Before we started turbocharging perfume with alcohol and artificial additives, bottling fragrances was a relatively simple affair consisting of essential oils, botanicals, and water (hence Eau de Parfum, which translates to “perfumed water”). Now, a millennium, give or take, after the Romans sprinkled Colosseum guests with balsam mist and medieval ladies washed their hands in rose essence, water-inspired scents are making a comeback, courtesy of Parfums De Marly.
Since its creation, Parfums de Marly has committed to finding and using the finest ingredients and this month, the luxury French perfume house celebrates the latest addition to its collection of niche masculine fragrances, Greenley. Available across the Middle East, this fruity and vibrant tribute to the power of the earth is a dual aesthetic between nobility and nature, classicism and the avant-garde, transparency and depth.
Water-inspired scents are something of an anomaly in the fragrance world. Composed mostly of botanical oils, essences and pared-down natural ingredients, as opposed to artificial additives and lab-derived complexes, these less concentrated formulations can be extremely difficult to create and this is what makes perfumes such as Greenley such a welcome addition.
Julien Sprecher, the founder and Creative Director of Parfums de Marly drew upon nature and created a joyful whirlwind of fruit, citrus, bark and sap which flows into a crisp, tangy green apple surprise. “The connection between smell and nature has always fascinated me and for Greenley, I wanted the formula to read like a quote, with clear, seductive top notes and at the same time, an immediately discernible base,” says Sprecher.
While such refreshing perfumes might be ideal for summer, compositions such as Greenely have been curated for all year round wear with a daring juxtaposition of nature’s finest materials. It is a fragrance that is designed to stand the test of time.