Carios

Didn’t know what to expect from this fragrance. I tested this fragrance weeks ago along with the other two. I had read terrible reviews about this fragrance and maybe it had imprinted on me. I left thinking they weren’t as atrocious as people made them to be. After a few weeks went by, one of the new pdm extraits kept itching my mind. I decided to go back to my retailer to test and find the specific extrait that rattled my mind. After testing them again I found out it was Carios. I decided to test on skin and walk the mall. I kept getting a whiff of the scent throughout my walk. It work well with my skin chemistry. I intended to buy City of Stars from LV since I heard that they are now stocking the fragrance again after rumors of it being discontinued. My wife and I stopped at LV to test the fragrance and she looked at me and said “do you want to smell like a kid” and I laughed. So, I unfortunately forked over the paper for Carios and haven’t looked back. It’s my Fall/Winter daily. I enjoy wearing it. It has its own personality and I like that others don’t smell like me. The dry down has a lot of stages. I get soo many different lovely scents with my skin chemistry as it drys. I like it , so I guess my scent palate is generic. It works well with my skin and I like how I smell. However, it’s pretty pricey and that’s a bummer. Side note for the other reviewer below: I do get Angel Share Paradis Raspberry notes on dry down. One of many notes on dry down.

this is my second favorite slightly behind Valero only because i LOVE a good fresh blue fragrance. but this is genuinely a masterpiece. it doesnt really smell like anything else that i own, and i own over 400 bottles. its just like a slightly fruity, SLIGHTLY floral, clean & sweet fragrance. i also think that this is the most unisex one out of the 3. the geranium really adds a feminine touch. i genuinely like this, i feel like this could almost be in Louis Vuitton's extrait line. it smells really uplifting right off the rip. i know the bottles are getting a lot of slack as well, but they are MUCH better in person. the pictures online do them no justice. it almost feels like its made out of crystal, its a very dense and shiny glass with the typical heavy ass PDM cap. nothing about the bottle screams "cheap".

I really believe more than half these people writing reviews have not even owned this fragrance. I understand, it is extremely over priced for what it is, but this is actually a good fragrance. Great quality and blend. It's PDM .. just wait until it hits all the discounters. It smells quiet addicting, I love it and it lasts over 8 hours. On clothes, for days. Some guy here said people should verify they have a sample or bottle before writing these ridiculous reviews and I agree. Don't listen to these non sense reviews, try it yourself. This one is great. I wasn't a fan of the other two, but still good quality. Considering retail the price ... 7 out of 10. I got it at a good discounted price, so I'll give it a 8 out of 10.

What an incredible fragrance! I went instore today to smell valeros and carios. Ended up buying carios. It’s different and oh my god sooooo good!! I have 200+ bottles and the only reason I mention this is because I have nothing like this, it’s just a beautiful and intoxicating scent. Yes it’s expensive but for something that moves me like this I am more than happy to pay this price for it. It’s fresh and sweet at the same time with added spices and makes me go weak at the knees. It’s an instant love for me and should be rated a lot higher than what it is. If this was rated purely on the actual scent and not the high price then it would be very highly rated. I will really enjoy wearing this!!!

Cela faisait longtemps qu’un parfum ne m’avait pas autant surpris. Dès la première vaporisation, Carios m’a complètement déstabilisé : je ne savais pas si je l’aimais ou si je le détestais. Cette ambiguïté initiale, presque déroutante, s’est rapidement transformée en fascination. Avec le temps, j’ai appris à apprécier toute la subtilité de ce parfum. Carios est à la fois frais, unique, élégant et d’une sobriété rare. Il dégage une présence raffinée sans jamais être ostentatoire. C’est typiquement le genre de fragrance que je pourrais porter chaque jour, notamment au bureau : discrèt mais sûr de soi, élégant et rafiné, c'est tout ce que j'attends de mon parfum signature.

The reviews for these extraits are actually wild. I wish you had to verify that you own a sample or bottle to leave review on this site 😂 because all 3 of these extraits are good if not great. Carios is my favourite and was instant love. To me it’s a juicy, yet spicy saffron focused scent. The orange in the top, combined with the tonka in the base round the edges of the saffron which I find can become a bit cloying sometimes (even though it’s my favourite fragrance note!) which leads me on to say the only true comparison to this and OFG, is the saffron. The rest of the fragrance is an entirely different composition and experience

Best one out of the three releases. This dries down to a beautiful lighter, sweeter/fresh more airy Oud For Greatness. It has a certain dirty-ness in the dry down. If you love Oud for Greatness but want it more playful, fresh/sweeter and airy/opulent this is it. Another great dupe by Parfums De Marly. Edit: I can see the similarities with Town & Country also, theres a little bit of that DNA in here. Its like 20-30% Town & Country and the rest Oud for Greatness. But like I wrote much much more Opulent, airy and on the sweet/fresh side. I didnt even read the otjer reviews. I recogniced OFG in the drydown right away.

Actually enjoy this scent, better than Valero for sure, personally more unique than Eragon. Don’t understand any of the OFG comparisons whatsoever. Opens nicely with orange and pink pepper, dries down to a sweet floral scent giving me hints of Initio Atomic Rose. (Although Atomic Rose is considerably more feminine and smoother) The color of the juice matches what I’d think of the smell. Feminine leaning, not a strong projector but will last on skin for 6-8 hours. Would never pay $550, but if on a discounter for $220 I’d consider it.

I got my hands on a sample today. I usually don't rate random samples, but I am making an exception here. This fragrance is heavenly. Subtle. soft, sweet and juicy. Don't know about all those "synthetic" comments, it smells pretty natural to me. Doesn't project very far (maybe it does, I just haven't given it a full wear yet), yet I expect it to last a long time as a skin scent. Not really a winter fragrance, I would choose it for spring or fall. Really expensive though.

The reviews of this seem over negative. I’ve owned this for 2 months and yes I paid retail which is painful. It is overpriced for sure but the smell of Carios is unique and well balanced. Very versatile and of my 40+ bottle collection, my wife prefers this on me over every other winter leaning fragrance. Overpriced, yes for now until on discounters. Unique and worth owning once becomes less expensive? Absolutely

Ya’ll are just a bunch of haters! Carios is incredible. Discounters have it available at decent prices now and therefore it’s absolutely worth grabbing. This one and Valero are fire!

a YouTuber fellow said it smells like PDM-haltane and even better , so i fcking pay thousands of dollars for it bro .... it's ganna be absolutely awesome 💦

This is my new favorite from PDM. This one took me some time to get used to.

Does anyone else get raspberry from this? I have to admit I was expecting this to be bad but it ended up being far from it, I enjoyed wearing this today. Carios throws me off because, despite all the listed notes, this smells like a slightly jammy raspberry fragrance on my skin. When I tried this on paper I did smell a spicy orange but on my skin it's much sweeter and softer, the fruity tartness here smells much more similar to raspberry à la Angels' Share Paradis (to name an example) than orange, not to mention the spiciness was also completely missing. You may notice this being compared to other fragrances like Oud For Greatness/Haltane, Town & Country and Baccarat Rouge in the "This perfume reminds me of" section, and I'd like to say it's not because Carios smells similar to them overall (it might to some people), but because they all use a specific musk that's instantly recognizable. I don't like this musk because it's usually used in very high amounts, which in my opinion ruins whatever fragrance it's in as it just drowns out the rest of the scent profile, but I have to give whoever perfumed this props for dosing it adequately and showing how it should be used. I do have to fault it for mildly irritating my throat but it's inevitable since all fragrances I've worn that use this musk cause that, although to varying degrees and it was very mild this time. Not even going to go into the price, everyone knows it's a joke and the height of corporate greed. Performance was also surprisingly good, I expected Carios to be really bad in this regard and I was left quite impressed. Projection is only moderate but sillage is on the dense side, and surprisingly I could smell myself really well all day, even while being outdoors. I'm still catching light whiffs of this while moving around 8+ hours after spraying it on, which is pretty different to what other people have been reporting. To be fair this may be derived from my sensitivity to "the musk", but it's worth mentioning either way. As I just implied, longevity is an easy 8+ hours.

I can see the comparison to OFG. However this is not nearly as dense. I forgot a gym scent and had this in my car and wasn’t afraid to hit myself with two sprays; Oud For Greatness would be too loud for the gym. This comes off much more “Jammy” yet still airy and light like a rose fragrance. I actually enjoy this. Not bad at all.

As others have said, very much in the realm of OFG. More wearable to the mainstream buyer (although OFG isn't hard to pull off). Like the others in the line, not bad...just nothing to set it apart.

Super generic. Will get annoying after the first time

Today's review concludes my exploration of Les Extraits, the newest flagship collection from Parfums de Marly, with its final release: Carios. After coming away thoroughly disappointed with Valero and only moderately impressed by Eragon, this fragrance carries the weight of my remaining expectations for the collection. While neither of its predecessors managed to justify the substantial leap in price over the standard Parfums de Marly lineup, I'm hopeful that Carios can finally demonstrate the level of originality, craftsmanship, and luxury experience I expected when Les Extraits was first announced. On paper, Carios appears to chart a different course than the first two releases. Built around vibrant spices, aromatic herbs, radiant amber, and dry woods, the composition suggests a modern, masculine fragrance that balances freshness with warmth rather than leaning entirely in one direction. The inclusion of saffron, multiple pepper accords, tonka bean, and vetiver hints at a fragrance that could offer more complexity and character than its relatively restrained note pyramid initially suggests. With the collection now reaching its conclusion, Carios has an opportunity to reshape my overall impression of Les Extraits. The question is no longer whether this is simply a good fragrance, but whether it can finally deliver the sense of distinction that I felt was missing from both Valero and, to a lesser extent, Eragon. Let's find out whether Carios provides the memorable finale this ambitious collection has been searching for, or if Les Extraits ultimately ends on another note of unrealized potential. Opening: The opening is spicy, aromatic, and ambery. The primary notes I get are saffron, red thyme, geranium, and ambroxan, with the saffron and red thyme leading the composition. The saffron immediately takes command of the fragrance, opening with a dense burst of warm, luxurious spice underscored by subtle suede-like facets. It is remarkably similar, almost one-to-one, with the saffron used in Initio's Oud for Greatness, carrying that same dry, opulent character that has become synonymous with modern niche perfumery. Trailing closely behind is the red thyme, introducing an aromatic freshness with a distinctly herbal and slightly medicinal edge that keeps the opening from becoming overly dense. Beneath these two dominant notes, the geranium contributes a familiar green, minty floral accord, very reminiscent of the geranium I encountered in Valero, though it feels much more naturally integrated into the composition here. Lastly, the ambroxan wraps everything in a smooth, radiant ambergris-like accord that immediately calls MFK's Baccarat Rouge 540 to mind. Additional flashes of spice from the pink and black pepper weave seamlessly into the saffron, further reinforcing the fragrance's warm and aromatic identity. The result is an opening that possesses genuine depth from the very first spray and immediately returns to the luxurious, niche-style blending that I expect from Parfums de Marly. Dry Down: The dry down remains spicy, aromatic, and ambery. The primary notes I get are saffron, ambroxan, red thyme, and black pepper, with the saffron and ambroxan now taking center stage. Rather than softening with time, the saffron actually becomes more pronounced, sharpening its spicy character while placing greater emphasis on its signature leathery undertones. The ambroxan has also moved further into the spotlight, expanding the smooth, diffusive ambergris-like warmth that lingered beneath the surface during the opening into one of the fragrance's defining characteristics. The red thyme retreats into a supporting role, maintaining its herbal aromatic quality while becoming noticeably smoother and less medicinal than before. Finally, the black pepper provides a subtle but persistent kick of dry spice from the background, giving the fragrance an almost nose-tickling vibrancy that reinforces its spicy DNA without overwhelming the composition. The result is a dry down that is richer, sharper, and slightly more assertive than the opening while remaining firmly committed to the same luxurious theme. Throughout its development, Carios continues to evoke strong memories of Oud for Greatness, never quite separating itself from that comparison. Performance: The projection within the first hour of wear is exceptionally strong, easily filling even a large room. The sillage closely mirrors that performance, producing a dense scent trail that commands attention without becoming suffocating. After approximately three to four hours, the projection remains impressive at around six feet while the scent trail continues to be easily noticeable. Even by the nine to ten hour mark, Carios is still projecting confidently at roughly four to five feet, with a scent trail that has softened but remains readily detectable. The fragrance does not officially transition into a skin scent until around the twelve-hour mark, making it the strongest performer in the Les Extraits collection and delivering the kind of longevity and projection expected from a fragrance of this concentration and style. When to Wear: Carios is a fall and winter fragrance that feels equally appropriate during both the day and evening. Its luxurious blend of saffron, warm spices, and amber naturally lends itself to formal occasions, date nights, anniversaries, and any setting where a richer, more sophisticated fragrance feels appropriate. At the same time, its polished construction prevents it from feeling overwhelmingly heavy, allowing it to work just as comfortably beneath a suit as it does during an upscale evening out. However, its distinctly niche character and commanding presence make it feel far too intentional for casual everyday wear, while its projection and spicy profile would likely prove excessive in most professional office environments. Blind Buy: Of the three fragrances in the Les Extraits collection, Carios is easily the least safe blind buy. Its heavy emphasis on saffron immediately pushes it toward a more niche style of perfumery that won't necessarily resonate with someone accustomed to traditional designer fragrances. While enthusiasts who already enjoy saffron-forward compositions will likely feel at home here, those unfamiliar with the note may find its luxurious dryness and leathery character unexpectedly challenging. Even if the scent profile itself were universally appealing, however, the $550 retail price alone removes it from the realm of safe blind buying. At that level of investment, sampling on skin first is absolutely essential. Final Verdict: Of all three fragrances in the Les Extraits collection, Carios comes the closest to earning the premium positioning Parfums de Marly envisioned for this line. Unlike Valero and Eragon, it immediately establishes a more niche identity, embracing a luxurious saffron-forward composition rather than chasing a broadly commercial designer DNA. It also demonstrates noticeably higher-quality materials than either of its siblings while delivering the strongest technical performance in the collection. From a purely compositional standpoint, this is unquestionably the standout of the three. Unfortunately, that still doesn't make it a $550 fragrance. Throughout my wear, I found myself continually comparing Carios to Initio's Oud for Greatness. The resemblance is simply too striking to ignore. Both fragrances revolve around an opulent saffron accord supported by warm woods and radiant amber materials, but Oud for Greatness adds a beautifully executed natural oud note that gives it an identity Carios never quite develops for itself. Making matters worse, Oud for Greatness can routinely be purchased through reputable discounters for around $190. That makes it exceedingly difficult to justify paying nearly three times as much for Carios when the fragrance it most closely resembles is not only substantially less expensive, but, in my opinion, ultimately more compelling. Looking back on the Les Extraits collection as a whole, I can't help but notice a consistent pattern. Valero felt derivative of several modern designer fragrances. Eragon, while objectively much better, still settled into a comfortable and familiar woody-spicy DNA. Carios finally ventures into more overtly niche territory, yet even it struggles to escape comparisons to an already well-established fragrance. Individually, none of those shortcomings would necessarily define a collection. Collectively, however, they leave me questioning the purpose of Les Extraits as a flagship line. That's ultimately where my disappointment lies. I wasn't expecting every fragrance to reinvent perfumery, but I was expecting them to justify their existence beyond simply being more expensive versions of ideas that already exist. Instead, I found a collection that consistently prioritized luxury presentation over genuine originality. The bottles are beautiful, the raw materials are excellent, and every fragrance performs admirably. Yet none of them gave me the feeling that I was experiencing something I couldn't already find elsewhere. Having now completed my journey through the entire Les Extraits collection, my conclusion is unfortunately clear. While these fragrances are enjoyable to experience, I simply don't believe they justify their extraordinary asking prices. If anything, this exploration has only reinforced my appreciation for Parfums de Marly's standard collection, which continues to offer more distinctive fragrances at considerably more reasonable prices. I would absolutely recommend sampling Les Extraits out of curiosity, particularly Carios, but I can't recommend purchasing a full bottle of any fragrance in the line. In the end, Les Extraits feels less like the next evolution of Parfums de Marly and more like a premium-priced experiment that never fully realized its own ambition. Scent: 7/10 Longevity: 9/10 Sillage: 9/10 Versatility: Average Compliment Factor: Average Gender: Masculine Value: Outrageously overpriced

I was really excited to smell this extrait line from Parfums de Marly since they’re my favourite niche perfume brand. After seeing all the negative feedback following the release, I didn’t want to believe it until I smelt them for myself. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. Genuinely felt like none of these fragrances had a single wow factor. I only smelled them on tester strips so maybe I need to do some skin testing but off initial impressions Parfums de Marly’s normal range and especially their Les Exclusifs range offer much more outstanding fragrances. It’s a shame because I expected more but all of these felt like familiar DNA bunched into one. Seems like PDM just jumped onto the extrait release hype train with these.

I renamed this one Haltane Exclusif. It’s what I imagine the smell would be if they launched that name. It smells like a grown up version of Haltane/OFG. But for the price point, it’s not unique enough and does not perform.