragrance. That being said, Craze is the OG clone of Pegasus, and it is really, really cheap. So, it's absolutely got that bang for buck thing going for it. Presentation to me, not quite as nice as uh Nitro Blue, but you know, whatever. It goes a little bit more powdery with the almond, but also between these two, it's probably closer to actual Pegasus than Nitro Blue is because of that twist that Nitro Blue kind of puts forth. So, that's Pegasus. For me, I'd go Nitro Blue. But if you're looking bang for buck and want to get closer to Pegasus, go for Craze.
Percival is up next, which is the Parfums de Marley take on Fierce. Abercrombie & Fitch Fierce or Legend by Montblanc. And with that in mind, Legend Blue technically not from a clone house, but Legend Blue is one of my choices. And then also this guy right here. This is called Kaaf. K-A-A-F. I'm sure I'm mispronouncing that. I apologize. This one opens up very bright and fruity. Think red berries, watermelon and lavender. As it develops, you get some sea accords, some fresh accords, touch of florals as well. And then also ambroxan, musk, some other notes like that come out as it dries down. Legend Blue is essentially taking the Legend DNA, which again Percival smells pretty similar to, and giving it a a new coat of paint, making it more of a modern, fresh, slightly aquatic scent profile, uh, while still maintaining that original DNA. It's clean, it's focused, it's fizzy, it's bright. Between the two, I like Legend Blue a little bit more, but again, it's not really a direct clone to Percival. It is cheap, so it does have that going for it. But if you're looking for more of a straight-up clone, that would be this one, but again, I prefer this one. Both are great though for everyday use. Can't really go wrong with either.
We already did Layton. Now we got to do Layton Exclusive, which if you don't know that one for any reason, basically it's just Layton but made darker, a little more animalic, a little bit bolder. Two big options here. Mirage Absolute. This is by French Avenue and Detour Noir Exclusif. Yeah, it makes sense. They just slap Exclusif. We already know what it is. Paint scheme, whole thing. Both of these are amazing. I think there is one that is slightly better if you're looking for a Layton Exclusive dupe and that is this one, Mirage Absolute. It's to me a little bit darker than Detour Noir Exclusif. It gets a little bit closer to that ever so slightly animalic edge that Layton Exclusive has. Smells absolutely amazing and you would never think it looking at the bottle because it's not that it's hideous, but it smells so much higher quality than you would expect. Detour Noir Exclusif smells great. It's also rich, extremely well done. It maybe doesn't have quite as much depth as Mirage Absolute, but it's also top-notch and smells again amazing. So, either one of those perfect.
Haltane is the next choice. And there's there's another Detour, but this one's not Detour Noir. This one's just Detour Eco. I'm I don't know why. Yeah, Eco Economy or something. I don't know. So, Detour Eco again, copying the color scheme, but they're not the only ones copying color schemes around here. There's also Hayden by French Avenue, part of an equestrian series. They even cloned the cap, but they made it bigger because bigger is better. Detour Eco here. Ecology economy econol line van is maybe slightly fresher compared to Haltane. Also a little bit greener. So you have a little more of an emphasis on lavender on some of the herbal facets. Touch of citrus in there as well. So it still has that woodiness. It still has that warmth like you would find in the Parfums de Marley, but this one is uh like I said a little bit lighter, a little bit fresher, a little easier wearing. Hayden over here also slightly different aromatic freshness that drifts into a sweet uh sort of woody core. It maybe approaches things a little more polished than Haltane does. It's less raw, less rugged. Instead, it tries to give you more of a balanced woody, leathery, sweet kind of feel as it dries down. So, both of them are really good alternatives to Haltane, but both of them are going to approach it a little differently and not quite wallop you the same way the PDM will.
And the last one for today, Perseus, one of the newer releases, and we got two for that one as well. Art of Wood by Lattafa. And then an equestrian series again, Pierce, an equestrian series. Art of Wood over here opens up a little skunky. like it's got a a little funk to it when you first spray it on. Green over citrus that dries down to um a nice woody base. Touch of sweetness in there as well. It's going to be more difficult to wear for more people than Pierce is. Pierce is very close to Perseus. That one's just trying to be straight up. Bright citrus, clean white florals, a nice woody base that it dries down to. Very clean, classy. You could say maybe in a side to side with Perseus that it's slightly sweeter, but it's not really a massive difference. So, between these two, if you're looking for more just straight up Perseus, you want Pierce. If you want something with a little funk and a little kick, you want Art of Wood.
And there we go. A ton of clones to the most popular Parfums de Marley releases out there. Again, there is that sale going on, unless you're watching this in the future. And then there was a sale going on. A reminder that time stops for no one. and continues marching on towards its inevitable doom. Thank you guys for hanging with me. Stay safe out there. Take care of yourselves. And I'll see you tomorrow with another fragrance video. See you later. [Music]