Percival

Alright guys, here is a 100% honest review. I received a sample....I was beyond excited. I threw 4 sprays of the sample on and I was very disappointed. It was something I have smelled before. I couldn't believe it. Im pretty sure I had outrageous expectations for PdM. I love Herod, Layton and a few others from them so my expectations were way too high.... I decided to wear it one last time before I swapped my sample....Well, my mind had made a complete 180 degree turn. This stuff was GORGEOUS on my second wearing. I really dove into the scent and found out that it reminded me of Abercrombie & Fitch Fierce as well as Mont Blanc Legend. The main difference being...Percival is of outstanding quality. It is top notch. Anyone who has ever dreamed of having an expensive smelling Fierce or Legend is now in luck. This stuff is incredible. We all know the Fierce and Legend DNA is an absolute crowd pleaser...specifically with the ladies. Well, I can truly say this is going to be even better, strictly because of the quality. It doesn't smell like anything new, but it takes the ever-classic masculine mass-appealing DNA and enhances it into an HD version. This is Abercrombie & Fitch Fierce HD. Mont Blanc Legend HD. This is for the more mature burly studs and not the skinny, growing high school dudes. This stuff is powerful, masculine, bad-ass and is going to be a complete compliment monster. OVERALL: The performance is unbelievable. 4 sprays will last all day and I will get whiffs for 8+ hours. I guess at the end of the day you get what you pay for. Scent: 8/10 (Would be a 10, however the DNA has been around) Longevity: 9/10 (Insanely good for a fresher frag) Projection: 9/10 (Huge scent cloud for the first 2-3 hours and then lingers in air for 8+ hours)

This is more of a nostalgic piece for me. Initially, it gave me vibes of Lynx Apollo (as devaluing as it sounds). Around a decade ago, my friend and I revered that specific Lynx scent. It carried a fresh yet masculine character, and its name — Apollo — appealed to our fascination with all things outer space back then. There isn't much I can say about Percival’s scent profile that hasn’t already been somewhere else on this site. It opens with a bright, fresh elegance — not the kind that screams “superiority” but a refined, understated type of sophistication. As it develops, it becomes smooth, creamy, and nostalgic, evoking a comforting familiarity. Fastforward to the present and I haven't smelled Lynx Apollo for quite some time now as it is discontinued in the UK and you can only obtain it through online retailers at higher prices. I bit the bullet and bought the 200ml bottle of Percival around a month or so ago and I am more than satisfied with the commitment. On my skin it lasts around 6+ hours after which I can only smell it directly on my skin. To call this gem an upgraded Lynx Apollo would be a gross understatement but to me is the most personal way of coveying what this fragrance means to me. It achieves complexity through simplicity (at least to my nose). Can you get something that smells similar for a fragment of the price? Absolutely! But this is my signature scent for as long as I have the bottle.

Parfums De Marly Percival opens with a unique and layered combination of spicy citrus and lavender, where a denser, slightly sweet and peppery top sits over a clean, airy citrus “shower gel” background, creating a distinct contrast between a darker, more structured surface and a fresh, lifted base. As it moves into the mid, the fragrance quickly settles and blends into a cohesive ambroxan-driven profile with lingering fruits and aromatics rounding out the composition, maintaining that clean shower gel character while becoming more balanced and unified, before the fruity aspects fade and the scent transitions into a more dominant peppery ambroxan core with florals and aromatics softening the edges. Into the drydown, the fragrance continues to refine and simplify as the top notes fully dissipate and the composition becomes increasingly woody and ambroxan-focused, eventually losing the florals and settling into a colder, sharper, peppery ambroxan profile that remains relatively strong through Hour 6–7 with minimal further evolution. Overall, I enjoyed the layered and unique opening, but once it reached the drydown I’m not sure it fully justifies the price; it is a very well-done blue fragrance with obvious quality, but the later stages become more linear and centered on ambroxan. 8/10

I have a very long love hate relationship with this fragrance. During the start of my fragrance journey I smelled all the PDMS and was really enticed by percival. I applied it on my skin and kept getting whiffs of it throughout the day, splendid performance for such an airy light scent profile. However I fell for the hype and just bought layton as my first niche perfume. I didint really wear layton much because of the medicinal opening and ended up selling it years later. Throughout the years ive been searching for a daily blue fragrance to replace my Blue De Chanel because of performance issues, and I keep coming back to Percival. Every time I spray on my skin at the store I keep getting reminded how good it is. It might be time to just pull the trigger and buy a full bottle for this upcoming summer. I ordered a bunch of decants of other popular summer freshies and will be defaulting to Percival if none of them scratch the itch that percival does. Yes the scent profile of percival is a generic mass appealing blue fragrance, but the performance backs it up the niche price tag. This dumpsters LV Imagination and I highly recommend Percival over Imagination. The performance is superior and has a more unique interesting shower soap like DNA. Its not even close

Holy shit, this is amazing. I owned a 50ml of Montblanc legend and went through it in about 3 months whenever I had around 40 bottles. I also had Kaaf and this blows both of those out of the water by a mile. I relieved this in a trade after smelling it at Neiman Marcus and enjoying the initial spray. Yes its expensive for a profile like this. But, my god is it worth it in my opinion. It is so extremely versatile and works in almost every occasion I could think of. I was apprehensive initially because, "why get percival when Montblanc legend exists", but the quality is so much better, its slightly more grown up, more Ambers, less fruits. This is a big dose of lavender, ambroxan, citrus, and amberwoods. It is pretty linear, but the ambroxan and amberwoods sing the more it dries down. Its a huge performer, around that 10-11 hour mark. Projection is strong, my girlfriend could smell me across my bedroom. This made my top 10 almost instantly and I cant wait to get use out of this! I love to layer this with an Indian white musk oil, it makes it slightly more interesting and adds a small animalic touch to the base. Definitely sample and bottle worthy! 10/10

Preface: I am not well versed in perfumery and the olfactory experiences like a lot of the others here, this is purely an opinion from an average man who is slightly more informed than average about fragrances and perfumes. Hopefully my reviews might relate more to the average audience. Back when I test smelled in the airport the first time, I smell that usual "blue" smell, but it is smoother than the average blue fragrances I tried. The second time with a different tester strip it hits way different, like the smell has blended into a very pleasant fresh, citrusy opening before drying down into a warm, woody note that hits my nose once in a while. Percival is a versatile fragrance that you can spray in the morning and feel fresh until the afternoon, until which it dries down into a more suitable warm amber in the evening. For its use, the longevity has to match this beautiful transition, and luckily Percival has an above average longevity with a decent sillage. I feel like it always have this little... "something", a je ne sais quoi, that Percival has that sets it apart from the usual designer blue fragrance.

People hate on it because its a generic blue shower gel A&F fierce scent profile, but the people hating on it have clearly never smelled many other blue fragrances. I agree that there are plenty of other blue fragrances that smell better, but none of them come even close to performing somewhat reasonably. Imagination, BDC, Aventus, etc, I've tried and owned most of these hyped fragrances but never see myself coming back to them because of the abysmal performance. Percival is a work horse that doesnt have the most unique smell, but as a result is the most safe and mass appealing PDM you can get. It lasts all day and people will not complain about it because it is such a safe DNA. What more do you want from a blue fragrance? you have performance and mass appeal, literally what else do you need. Maybe the people hating on it enjoy bringing their travel size of aventus everywhere to respray every hour, but not me. For me this fragrances checks all the boxes I need. Do I wish it smelled a little more unique? Sure, unfortunately I have yet to find a blue fragrances that checks as many boxes.

In the spirit of authenticity, please: Make sure you put it on skin before judging. On paper, and in the air alone, the fragrance journey of Percival will be INCOMPLETE. It CANNOT progress as it is intended in either air alone, nor on paper, as these are certainly not the proper mediums for any fragrance. In response to statements about it being "simple" and "not complex", this just isn't so. It is a familiar scent DNA on account of Legend, and A&F Fierce, which is maybe why I understand criticisms about it not being unique but have you actually tried them all? side by side ? one day after another wearing them on skin? I have. I did it to combat the underselling of Percival. There are SIGNIFICANT differences between those two and Percival. That is fact. There is MUCH more to this fragrance than I see it getting credit for. I've gone through two bottles. Bought them both under retail, and I must say, I think its worth a $200 price tag at least. Get your nose on it, AFTER its been on your skin for a day or two.

So i get why it might be perceived as overrated and mainly overpriced, but it is just phenomenal, and this is coming from a person who doesn ́t really like blue fragrances, as i find them all generic and that they smell all the same (BdC, AdG, etc...). But the quality on this is absurd. Not only that, i find it has a unique aspect to it which i cant quite pick up on what it is specifically. If i had the kind of money to justify paying 300€ on a fragrance, i would have bought it instantly the first time i smelled it. Quality is so much above any designer blue fragrance i ́ve tried, and i tried a lot. Just the cleanest, most expensive shower gel fragrance out there. Worth the price tag? If you have money to spare, absolutely!!! I would use this everyday summer/hot spring days for the rest of my life and not bother to find any other fresh fragrance. I still would enjoy my winter and fall fragrances, as those are the ones i really love.

Really a great take on the blue genre. Disregard any of the axe body spray comments, I really cannot believe some of the dumb shit I read on here sometimes. It's a Super-easy anytime wear and compliment getter. A few even had to know what it was so they could look it up. To my nose it's kind of a fusion of Dylan Blue and MB Legend thats more grown up. Most people recognize and love the main DNA. For what it is, special nonetheless, it is over-priced, mainly because of the PDM house name, so look for it at a discounted price. Its also a bit potent so believe me when I say 3-4 sprays is enough, more than that and it can get cloying for you and others. Projection and longevity is about average, 3 feet project about 4 hours, skin scent about 10. If you want to be one of the freshest men on the go it's a 10/10. Although given the price and avg performance, overall I give it an 8.75

If you’re in your 30s or 40s, think back to walking through your local mall and getting close to an Abercrombie & Fitch. Before you even reached the entrance, that signature scent would hit you and instantly let you know exactly where you were. If you were around when the store was at its peak, that association alone tells you everything you need to know. For everyone else, it’s pretty straightforward to describe. It opens with a smooth, light lavender accented by pepper and a touch of orange citrus. As it dries down, the playful spiciness remains while a beautiful woody blend of cedar and fir starts to come through. Everything is perfectly balanced—nothing tries to overpower the rest. It’s an extremely safe buy and one that very few people will dislike. I rate this a 9 out of 10.

Percival - first niche fragrance, and i am very happy its my first one, got it as a gift for my birthday, and i dont understand why this is getting so much hate, this is probably top 3 best daily wear fragrances of all time and has extremely good performance on me, one of the most lavender heavy fragrances but the lavender actually smells good for once, the citrus in the beginning is really juicy but disappears quickly, and then the musk and woods start to kick in, just perfection in my opinion, and also i forgot to say that i drained the entire 75ml bottle in 3,5 months Price - 6/10 Performance - 9,5/10 (for a blue fragrance) Bottle - 10/10 personally Packaging - 5/10 for a niche Smell - 9,8/10 Overall - 9,3/10

I bought my 125 ml bottle somewhere in 2019, one of the first ‘niche’ fragrances in my (at the time small) collection . The first time I smelled it I was disappointed with it’s lack of complexity, nonetheless I couldn’t get it out of my head. Of course it was an expensive fragrance even back then, but over the years I’ve always worn it with the greatest pleasure, wearing it always evokes feelings of happiness. It serves it’s purpose as an everyday casual high end spring/summer scent very well, It is well rounded, the quality is noticeable (unlike it’s cheaper alternatives) and it is very powerful. I have long forgotten the money it has cost me, but to this day I’m happy every time I wear it..

Percival is just an undeniable compliment getter. If that is what you are after, you are in for a treat with this one. I have never met a single person that has disliked this fragrance! I cannot stress this enough. People love this stuff. Men and women alike. Is it overpriced for what it is? Yes, definitely. Is it the best iteration of this DNA? Also yes. It is a classic case of diminishing marginal returns. Spending more on something gives you better quality but at increasingly higher cost. Only buy this if you LOVE the A&F Fierce DNA. Otherwise get a clone. Performance is great, be careful with the trigger as you will go nose blind very quickly.

The people reviewing this negatively must be NPCs because yes this isn't the most mind blowing fragrance but genuinely this is one of the best go to fragrances. I get 6-7hrs Max on this one but those 6-7 are amazing. Its such a clean and sexy fresh smell. Its my favorite PDM and it doesn't disappoint. It's a bit overpriced but you can literally get a 75ml for less than $150 on a good discounter. Id say its on the level of high tier designers since id call this an intro level niche. I'd recommend testing this first but blind buying this is not bad at all. A well deserved 10/10 for me. Overall: 8.5/10 Smell - 9/10 Longevity - 7.5/10 Sillage - 8/10

This is really beautiful It smells amazing. This is not like your typical blue, clean, fresh, or whatever other people are saying. it's barely any of those things to me. It's more intoxicating, addicting and sexy. The ambroxan is so good. Don't listen to the reviewers bashing it because they say it reminds them of popular designer stuff at Sephora. These are the same people who buy those same fragrances. This is even better. If you're sick of the Savauge, BDC, Y, etc get this. This is the grown mans blue. It's mass appealing, safe, office, day, summer, all year, signature, everyone loves. Go buy Pegasus if you want something different.

Percival is definitely ambroxan-heavy like Greenley, but its lavender and woody fir base make it incredibly smooth and satisfying. The performance is moderate overall, though it projects noticeably better in warm weather. It’s a “blue” fragrance without the typical aquatic vibe, and it has a nostalgic early-2000s DNA. I still think it leans niche in quality. Unlike the common comparisons to Abercrombie & Fitch Fierce or Montblanc Legend, Percival feels more powdery in the dry-down, with zero screechy elements. It stays fresh, smooth, and wood just like a luxury body wash. Overpriced but it’s my favourite fresh fragrance.

Percival is my favourite Parfums de Marly fresh fragrance considering that I think their cold weather fragrances are generally better than their fresher ones. I really enjoy Percival though, it’s a very tidy fragrance, essentially a shit ton of lavender with that signature Parfums de Marly sweetness and woodiness. Loads of lift off my skin, very much in the blue shower gel category of fragrance. It’s perfect for any situation in every season, attractive enough to wear on a date, versatile enough to wear to the office. A man of any age could rock this fragrance, and it’s extremely likeable to everyone around you.

My first PDM. Bought it. Love it. There are similarities between Legend and Fierce (I own both, including the edp), but none of those contain the ambery bit that makes Percival stand out uniquely in its freshness. Performance and longevity are terrific. Although, I do go noseblind to it, sometimes rather quickly, so be aware that, at least for me, that can be an issue making it seem as if the performance isn’t there. But it certainly is. Excellent quality. Smoothness in the blending. Just a utility knife stunner. I’m 43 years old and I’ll wear the hell out of this without a second thought. On to my next PDM!!

I've recently tested this in the insane heatwave and it's by far the best smelling fragrance when you're sweating. It makes you smell like you're covered in sexy high quality shower gel (I have "Cremo Italian Bergamot", they go very well together). And it projects stronger the more you sweat. Makes a little clean aura around you that everybody will enjoy. Perfect for a hot summer. Also, I can't help but feel a similar undertone to Chanel Platinum Egoiste. Price is not a problem if you buy at a discount and get the larger bottle, totally worth it. It's gonna last a good while.