Parfums de Marly Layton vs. Layton Esclusif

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A battle of the flankers today. Parfum de Marly Layton vs. Parfum de Marly Layton Exclusif. And without further ado…

The procedure. One spray of Layton on my left wrist. One spray of Exclusif on my right.

To start with the similarities. Right off the bat, both of these are pretty sharp and that is consistent with almost all Bergamot based fragrances I’ve tried. There is a sharp bitter sour citrus that hits you when the fragrance is wet, but that subsides very quickly. Then both of these move toward a vanilla gourmandish yet floral drydown. But the creamy sandalwood and guaiac wood notes are definitely players here. These are very pleasant fragrances and easily mass appealing. Performance also is similar. Both projected decently and filled the car on the way to work, but did not choke me or my son out. These are not beast mode projectors, unless you are a heavy sprayer of course. Both seem to be great cooler weather fragrances and I do not think they would compliment our natural sweat notes in the heat. I imagine it wouldn’t be so good.

The differences:

Layton Original: As for the sharp opening, this one is sharper. Some say it smells medicinal, which I can understand. There is a cough syrup tendency, but it passes within ten minutes. Afterward, the dry down has a vanilla, appley, floral feel. The floral notes are geranium forward, with some clean jasmine and lavender. Now, geranium, jasmine, and also lavender can all be divisive floral notes. And all of these are discernable in its bouquet, so I would recommend a decant first before a bottle buy. The likelihood is that you will like it because the vanilla and even the sweet creamy cardamom can temper those notes. Most do find this a very appealing scent. For longevity, it was a skin scent at 7 hours. About 2 feet projection before that on average. Gone at 10 hours.

Exclusif: Like I said earlier, the initial spray on this one is much more smooth. I attribute that to the different floral notes. These florals are the more mass appealing florals; rose, gardenia, and even water lily. The water lily by its fresh watery nature would soften the sharp bergamot for sure. And a funny thing, the way these notes play off each other, I felt early this one was “smokier” than the OG, and late in its life it felt more “leathery” even though there are no smoky or leathery notes listed. My best explanation for this, is the Oud notes combined with the florals and acidic bergamot could feel “smoky” and the civet note, being animalic, felt leathery in the end. This is not a heavy civet forward like Givenchy Gentleman OG. So rest at ease, Exclusif is not funky at all. If you haven’t tried a civet forward fragrance, they are reminiscent of a body odor funk, but here it is so mild it comes across a bit leathery and quite pleasant. If anything Exclusif might edge out the OG for projection and the OG edges out just a little on longevity, but really it’s splitting hairs for me. For longevity, it was a skin scent at 6 hours. 2+ feet projection before that on average. Gone at 10 hours.

Bottom line, these two are very similar, and I do not see a need to have both. I suggest getting a decant of both and evaluating which you would prefer. The experience is very similar in notes and performance, but with distinct accents. For the OG, yes you have the sharp opening, but if you like fresh florals with a woody vanilla base then this one is for you. The Exclusif is warmer and more animalic; and smoother in the beginning, but that woody vanilla undergirds the whole thing, just like the OG. Performance-wise, there isn’t much difference.

How do you feel about these? Which is your favorite or which one would you try first?

Layton

Layton Exclusif

35 votes

31 comments