Parfums de Marly Valaya Exclusif Parfum

What It Smells Like

Parfums de Marly Valaya Exclusif is a powdery almond and white floral fragrance. It keeps the clean, luminous character of Valaya and adds a creamy, cosmetic softness, so it reads as warmer and more intimate than the original.

It opens with almond alongside mandarin and bergamot. The almond is the milky, marzipan-like kind rather than the bitter one, and the citrus keeps it from feeling heavy in the first minutes.

The heart is orange blossom, lily of the valley and lotus, floating in what the note list calls powdery notes: the soft, face-powder effect that makes a fragrance feel smooth. Heliotrope in the base reinforces it. Heliotrope is a flower that smells of almond, vanilla and powder at once, which is why it sits so naturally here.

The base is sandalwood, vanilla and white musk with ambroxan and Akigalawood, a peppery wood material derived from patchouli. Fragrantica's community ranks powdery as the leading accord, followed by citrus, almond, woody and white floral, and rates it 4.10 out of 5 from about 2,100 votes.

Who Made It

Parfums de Marly has not publicly named a perfumer for Valaya Exclusif, and neither Fragrantica nor Parfumo lists one. We would rather leave the credit open than guess. What can be said is that it follows the house method: a brief built around one clear idea, executed with the richness and staying power the range is known for.

Who It's For

Valaya Exclusif is for people who like soft, powdery, skin-like perfumes with a touch of sweetness. Fragrantica lists it as a feminine.

If the original Valaya is a crisp white shirt, this is the same shirt in cashmere. Choose it if you found Valaya a little too sharp or soapy, or if you love almond and heliotrope. If you want fruit and brightness, Delina is the better direction.

When to Wear It

The Fragrantica votes are spread across the year, with spring first and the other three seasons close together; day scores about twice as high as night. It is one of the more season-proof fragrances in the range.

Wear it to work, for daytime occasions, or for a quiet evening when you want something soft and close. Parfumo's community rates its longevity as above average.

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.