Parfums de Marly Carlisle Eau de Parfum

What It Smells Like

Parfums de Marly Carlisle is a dark vanilla and patchouli fragrance with a spiced apple opening. It is one of the deepest scents in the range: sweet, earthy and resinous, with a weight that many people find more grown-up than Layton.

It begins with green apple, nutmeg and saffron. The apple is tart and brief, the nutmeg warm, and the saffron adds its leathery, slightly medicinal glow. Underneath, the heart combines tonka bean with rose and osmanthus, plus davana, an Indian herb with a fruity, liqueur-like scent.

The base is the signature: a large dose of patchouli, earthy and chocolate-dark, sweetened by vanilla and by opoponax, also known as sweet myrrh, a balsamic resin. The patchouli keeps the vanilla dry, and the vanilla keeps the patchouli smooth.

Fragrantica's community ranks vanilla as the leading accord, followed by patchouli, warm spicy, fresh spicy and balsamic. It is rated 4.35 out of 5 from more than 6,000 votes.

Who Made It

Parfumo credits Carlisle to Quentin Bisch; Fragrantica does not list a perfumer for it.

Quentin Bisch is a perfumer at Givaudan and one of the most sought-after noses of his generation. For Parfums de Marly he is credited with Delina, Delina Exclusif, Delina La Rosée and Valaya, and he is also the author of Ganymede for Marc-Antoine Barrois. His work is known for bright, textured accords that carry a long way without feeling loud.

Who It's For

Carlisle is for people who want a sweet fragrance with shadow in it. Fragrantica lists it for women and men. If you love patchouli, or if you find most vanilla scents too innocent, this is the one to try.

Compared with Layton it has less freshness and far more earth and resin. Compared with Herod it trades tobacco for patchouli. It is a strong, room-filling scent, so it suits confident wearers and people who like to be noticed.

When to Wear It

Winter leads the Fragrantica votes, with fall close behind and summer far back; night scores roughly double day. Cold weather gives the patchouli and resins the space they need.

It is at its best in the evening, at dinners, celebrations and nights out. Parfumo's community rates both projection and longevity as above average. Apply sparingly, and expect it to linger on clothes for a long time.

About the House

Parfums de Marly was founded in Paris in 2009 by Julien Sprecher. The house takes its name and its imagery from the royal château of Marly and from the perfumed court of Louis XV, an era when fragrance was worn lavishly and horse racing was a royal passion. That is why every bottle carries a crest of two rearing horses, and why several of the fragrances, Herod, Godolphin and Darley among them, are named after celebrated horses.

The style is generous and easy to like: rich, long-wearing compositions, each built around one clear idea and usually signed by a well-known perfumer. Parfums de Marly is a boutique-only house at Redolia. It is sold at our perfumery at 92 West Main Street in Somerville, New Jersey, and not through the website. Read how our boutique-only houses work, then come in and try it on skin before you decide.