Détour Noir

CONTEXT: 65yo professional gentleman with the mature, old-school tastes one would expect from a man my age. I've been collecting fragrances for six months now and have about 100 fragrances. These are just one man's humble opinions. Your mileage may vary with taste and age. From the moment I received my first bottle of Détour Noir, four months ago, I absolutely loved it. So much so that I purchased two backup bottles. My first impression was a smooth and creamy vanilla/fruity/floral opening on a darker woody/cardamom foundation. It had no sharp opening edges AT ALL, unlike so many other ME fragrances. It was sublime. The longevity was relatively short, about 2-3 hours before becoming a skin scent. The sillage was likewise limited, perhaps an arms length. And this was using five sprays - three on neck, one on each wrist. I wore it again last night after a few months of trying out other frags in my rapidly growing collection, and WHOA! This gem has matured like a really cute adolescent girl who develops into a voluptuous knockout! As I said above, I loved it from first encounter, but ohmygoodness, it's become an order of magnitude better! I used only two sprays on the neck and, wow, it's difficult to articulate the changes, but I'll try. The smooth creaminess is still there, but underneath newer, much more defined cardamom, pepper, bergamot and patchouli notes, all resting on a frame of the sandalwood, guaiac and vanilla. The longevity has doubled to about six hours and the projection is absolutely monstrous. For close quarters or dates I'm going to have to limit application of this one to a single spray on the chest under my shirt. The atomizer is QUITE robust. You get a LOT of juice per pump. Recommend that you exercise some restraint when applying this. Sadly, I cannot compare it to PDM Layton as I haven't invested in that one yet. When I do, I'll edit this accordingly. It's a masterpiece of perfumery. Kudos to Al Haramain on this one. Bottom Line: -------------- NEW-----4-MOS Scent:--------10/10-----11/10 Longevity:-----4/10------8/10 Sillage:---------4/10------8/10 Value:---------10/10-----20/10

Détour Noir by Al Haramain Perfumes begins with the intriguing match of fresh apple and lavender, interwoven with whispers of jasmine and almond, where the almond contributes a nutty sweetness. Once developed, the scent unfolds with a spicy floral bouquet led by cardamom, geranium, and pepper, but moderated by a soft touch of violet and heliotrope, preventing the scent from sliding towards cheap, piercing notes. Détour Noir finally settles on a rich vanilla-sandalwood foundation, toasted by notes of amber and musk, radiating a balsamic warmth. There is a need to balance the abstract elements within the Détour Noir scent, resulting in the perfect fusion of opulence and simplicity. In terms of its performance, this parfum fragrance has good longevity lasting for 6 to 10 hours with sillage that projects confidently for around 3 to 4 hours until it damps down to a soft shroud, but maceration improves its character by smoothening out whatever raw notes of synthetics or menthol were perceivable in the first products to market. Frequently cited as a 'strong competitor to Parfums de Marly's Layton, with about 85 to 90% similarity in apple and vanilla and spice notes,' Détour Noir is differentiated by its similar price tag and lack of compromise on quality, aside from its oddly shaped packaging. In all, its a sophisticated fragrance appealing to the masses that radiates gentlemanly finesse for those seeking an introduction to expensive amber spices in fragrance form.

I've been eyeing this fragrance for over a year and I finally got it a month ago. I got an old bottle, and when I say old I mean from 2021, so the liquid in mine is this deep, dark yellow. And I never had to macerate mine (for obvious reasons), anyway. I never smelled the original Layton, so I can't tell how good of a clone it is, however, on its own, it is an amazing perfume. The opening is spicy, powdery, fresh, and spicy, slightly sweet. Me personally, I don't get a lot of apple, but maybe it's cause of the age and blending. As it dries down, it still remains powdery, but it's sweeter, smoother, and it gets real addicting. Ignoring the horrendous bottle design, the fragrance itself lasts for a while, maybe it's because I have a bottle from when the fragrance literally launched, but it performs insanely well, it lasts over 10 hours on my skin, projects for 4 hours for me, and this stuff STAINS my clothes, in a good way, I still smell it on my jacket that I sprayed it on a week ago. I can't guarantee that everyone will like this fragrance as much, nor will they have the same experience due to batch differences and skin chemistry, but for me, this smells amazing, lasts for hours, and it's cheap too. Absolute 8.5/10, I just wish the bottle didn't look like that.

Notice: Fragrance newb here, who is also broke, so take my review with a grain of salt! This is my daily signature wear, I am absolutely loving this fragrance! The opening hits you with the beautiful apple and lavender and sweet floral notes, then as time goes on the vanilla and bergamot slowly comes on, smoothening it, the sandalwood, cardamom and pepper in the base is done excellently, makes it spicy and masculine, but its perfectly wearable in warmer weather too! Definitely wouldn't say its unisex, it is pretty masculine in my opinion, but on my girlfriend, the floral notes shine a bit more. I consistently get 12-14 hours of longevity, I spray it in the morning, then it fills the room for the first two, then projects to about arms length for another 5 hours, but then it is still noticeable, only in the last like 2 hours does it truly fade to my skin. Gets compliments in the office too! For me, it's a 10/10, can't wait to have the chance to try Layton somehow. UPDATE 07.27: I finally had the chance to try Layton in a luxury boutique. On my skin, in the opening, I could tell it's much more sophisticated, deeper and richer, but the drydown smells exactly 1:1! That's insane! Imho, one of the best dupes on the market that I tried so far!

PdM Layton is my most complimented fragrance I have in my collection. I have a deep connection to it as it is the fragrance I wore on my wedding day and on my sister's wedding, who sadly passed away a few years ago. I've owned bottles from 2017, 2019 and 2020. Ever since 2020, Layton has gotten worse in sillage and performance and then it was reformulated in 2021 going from 78% volume to 82% making it a shadow of its former self. Since then I have refused to pay a premium for what is now a watered down travesty. I was recommended Détour Noir from a friend who found this fragrance through the YouTube frag community and said it was the most highly recommended dupe for Layton. Normally I don't care for cheap dupes as I have been bitterly disappointed by them in the past but for £28 for 100ml, I decided to give it a go. WOW OH WOW THIS STUFF IS ABSOLUTE GOLD!! This smells 90% identical to my 2019 Layton. The opening is slightly different but the dry down is a carbon copy to my nose. The performance is incredibly good for the price. I have just purchased 4 back up bottles in fear of a major reformulation because of the high demand I'm sure this will get. I'm sorry PdM but I will never buy Layton again.

I go into this fragrance without having tried Layton whatsoever, this was a complete blind buy for me, and it's been a fragrance that has been on my wishlist for a decent bit now. To start off, this is a great frag. I'm very much into apple accords, and the apple accord in this is one that I agree can come off a bit synthetic, as right off the rip it does have this sort of waxy, soapy, shampooey quality to it but it goes away very quickly. I think that could also be as a result of the lavender. I don't find it too harsh or cloying, so it's only a minor gripe for me. The longevity and projection of this frag is pretty surprising, as I've never had an al-haramain frag before, and I've heard mixed reviews about batches with Detour Noir. Like I started this review off with too, I've never tried OG Layton, which is what this is supposed to be cloning, but I'd say if this is at least 85% similar then it'd be ridiculous not to pick this up. I'm not the biggest fan of PDM as a company, and with the rumours of Layton batches losing quality, following almost a similar road to Aventus, then just pick this up. Detour Noir is to Layton as CDNIM is to Aventus. Solid 8.5/10 for me. Really can't go wrong at all.

I love this fragrance, even though I am a woman that wears mainly very feminine bordering juvenile perfumes. I fell in love with the original, but this one is great if you are a woman or will not really wear it a lot. It is also great for a cozy spray before bed, makes me feel tucked in somehow. On me it smells like having an apple pie while being in the mountains, surrounded by woods or a fireplace. Would say 90% similar, as I have a decant. Smells cozy and comforting, perfection for a warm scarf in a cold winter night. Opening is very harsh and synthetic btw, but give it a few minutes. I compared it to Ani Nishane as it also opens very harsh with a lot of spices I cannot stand on my skin, but within 10 minutes you get in heaven. Hate the bottle with a passion, but hey, I have seen for like 15$. Would recommend buying the original if you can afford or expect to wear it a lot. If you are like me and adore the smell but do not really wear similar scent profile often, I 100% recommend it. If you are not willing to pay the price of the original, this one is a solid 8/10. Have to add on me the original lasts less, but projects more.

So i bought this from a site, and it came with a sample of Layton! I thought this is interesting, let's compare. Opening: when sprayed, detour noir has a very strong apple scent with a little sweetness. Compared to Layton that obviously has that crisper, better quality scent. Very light on the apple and sweeter. Dry down: friggin identical. Anyone who doesn't agree either has to go see a ENT doctor, or apply to work in the police k9 unit as a dog because damn your sense of smell is SHARP to smell any differences. Wore Detour noir for my baby shower, and it lasted until the next day on my clothes. And i got a lot of "ouhh you smell good!" Projection is not great. It's a very light scent that people really only notice when close or hugging. Lol For sure colder weather. Fall and winter. I give it a solid 4/5. And after a year of masturbation (lol) i can see it go to a 5. We also need to consider the price when rating this. Obviously if it was 100$ nah. But for what, 30$? A1. Side note: what a friggin UGLY bottle. UGH

Oh wow. This smells incredible. On first spray its a very woody cardamom that comes out to play, with a very slightly floral background. Once this dries down though it upgrades exponentially. You get this clear cut apple note, but this isnt a crisp, juicy apple that you would get in a YSL Y or Greenley. This is a dark, caramelized, toffee-like apple that when layered with the vanilla smells like a freshly baked apple pie. I know the apple is listed as a top note but I only get it post dry down. It then settles down into this sandalwoody, vanillic, slightly nutty scent that just makes you feel so toasty. Absolute gem of a fragrance, lots of character and smells divine. Performance is decently robust, around 7 hours on skin with moderate projection for the first 2. Bottle looks very ugly but I've only heard good things about the atomizer. This can be worn both as a signature scent and for special occasions, it just has so much depth and richness.

I didn’t have the fondest memories of this perfume when I first smelled it about a year and a half ago. Although I had already tried PDM Layton, this one just didn’t do it for me at the time. I came back to it after not wearing it for over a year, and honestly, it completely caught me off guard how good it was. I’m not the biggest fraghead, but I’ve heard a lot about perfumes “maturing,” especially with Arabian brands. I’m not sure exactly how long that process takes for this one, but I will say this: even if you don’t enjoy it fully on the first few sprays, give it a few weeks or even months. From my experience, it really grows on you, and I can almost guarantee you’ll end up loving it. Absolutely gorgeous fragrance, highly recommend. For the price you honestly can not go wrong, it is very mass appealing. The only issue I have with it is the horrendous bottle design and quality that made it leak a few times when spraying.

I'm on my fourth bottle right now. The review I made last year still applies; Bottle shape's still fucking ugly, atomizer still feels hella expensive, and the juice is still delectable and sugar blood-pumping. Yes, it's become my comfort scent at this point. No, it doesn't make me feel powerful or like a Sigma/yoghurt/whatever "male". Neither do the other scents I've worn. Me? I'm not that much of a man... The sweetness of this makes me want to melt into a puddle of nyaaaa and yippeee. Add cold weather and BOOM! And with that I've come to realize that I've been liking this too much. I might just go a lil insane and become one with the Detour Noir too, idk :> I already promised myself to get Odyssey (the black one) next time da cha-ching comes through. A little change of pace. I hope I can keep that promise. That is, if my love for this fragrance doesn't end up getting my ass admitted to a mental hospital. /j

I have tried numerous dupes of various fragrances. And, this one? 1:1. I say this with full confidence. I've worn 4-5 bottles of Layton. But, with detour noir, I will never buy Layton again because there's no reason to buy something that costs 15x the price and isn't noticeably better. The individuals saying things like "it's close for a dupe" ect ect, are just saying this because they know it's a dupe and they know it's not original. Do yourself a favor, have someone you know spray 1-2 sprays on each hand, and blind test. You won't notice any difference. I promise you this. Truly, this is 1:1. I would even go so far to say that Al haramain may have been producing layton (not to the public but for PDM) and then decided they would finally release it. That's how close it is. i'm literally over here with conspiracies its so close.

So I've worn about 4 full 4.2 oz bottles of Layton. I know what it smells like, how long it lasts, and it's overall character. One of my favorite fragrances ever. But the price is insane these days. So I've mostly not worn it the last 2 to 3 years. The bottles I bought in the past were 2018 batches. I still have a 75% full Layton bottle. Astonishingly, detour noir smells 1:1 the same as my 2018 bottle. Not 70%. Not 80%. It's 99.99% the same. I don't know what I was expecting for $20. But it wasn't an exact duplicate. So those that say this and that. Don't trust it. This really is the definitive clone of any fragrance I've ever smelled. In fact, I bought 5 bottles for $100. Every single bit of it smells identical to me. I would lose a blind test with almost certainty. Phenomenal job from Al Haramain.

When I first purchased Detour Noir, I was initially disappointed. It had a weirdly synthetic, almost overwhelming apple note that drowned out everything else, especially the vanilla. It projected well, but in a harsh way. But then I let it macerate for a month. Oh Hell Yes. It has transformed into an absolute masterpiece. The notes have truly blended and it's now a smooth, warm, and sophisticated blend of a signature apple, rich vanilla, and spices. It's easily one of the best cheap dupes available. The performance is incredible. The strong longevity and sillage are now evident and this stuff sticks to my clothes for well over a day. When I finally smelled PDM Layton, I realised Detour Noir after maceration is easily 98% identical. This is a definitive safe blind buy and an absolute must-have.

My god I love the smell of this fragrance. Green apple for few moments in the opening, then the vanilla comes through with the other stuff. The sandalwood and cardamom are two notes, that just scream PDM to me (can't help it, but i notice these in many PDMs). The bottle is really unique. I think, they tried to be "ergonomic" with the design, but it doesn't really work :) The atomizer is bonkers. Pressurized madness, tha squirts super tiny sprouts for like 2 seconds a press. Very unique feeling to it, unlike most of others. The one caviat I can't unnotice, is the longevity. Sadly on my skin it lasts 2-2,5h max. On clothes I get more like sixish hours, which is ok, unfortunately the projection isn't as good on clothes. But the smell is pure sexiness in a bottle. I'm getting addicted

I absolutely love this one PDM Layton is in my top 3 fragrances of all time, I'm in love with it, I was looking for a cheaper alternative or clone. I heard so many good things about detour noir but I couldn't find it in my country. I tested some clones and none of them satisfied me. Finally I got my hands on detour noir. First spray: Damnnnn this is layton in a different bottle, this is so gorgeous. The only difference is the opening (Which I don't care because it's about 5 minutes). And let me tell you, I don't give a single F about the bottle, It's a fragrance, not a damn watch. I wear the juice inside. And one other thing I wanted to mention; This whole ′′maturation′′ thing is total BS. I stored my detour noir for about 2 months and nothing changed, so my other fragrances.

Man, this is awesome! I don't have PDM Layton and I blind bought this. Detour Noir out of the box is balanced, fragrant green apple with some aromatic notes. The green apple isn't sweet at all, more like calm and grounded paired with some fragrant vanilla and lavender as well as some orange notes. And then it dries down into a sophisticated woody vanilla that gives off chill, woody cozy cabin vibes. This scent profile is fantastic. Light and fresh enough to wear by the day, and luxurious enough to be used at night. The scent smells like LUXURY. I cannot believe that this is just $30! UPDATE: It's medicinal. Some of my friends hate it, but it grows on me. Hopefully a month would help it to become less medicinal. The apple is still nice, not that synthetic.

2 Months Update: The fragrance has more depth now, the vanilla hits deeper, and the performance is also crazier. Lasted to 10 hours in my case. None of that weird alcoholic opening smell, now it's sweet-floral that has some fizzy notes that doesn't go overbearing. Very well done. I would say it now smells more unisex, which just gives more of that appeal. Not much has changed of the fragrance except the opening and the drydown becoming so much more refined. Talking about the drydown, again as I said it smells more "deep" to me. Like the vanilla is cranked up max power. Some good stuff. I don't regret getting this. I haven't tried Layton at all, and if people say this is similar to Layton, I'd say hell yeah, cus that means I get to have Layton for $23.

After a year and a half of owning Detour Noir - and comparing it to all the other hyped vanilla-forward cheapies like Khamrah, Liquid Brun, Spectre Ghost, Mercedes Club Black - this is still the best in this category in my opinion. The harsh 10-15 minute opening barely improved with maturation, unfortunately. But the drydown is even richer than when I first bought it 2 winters ago, and the longevity on clothes is pretty much eternal. I go light on the sprays because such a sweet scent can be nauseating, and the projection is impressive. Because it's a fairly simple and linear scent profile, it's a great base to layer with other fall and winter fragrances that may benefit from added vanilla. Works great with spicy, leather, amber, and tobacco scents.

I am not generally someone to recommend dupes, but Detour Dior is an amazing dupe of Layton. Possibly the closest to OG dupe I have ever tried. Detour Noir is 95%+ Layton. Crazy good fragrance for 1/10th the price of the Layton. Detour Noir lasts and projects as long as Layton IMO. It doesn’t smell cheap or synthetic in any way. Fantastic fragrance for $20-30. The only negative is that the bottle and cap are absolutely atrocious. Atomizer is surprisingly excellent though. I own dupes of Ombre Leather, Aventus, Silver Mountain Water, Sauvage Elixir, Pegasus, Godolphin, Herod, By the Fireplace among others, but have always have bought the original after enjoying the dupes. But this is so good, there is no need to own Layton.