Parfums de Marly: Herod or Althaïr?

Parfums de Marly is a French house you'll recognise by the horses on the bottle and by scents that don't skimp on ingredients. Two of its men's fragrances often end up in the same sentence: Herod and Althaïr. Both open with cinnamon, both have vanilla at the base, both are for the colder months. But try them side by side and you realise they tell completely different stories.

Althaïr: vanilla that warms you

Althaïr is the younger and brighter of the two. It opens with cinnamon and cardamom, but orange blossom softens them quickly, adding a bit of light and cleanness. Then comes the reason people love it: bourbon vanilla and praline, creamy and smooth, like vanilla custard with toasted hazelnuts. It's sweet, but polished and easy to wear, with a jumper or a shirt.

Herod: tobacco, smoke and incense

Herod is the older brother, more serious and darker. Cinnamon and pepper up front, then sweet tobacco takes centre stage, the dried, honeyed leaf, not the ashtray. Vanilla is here too, but beneath the tobacco rather than in front of it. In the base you'll sense incense and cedar, which give it smoke and depth. It smells like a library with leather armchairs and a fireplace: warm, calm, a little mysterious.

Althaïr is vanilla with a smile; Herod is vanilla with a cigar.

Which one is for you

Go for Althaïr if you like creamy, gourmand scents that everyone around you finds pleasant; if you need a warm everyday fragrance for the office as well as dinner. Go for Herod if you love tobacco, smoke and wood; if you want a scent with more character and gravitas, for evenings, a coat and a scarf.

Since these are niche fragrances, a full bottle is no small investment, which is exactly why it makes sense to try first. Get a 5 ml decant of each, put one on your left wrist and the other on your right, and follow them through the day. You'll also find Herod in our pick of scents for cold days, alongside seven more warm fragrances.