Parfums de Marly Delina Exclusif Parfum

What It Smells Like

Parfums de Marly Delina Exclusif is a rose and vanilla fragrance with a soft oud and incense heart. It takes the lychee-and-rose idea of the original Delina and makes it richer, warmer and more evening-ready.

The top keeps the fruit: lychee and pear, juicy and sweet, sharpened by grapefruit, bergamot and pink pepper. The tart rhubarb of the original is gone, so the opening feels rounder and less green.

The heart is Turkish rose again, but here it is wrapped in incense and a small, smooth dose of oud, the resinous wood also called agarwood. You are unlikely to pick the oud out; what it does is give the rose a darker, more velvety texture.

The base is vanilla and amber with woods, musk, vetiver and Evernyl, a material that reproduces the scent of oakmoss. Fragrantica's community ranks rose as the leading accord, followed by fruity, vanilla and amber, and rates it 4.11 out of 5 from about 8,000 votes, higher than the original.

Who Made 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

Delina Exclusif is for people who like Delina but want more warmth and depth, or who found the original too sharp. Fragrantica lists it as a feminine.

If you love rose with vanilla, this is one of the best-regarded examples. If you want a fresh, dewy rose for daytime, Delina La Rosée is the better fit. It is the most opulent of the three Delinas and the one that feels most like a special-occasion perfume.

When to Wear It

The season votes on Fragrantica are remarkably even: spring, fall and winter are almost level, and day and night are nearly tied. The vanilla and amber give it the body for cold weather, and the fruit keeps it wearable when it is mild.

It is at its best in the evening, for dinners, dates and celebrations. Parfumo's community rates both projection and longevity as above average, so apply lightly.

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.