Valero

Here are my initial impressions of Valero. I don’t usually do long reviews but as this is the first write up of this fragrance, I’ve tried to give a thorough review and although I usually leave price out of the equation, that’s hard to do in this case! I’ll address cost first and get that out of the way. These are certainly high quality fragrances but I’m not quite sure how PdM can justify such a high price in comparison to other brands. These just don’t have the execution of fragrances in that price range. That’s not to say they’re not good (I really like Valero) but for £200 more than their usual fragrances, the step up in quality isn’t as discernible as the price difference would suggest. However, something is only worth what people are prepared to pay for it so time will tell if these make commercial sense, but they are extraordinarily priced for what they are and I think PdM are taking a big risk making them this expensive. Extremely overpriced but then again, PdM's are. I’ve read quite a bit of negativity about the bottle design. Being a prestige item, above their standard range, I understand the decision to make the bottles different. Personally, I like the design. I like the clean lines and minimalist approach with the engraved horse which is embossed on the back and indented. It’s a personal preference, but the new bottles work for me. They are simple but classy and they look and feel good in the hand. The box is well presented too. Valero This was a surprise to me, judging by the few comments I’ve read and heard about it so far. First off, it’s not as fresh as I was expecting, especially as one YouTuber put it in the same category as Imagination. It’s actually a lot denser than I anticipated. I was expecting fresh, crisp and sharp up top, but that’s really not what this is. It is a blue fragrance but with layers that lend many different facets to the overall composition. I’ve only had it for a few hours but I’ve already made links to several different fragrances and elements. At times I get hints of Reflection Man, at other times I can see a slight nod to Layton and then a hint of Absolu Aventus from its density and the ambrox. Some people reference bubblegum, I get that too and others say soapy - yes, it’s clean but not in the traditional barbershop way. It’s sweet but smooth. There is a sharpness and spiciness to the fragrance but it is subdued by the dense sweetness and floral nature of the other notes. Bringing it all together is the lavender, but it’s so well blended that it’s not your traditional lavender blue fragrance - thankfully. Sweet, clean, floral, fresh, woody, a touch spicy, smooth and dense. I also get a slight creaminess from the sandalwood in the drydown. It’s like they’ve taken all the popular aspects of a blue fragrance and put it into one composition. The top notes are where it’s most interesting to me - it’s sharper and spicy aspects are more noticeable. As it dries down it settles into something a little more familiar. However, I think people will pull out different facets of the scent depending on their sense of smell (e.g. some will find it fresher than others). Fans of the PdM style should like this but will feel aggrieved at the ridiculous cost. Overall, it’s very smooth and relatively versatile. I’m not one for sweet fragrances usually but this has more going on that interests me. It’s a modern composition that may not be ground-breaking but for its category, it does what it does very well. I envisage this will garner many compliments as, to my nose anyway, it’s very likeable if not a little mainstream. Whilst executed to a niche standard, I’d say this still leans more to a designer style fragrance, just with better quality, performance and complexity, very in keeping with the PdM way. That’s not a bad thing but PdM really are pushing the boundary with the price. My favourite of the three by some margin, although the other two are more unique. Performance Performance is good in terms of longevity but projection does diminish after a few hours and it sits closer to the skin, which you might expect from an extrait. I’ve been wearing it now for six hours and can still smell it radiating around me. I need to give it a full wear to test the performance properly, but it seems good so far. A very nice fragrance indeed but £450 nice, well that’s a matter of individual value! Edit: after spending a full day with this, I can still smell it about me. It’s clung to my t-shirt and is radiating enough for me to smell it without having to stick my nose up close. Overall, a nice, crowd pleasing fragrance that marries niche quality with designer accessibility and versatility. In fact, I’m not sure why I like it as much as I do as this isn’t my usual style but something in it draws me in. Cost is a big issue though. This would, I’m sure, be a real hit for PdM but it’s just going to be out of reach for many until it becomes available at discounters and I'm sure it will be slated because of just how expensive it is. As a last note, I’ve had this a few days now and each time I wear it, I discover different aspects. It’s spicier and woodier today, with more clarity of the citrus notes up top. I still think it’s mass appealing but there’s a bit more to it than perhaps I initially gave credit. And a fragrance can remind you of another scent without smelling exactly the same, perhaps because of certain notes or the vibe it gives, which is what this fragrance does to me. I see some people are saying fresh, others notice the citrus and some reference aquatic, whereas I predominantly smell sweet floral with some spiciness so I think you’ll get a different experience depending on what your nose is attuned to or the climate it's worn in.

Valero is going to be misunderstood because it sits in a category that sounds simple on paper, but lives or dies by execution: the laundry soap fougère. This is clean, sharp, bright, masculine, and extremely polished. It has that fresh detergent effect that people are immediately going to compare to YSL MYSLF, Prada Paradigme, Ralph’s Club, Invictus-style freshies, and everything else living in the modern blue-clean designer lane. But to my nose, Valero is not just another smooth department-store shower gel scent. It leans more fougère, more aromatic, more structured, and more expensive-smelling than most fragrances in this space. The opening is excellent. Crisp, fresh, and attention-grabbing without feeling obnoxious. There is a sharpness here that gives it bite, and that bite is what separates it from the softer, smoother laundry soap fragrances. It feels closer to the sharper fougère end of the category than the easy blue-clean lane. Think fresh linen, expensive soap, aromatic grooming product, and modern masculine polish, but done with niche-level clarity. Where Valero works best is in the balance. It smells clean, but not flat. Fresh, but not juvenile. Masculine, but not dated. It has that “just showered, freshly dressed, expensive haircut” energy, except pushed through the Parfums de Marly lens. This is not trying to be weird, dark, animalic, or artistic for the sake of being artistic. It is trying to be a luxury version of an extremely wearable modern masculine scent profile, and honestly, I think it succeeds. Performance is strong. Projection is easily a 9/10 for me. It pushes well without becoming a room-killer, which is exactly what I want from this style. Longevity is an 8/10, solid enough to get you through most of a warm day, especially in spring and summer. This is very wearable, very compliment-friendly, and extremely easy to reach for when you want to smell clean, put-together, and masculine. Versatility is good, but not perfect. I’d call it an 8/10, mainly because this shines brightest in spring and summer. Office, daytime, warm nights, casual dressed-up, travel, brunch, patio drinks, that kind of thing. You can wear it year-round, but I don’t think it has the depth or warmth to be a true all-season killer. The value is where Valero gets complicated. At full retail, I would have absolutely buried it. Now that it is showing up at discounters for roughly half off retail, the conversation gets a lot more fair. But even discounted, it is still about 60% more expensive than the next best fragrance in this laundry soap fougère lane, so value is still not a slam dunk. That said, this is where the quality difference matters. Valero is not winning because it invented a new category. It is winning because it takes a familiar modern clean masculine profile and sharpens it into something more aromatic, more fougère, and more expensive-smelling. The blend has bite, structure, and polish in a way the cheaper options usually do not. So value stays at a 5/10 for me. Not because it smells cheap, it absolutely does not, but because even at discounter pricing, you are still paying a meaningful premium for refinement rather than originality. Ratings: Scent Profile: 10/10 Projection: 9/10 Longevity: 8/10 Versatility: 8/10 Value: 5/10 Final score: 8.4/10 Valero smells fantastic, performs well, leans masculine, and might be one of the best executions of the modern laundry soap fougère category. But even at half-off discounter pricing, it still carries a premium that makes the value harder to defend.

I’ve had this a couple of weeks now and following on from my in-depth review at the bottom of this page, here are my overall thoughts: Scent It’s a blue fragrance with many characteristics that you’ll have smelt before. It’s not ground-breaking but it smells good. It's fresh, spicy, floral, woody, sweet, smooth and dense. It has elements of many popular fragrances I've smelt before. I don’t usually care for these types of fragrances, as I find them too sweet, but there is something I particularly like about this. For its genre, what it does, it does very well. Performance It lasts a long time but does sit fairly close to the skin, which you’d expect being an extrait. It doesn’t project out in a loud manner but I can smell a noticeable scent bubble around me for most of the time I’m wearing it. Presentation Personally, I really like the bottle. It’s clean and classy. The whole presentation works for me, including the box. I think the bottle looks better in the flesh than in online pictures. Value Now here’s the rub. I rather feel PdM have shot themselves in the foot with the pricing of this. In the UK, it’s £180 more than their standard fragrances at a ridiculous £450. Yes, PdM’s are overpriced anyway but for what you’re getting, this is bordering on obscene. I like the fragrance very much but it’s a high end designer style and just doesn’t warrant a cost that puts it in the luxury bracket where other fragrances are much more unique and expensive smelling. Were this more reasonably priced (perhaps £50 above their standard fragrances), then I think it would be more warmly received. Time will tell if this is a commercial success but I have my doubts. Shame, because I think many people would like this but most will be completely turned off by the price and won’t be able to get past the expense to appreciate the fragrance itself. Scent: 8 Performance: 8 Value: 3.5

Soooo, if this is such a basic and simple scent, WHERE ARE THE CLONES? Middle eastern brands have cloned faaaaar more difficult to wear / more hated / more unkown scents, a hundred times over. Since this is so designer-like and common and very expensive, a clone of it would be hyped to death by every tiktoker on the planet. None released yet. Maybe because IT IS ACTUALLY UNIQUE? I was extremely lucky to get a 90% full bottle at almost half the price from someone who did an extreme declutter, and that was one of the best deals I have ever gotten. Most of its haters haven't even smelled it and are regurgitating everything said by influencers who were obviously very bitter over not getting a paycheck. It is the perfect masculine scent for every sunny day no matter the season, lasts more than 10 hours, projects like you showered with it, gets the same amount of compliments Imagination gets (anyone who actually owns Imagination can understand). Apart from the big dose of geranium which brings it mildly close to Paradigme, smells nothing like the "reminds me of" section. You will be remembering the exact scent for life on your second or third wear on skin, you can actually bring it to mind for some days after the wear, which is something that rarely happens unless you wear a perfume 10+ times. The quality is insane, and the more blue scents you've worn, the easier it will be to feel it. THE PRICE IS OUTRAGEOUS, nobody can argue that. But I had to leave this review for people considering getting a decant, because these are expensive as well. GET THAT DECANT, wear it on skin for two days and see for yourself.

In all honesty, without making any comparisons, I truly love this fragrance. And today, since I first wore it, I've already received compliments from people I see every day who have never, ever commented on it before. The sillage is heavy, pleasant, and lasts up to 2 meters... a fragrance designed to please. People mention comparisons, but they don't even come close to the quality of ingredients in this creation. Its price is a real problem, but there's an option I recommend, which I've already tried: the dupe of DUA. You have to give it at least a month to develop, but it truly exudes the quality of its components and perfectly represents the original fragrance... highly recommended. It's also fair to say that it's potent in every good sense of the word.

Here is the thing, this is a great fragrance. It’s fresh, it’s clean with a touch of modern sweetness without being bubblegum. It’s better than similar fragrances like Myself or Dylan Blue. It’s better than Sedley and Greenly. Why is it better - it’s fresher, blended better and last significantly longer. It’s just beautiful with a great personality. It walks through life knowing it’s the best in class. So what is wrong with it? It suffers from a PR problem. This is the spoiled, private school brat that everyone loves to hate. This brat is the best looking, smartest, best athlete, and most charming kid at school, but in this woke world, you have been told to hate this kid. That’s ok, he hates you too.

Love this one, worn it a few times and is growing on me. Popped it on that and have been a little flat due to cancer treatment but the freshness of the opening gave me a nice pick up i have some bball on tv and my days turned. I find it very fresh uplifting little aquatic tones which I like. Light perfect balance with lavender as I react to heavier lavender so nice balance there. Feel it could be a nice daily wear here in Australia for daytime most of the year round apart from the really cold days I would go for a heavier scent. Very pricey but you get that with niche brands. Will definitely buy another when go through this bottle.

this is my favorite out of the three by a slim margin (carios being a close second). i genuinely like this. do i like the price? absolutely not. but i do genuinely like the scent. i think its very different than something PDM would make with their regular line, and its definitely unique. albeit, it does KINDA remind me of YSL MYSLF L'absolu, but without the "linen" smell and its also sweeter. this to me is a very solid blue freshie and unlike anything PDM has to offer already. the price is insane though. $550 for 100ml in this economy is nuts. absolutely wait until the price drops before you buy any of the new extraits.

I think most of the people complaining about the price have got to be delusional or oblivious to the Current economic climate...last I checked the price of EVERYTHING has gone up so if you don’t like the price tag, then you should find yourself a seat at the clones and dupes table...Why are you here 🤷🏾🤦🏽♂️ PDM HAS GIVEN THREE FRAGRANCES THAT CAN BE WORN EVERY DAY WITH GREAT LONGEVITY. Percival, Castley and now Valero. Three different price points, Now take your pick and shut up!

I have never been able to enjoy YSL Myself or any of the designers that make a fragrance similar to this. They’ve all been too synthetic and screechy for me. Valero however, is very likable. I think it’s a great fragrance as an easy reach in all seasons day fragrance. They’ve price is definitely overpriced, even at $300 that I got it for at a discounter is still overpriced.

Alright, this has been getting a lot of hate for the price (rightfully so), but this is amazing. To me, this smells like it took inspiration from Myslf but added lavender and juniper berries. It’s currently hitting discounters, and if it dips below the $300 mark it’s worth the buy in my opinion.

This is a great blend of fresh, sweet, and creamy. The only reason people are rating it poorly is because they're mad about the price. The citrus + lavender combo is extremely pleasing and the performance is fantastic. It's just a wonderful, approachable, mass-pleasing scent.

Just got a 2ml sample It reminds me a lot of Elysium, this stuff is fire. After reading reviews and comparisons people on this forum are stupid asf Masculine, fresh & bright. This is gentleman in a bottle Scent 10/10 Longevity Dunno yet Well done Parfums de Marly

As usual the biggest haters come out for the scents they can’t afford. I bought the 3x5ml extrait discovery set. Valero is a banger. It’s right there with the other PdM freshies. I’ll be adding this one to my spring/summer rotation. Highly recommend.

Just wear it and experience the magic, this is in a league of its own fasure plz don’t judge this off a couple sprays from the sample you have to spray from the bottle 5x around you I’m telling you

Objectively, Valero smells amazing and will garnish you many compliments if that’s what you care about. However, for the price there’s things that smell eerily similar that are 1/5 of the price.

I can't defend PDM charging 550 for this so I'm not even gonna try. But I really enjoy it, and the people around me really enjoy it too. I'll buy a bottle off of a discounter. Yolo

High quality blue fragrance that changes as you wear it. Glad I grabbed it!

Why so much hate ? It’s actually 🔥🔥🔥🔥and it lasts

After wearing this for a few days now this fragrance has grown on me a good bit. I received a bottle of this as a gift for an important birthday, so consider the fact I did not pay for this as you read. Review: I think this is a really pleasant fragrance. It opens up with a lemony burst of citrus with some slight sweetness in the background. The middle is a very sweet fresh scent with some aquatic notes that feels really uplifting, and it remains that way into the dry down. I'm not amazing at picking out notes, so cut me a little slack, but I will say I don't really get any patchouli or lavender in this. This smells NOTHING like Dylan Blue to me, that's what my dad (who gifted this to me) wears 24/7 365. I associate that smell with him and I feel like I would've immediately sensed the similarity if that were the case. I get less of the woodsy masculine vibe from this, and more of a modern sweet fresh (slightly aquatic) fragrance. I like it, and I definitely will be wearing it often. Controversy: A lot of the complaints I see poised at this are on the high price tag and the fact that it's a fresh blue fragrance. A lot of the hate feels forced. Yes, I think the pricing is wild, frankly I feel that way for almost all fragrances, and of the blue fragrances I do own this one stands out in its own way at least to me. If you can't justify the price (I certainly couldn't that's why I didn't own it), wait until it hits discounters or when the clones do INEVITABLY come out. Expect wild prices on luxury items, Boadicea still exists selling much more expensive bottles so there is clearly a market for it. If it's not special enough to you, I am astonished you expected such from PDM. PDM of all the niche houses LOVES their designer like fragrances so it is unsurprising that these fit that description. They do not push boundaries and almost anything from them is going to be mass appealing and easy to wear. If you want special and boundary pushing don't look to PDM at all, look to one of the countless houses that makes fragrances in those styles, like Orto Parisi (bottles of those can be had for like $120 as well so win win). I am however unhappy about the bottle redesign. The new bottle lacks the class the old bottles had for a new hypermodern look which is neat but doesn't fit the house. Also, I liked the 125ml bottles as opposed to the 100mls that you get with the extraits. I understand 100ml is the standard, but I like that I get an extra 25ml to decant to friends or decant into a travel bottle and still have plenty left over with the old design. Final thoughts: I really like this fragrance. Its special to me because it was gift from my dad. It's my favorite of the extraits lineup. It smells like a PDM release for sure. It also lasts a surprisingly long time (I fell asleep after putting it on in the evening and woke up still smelling it on myself, 3-5 sprays lasts me all day) although the sillage is pretty conservative (at least to my nose, I do go nose blind to some scents very quickly). Scent profile: Aromatic and sweet, slightly woody and aquatic. Mass appealing, versatile, and easy to wear. Price: My bank account weeps just thinking about it. Gender: Barely masculine but unisex in my eyes. Longevity/Sillage: About 8hrs, I doubt you could easily overspray as the sillage is pretty close to skin on me.

This is a clone of Le Male Le Parfum, just slightly lighter. I cant believe no one called it out yet. Its good, but redundant if you have Le Male Le Parfum. Edit: AI Overview You're likely noticing similarities because both Parfums de Marly's Valero and Jean Paul Gaultier's Le Male Le Parfum share key scent profiles, featuring prominent vanilla, aromatic lavender, and fresh, spicy notes (like cardamom in Le Male, and similar fresh aspects in Valero), creating a sweet, warm, and slightly barbershop-fresh vibe that appeals to many, making Valero feel like a modern, potent take on that popular DNA. Key Similarities: Vanilla: Both fragrances have a strong, addictive vanilla base that provides warmth and sweetness, notes Amazon.com and The Perfume Shop mention for Le Male. Lavender: Lavender is a core note in both, contributing to a clean, slightly floral, and classic barbershop feel, according to YouTube for Valero and general descriptions of Le Male. Spices/Freshness: Le Male Le Parfum uses cardamom for spice, while Valero brings citron, juniper, and bergamot for freshness, but they both fit into a fresh, aromatic, yet warm category. How Valero Differs (Slightly): Valero leans more into aromatic woods (sandalwood, cypress) and fresh citruses (bergamot, citron), making it a bit more versatile and a strong "blue" fragrance option, according to YouTube. In essence, Valero takes that beloved sweet, lavender-vanilla DNA of Le Male and elevates it with PDM's luxury ingredients and a modern, woodier twist, so the scent connection makes perfect sense to fragrance enthusiasts.

Ok, the hate has already been covered. It was too expensive, the scent profile is sweet aromatic blue, not special etc. All true. Here is another side. At a discounter, I got this for 279. Is that expensive still? Yes. Let's compare it to other designers at parfum/extrait level. Sauvage elixir, y elixir, etc. All 50mls and approaching 200 dollars. Bleu de Chanel exclusif is even more expensive. So, the cost is high, of course. But, I think at a discounter, the price per ml and oil concentration level is comparable if not better. Not a PDM shill by any means, but this is objectively fact. Now, that doesn't change the fact that this is a fairly basic sweet blue scent. It is. But it is a very pleasant wearing experience. It smells modern and fairly synthetic, yes. But it does not smell cheap or chemical or screechy or corny. Dylan Blue is my poster child for all these attributes. This is much better and higher quality. I would say this: if you love the sweet blue versatile masculine fragrances, and that's your strike zone, you could sell all of those and get Valero and be done with it. It's probably the best version of that style that I've experienced, all things considered. Is it a special profile? No. Is it overpriced? Yes. Is it a very well done version of this style, maybe the best? Yes. I get bits of invictus parfum, ysl myslf absolu, Bleu de Chanel parfum, etc. But it isn't actually any of those. Very smooth, very good to wear, not loud but performs well. Also, this doesnt smell like wild rush. I have both. I prefer wild rush, but they dont smell the same. 8/10

Smells like the air in the fragrance section of any department store. Valero is by far the least unique scent from the three Extraits and also the least deserving of its price tag. It smells like countless designer sweet-fruity-semi blue fragrances that you've smelled while walking by almost every man out on the street. It definitely resembles the new Prada Paradigme in my opinion, but to my nose this is like a combination of Eros EDT and Dylan Blue. This takes the sweet fruitiness of Eros EDT and combines it with the blue-ish aromatic ambroxan bomb that is Dylan Blue, and doesn't really do much else. Yes, it's likeable, it smells nice and in a vaccuum I do like Valero, but it ultimately doesn't achieve anything noteworthy and most definitely isn't deserving of such an exorbitant price tag. This is basically the same issue as A&F Fierce and Percival but on steroids since Valero is considerably more expensive than Percival. It's really telling how about a week after this collection released you could already find bottles of all three Extraits floating around for just over $300, and of the three Extraits this is still a huge scam at that price point. I wouldn't pay more than $100 for this and even then I think it's a stretch. Performs just as well as Carios and Eragon, moderate to strong projection, dense sillage you'll smell for a few hours but given the scent profile this will inevitably cause severe nose blindness very quickly. Longevity is also a good 8+ hours like the other two.

Scent profile for a High School or College kid... Priced for a CEO... This one has a similar lavender, sandalwood, ambroxan breakdown of many popular designer fragrances out there, reminds me of something similar to Creed Original Santal or Armani Code EDT but slightly more aromatic. Starts out with a strong juniper/cypress/citrus punch and quickly dries into a, soapy clean, kind of barbershop, kind of blue, lavender/sandalwood/ambroxan fragrance that you can get from many designer brands for under $100. The dry-down at around the three hour mark is quite nice, it sits very close to the skin though as most Extraits will, wish you got a lot more of this in the beginning, more of the woody, sandalwood, patchouli, ambroxan and nutmeg coming out and the aromatics fade to the background, it just needs more projection. It's a nice fragrance for sure, longevity is par with other PDM fragrances, but no reason this one should be priced as as it is, too many other clean, safe, inoffensive choices out there from brands like Armani, Prada, YSL, etc. that could compete with this one so I could not recommend it even from a discounter at half the cost it would still be twice as much as it should be.

I tried Valero by Parfums de Marly this week (trial size), and on my skin it smells really good. From the first spray, it reminded me a lot of YSL MYSLF, and I even get a little MYSLF Absolu, which is one of my daily perfumes. The overall vibe is fresh, and it has that modern, easy towear style that works for pretty much any occasion. The scent itself is definitely pleasant and very wearable. It feels fresh, smooth, and attractive without being too heavy. If you like that MYSLF DNA, you will probably enjoy this. Performance is okay. It lasts reasonably well, but honestly it does not feel stronger than many designer or fashion brand perfumes. For the price level Parfums de Marly is asking I consider a crime for what they delivers. Above $300 is not worth on my view. Overall, Valero smells great, but for me the biggest issue is the value. The price point feels insane for what it delivers, especially when there are designer options that smell very similar and perform about the same.

Smells somewhat similar to Prada Paradigme but slightly fresher, cleaner and sharper. It still retains that sweetness and floral nature, but there is something in there that gives it sort of a fizzy zing. I’ve heard comparisons to YSL MYSLF L’Absolu and I get where they’re coming from but they don’t really smell that similar apart from being floral/woody fragrances. It smells great and stood out to me the most from the new PDM Extraits, but I cannot justify that price tag. It smells unique enough to be a versatile daily fragrance that could justify a higher end niche price tag, but not to the extent that these Extraits are listed at. You could definitely convince me that it was a designer fragrance. Alas, fragrance is subjective and many may love Valero, but definitely get a sample or decant before purchasing a full bottle to see if you like it enough to warrant spending that amount of money ($500-$600).

I get it. They wanted to have their Météore. Something simple that people will gloss and pay big money for it. They did it. It's well blended and smells great. It's just the right amount of sweet, depth, and fresh. Others are in the same ballpark, but it's unique enough and has it's own vibe. This is not redundant to your average blue. The problem is the PR. It’s PDM, which is niche, sort of, so not exactly pulling the same crowd as Louis Vuitton. The marketing, the PR, and the price tag just did not line up. If they had pushed a rarer material angle or gotten the right influencers behind it, the reception could have been completely different, because the fragrance itself is great. That said, it’s honestly kind of a good thing people are hating on it, because you’re not going to smell exactly like everybody else. If you can afford it, grab a bottle. It’s great.

It's not bad by any means, but it doesn't stray far enough from the traditional "blue shower gel freshie" scent profile to (in my opinion) justify such a pricetag. There's numerous other blue freshies out there for much cheaper, even when comparing Parfums de Marly's Sedley. (although, side-by-side, Valero is more citron-cypress-ginger-aromatic, while Sedley leans more flowery-cardamom-clean-laundry) In the drydown, there's some resemblance to Polo Red Intense, seemingly from the sandalwood, lavender and --- although it's not listed in Valero's note pyramid --- I'm sure there's some ginger in there too. I think I like Eragon the most of PdM's new releases, and as a fan of the house, I was curious enough to want to try all three, but I don't think that they hold a candle to some of PdM's masterpieces like Herod or Althair.

Got complimented by colleagues at work, lasts long and projects nicely for the firsts hours. Very nice blue fragrance, immediately reminded of designers (Dylan blue, bleu de Chanel, montblanc legend sprit, ...). Performance may be better than those ones. I like the bottle design. You will smell nice but you won’t stand out by any means. Other niche fragrances still retain that office safe smell with more uniqueness and character (ocean the rive, vibrato, oud wood DNA and many many other ones) Hate 100% justified for the retail price but it can be found for under $200 secondhand, still heavily overpriced. However, I feel it’s a bit over hated, while other basic overpriced fragrances easily get away with it (Imagination is the perfect example). I hope PDM will learn from this launch.

I like it! It smells very good. Is it generic? Sure; it’s a “high end” take on a masculine, mass-appealing jack of all trades fragrance. Designed to smell good, appeal and attract. Is it overpriced? Incredibly. It’s costs 4 times what it should. Does that bother me? Nope: just because I like fragrances, and just because this is a fragrance, doesn’t mean I have to have it, need to buy it, or it needs to be accessible to me. Will I ever get this? Absolutely not. And that’s fine. Who cares. It’s just smelly water, dyed blue and packaged fancifully. I have plenty of smelly water I like already. But does it smell good? Start again from the top...

Love at first sniff really.... it's my favourite style DNA ever.... Most similar to Jo Malone cypress & Grapevine, Versace Dylan Blue, Lacoste original EDP, Ferragamo Aqua essenziale blu and Aramis Intuition. How is it different? It definitely smells closer to a shaving cream fougere than a blue scent and leans more on the Aramis Intuition and Jo Malone C&G side Green, Blue, Aromatic to put it simply with a classy shaving cream fougere vibe and yes it's got that sexy musky compliment magnet factor to it that drives girls a little wild

I did feel this was the "best" of the 3 in the line. Sadly, none of the 3 are anything special...although the bottles are beautiful. On my skin, I could see the Dylan Blue, BDC, MYSLF type blend of fragrances running together as that anytime/any place type of fragrance. Unfortunately, for Valero, those others already exist and are much less expensive.

Highly reminiscent of YSL LNDL Eau Electrique to me. Not a 1:1 by any means, but the second I smelled Valero I recognized the DNA. There is a strong, minty quality most likely coming from the lavender or geranium, as well as a bubblegum-y, sweet facet. It’s nice and easily wearable, but not nearly worth the price point being asked by PDM

The most designer-esque and linear of the trilogy and somewhat paradoxically, the best one. It's essentially a modern take on a classic masculine scent profile. Unlike the other 2 new releases, this one is pretty safe and I doubt others will find it objectionable. While it is pleasant, I don't know if it justifies the price point.

Beautiful blue fragrance, sweetness, very fresh! However, for the price tag, this scent is just way too overpriced. There are too many other scents out there with similar scent profiles as this for significantly cheaper.

I received the samples in from the mail today for free. It's fine. I agree with this resembling the aquatics of the 2000s. It reminds me specifically of the cologne sheets I'd steal from my grandparents' magazines as a kid. The lavender is definitely loud, and it plays nice with the base notes. The citrus is also prominent enough that I can feel it almost biting into me. Bergamot and lavender definitely have a synergy. It's a reasonably okay scent, but I wouldn't pay $500 for it. If you're not making six figures, I'd recommend waiting a couple months for when a clone shows up. They'll quickly get 95% there for 1/10th of the price.

Pleasant fresh smell for sure but at this price range, this is absolutely absurd. Smelled this way too many times, Bleu De Chanel EDP, Prada Paradigme, Bad Boy Cobalt are all better than this. Better price, better longevity despite this being an extrait, better brands. Parfums De Marly should be ashamed of being this greedy to price this at $550 when it should be $132 or $140. Meet people halfway, you already have a niche category, bring yourselves to the designer category and compete amongst the brands I mentioned. For this reason, I’m not buying Valero.

Oh PdM!! What have you done? How did we get from Herod, Carlisle, Layton, Sedley, and Althair to this? I mean the scent isn’t bad, but where is the creativity? Where is the longevity of an extrait? Why did you reduce the bottle from 125ml to 100ml? And why are you charging $550? Everything about this feels wrong. It’s uninspiring and extremely overpriced for what it is. Hard pass.

Smells like Versace Dylan Blue's big brother, literally they smell almost the same, but Valero is more a fresh, Summertime and way more luxurious, the bottle design is ass, idc what other say but it smells decent pretty much, the price is the worst part about this fragrance, and the bottle breaks easily so... Wouldnt recommend if you're not a Parfums De Marly fan (crazy).

It’s good. Projects nicely. Lasts a good 6-7 hours (half a vial). But not $600 AUD good. It’s not for me. But it’ll be for a category that appreciates this scent and will pay the asking price. Time and sales will tell PdM that.

It's basically an easy to wear and enjoy blue scent that I'd be quite favorable to if it were priced alongside its peers at about $80-100. But PdM has the audacity to peddle this at $550.

almost 600$ .. No Thanks, The perfume industry is going crazy lately ... No creativity & Nothing makes sense .. just some greedy people standing behind looking for money & only money

Just tried this at the west village boutique and NYC... call me crazy but this smells exactly like myslf l’absolu . To me it’s a complete dupe. Interested if others feel the same!!

Valero is Polo 67 that went to private school.

Today's review marks the beginning of my exploration into Les Extraits, the newest luxury collection from Parfums de Marly. Long recognized for producing crowd-pleasing fragrances that successfully bridge the gap between niche artistry and mainstream appeal, the house has built a devoted following through compositions that emphasize richness, versatility, and strong technical performance. With Les Extraits, however, Parfums de Marly ventures into even more luxurious territory, introducing a trio of Extrait de Parfum releases positioned as the pinnacle of the brand's craftsmanship. Featuring elevated concentrations, premium raw materials, and a substantially higher price point than the standard collection, these fragrances aim to represent the very best the house has to offer. I'll be starting with Valero, a fragrance described by the brand as a refined woody fougère and "an ode to visionaries." Rather than reinventing the fougère genre outright, Parfums de Marly appears to have pursued a modern interpretation built around vibrant citrus, aromatic herbs, polished woods, and the radiant depth of ambrox. On paper, the composition promises the freshness and versatility expected from a contemporary masculine fragrance while elevating it through the richer concentration and meticulous blending associated with the Les Extraits collection. With the launch of an entirely new flagship collection comes equally lofty expectations. Not only does Valero carry the responsibility of introducing collectors to Les Extraits as a whole, but it also enters one of the most competitive fragrance categories on the market: the modern fresh woody aromatic. The question, then, is whether Valero truly justifies its premium positioning by offering a meaningful step beyond the countless fragrances that occupy similar territory, or if its luxury presentation ultimately exceeds what the scent itself delivers. Let's find out whether Valero establishes Les Extraits as a worthy new chapter for Parfums de Marly or merely an ambitious expansion of the brand's existing formula. Opening: The opening is aromatic, fresh, and citrusy. The primary notes I get are lavender, geranium, juniper, and citron, with the lavender and geranium leading the composition. The lavender immediately takes command of the fragrance with a blast of clean, barbershop aromatics. It is powdery, fresh, and carries a noticeable underlying sweetness, likely enhanced by the warm, radiant character of the Ambrox Super. The overall impression is unmistakably designer in nature, immediately reminding me of the lavender accords found in fragrances such as Valentino Uomo Born in Roma Intense. Joining it at the forefront is the geranium, introducing a crisp, minty floral accord that instantly brings Prada Paradigme to mind. Beneath these dominant aromatics, the juniper contributes a clean evergreen freshness. Rather than smelling overtly woody or reminiscent of a Christmas tree, it evokes the subtle freshness of a coniferous forest, adding another layer of aromatic depth. Lastly, the citron rounds out the opening with a bright, lemon-like freshness that feels zestier and more vibrant than a traditional lemon note. The result is an opening that is undeniably crafted for mass appeal, leaning heavily into the familiar DNA of modern masculine designer fragrances. Dry Down: The dry down is aromatic, spicy, and woody. The primary notes I get are lavender, geranium, nutmeg, and sandalwood, with the lavender and geranium continuing to lead the composition. The lavender remains firmly in the spotlight, maintaining the same clean, powdery, and subtly sweet aromatic profile established in the opening. Likewise, the geranium retains its crisp minty floral character with virtually no change in either presentation or intensity, reinforcing just how linear the composition is. Meanwhile, the nutmeg gradually emerges, introducing a smooth, dry warmth that recalls the restrained spice found in fragrances like Sauvage Elixir rather than an overt culinary accord. Finally, the sandalwood settles into the base, providing a dry, creamy woodiness that gives the fragrance additional structure without dramatically altering its overall direction. The Ambrox Super continues contributing a soft amber warmth beneath the surface, preserving the subtle sweetness introduced at the beginning. The result is a dry down that feels more like a natural continuation of the opening than a significant evolution, remaining firmly rooted in the familiar designer aesthetic while adding modest warmth and refinement. Performance: The initial projection within the first hour of wear is very strong, easily extending across a room. The sillage matches that performance with a dense scent trail that remains consistently noticeable. After approximately three to four hours, the projection begins to settle slightly but still comfortably reaches out around six feet, while the scent trail softens only modestly and is still easily noticeable. By the eight-hour mark, the projection has gradually drawn in to approximately three to four feet, though the fragrance continues leaving a noticeable trail. Valero officially transitions into a skin scent at around ten hours of wear, delivering strong technical performance that is entirely appropriate for this style of fragrance utilizing synthetic accords like Ambrox Super. When to Wear: Valero is an exceptionally versatile fragrance that can comfortably be worn throughout the entire year, regardless of season or time of day. Its clean aromatic profile lends itself naturally to virtually any situation, making it equally appropriate for casual wear, formal occasions, special events, or even professional office environments when applied with restraint. It falls squarely into the category of what many enthusiasts refer to as a "dumb reach" fragrance: something that requires very little thought because it consistently feels appropriate while offering broad mass appeal. Blind Buy: From a purely olfactory standpoint, Valero is arguably one of the safest blind buys in the entire Parfums de Marly catalog. Its identity is built around broad appeal, and it accomplishes that objective extremely well. However, fragrance alone is only part of the equation. At a retail price of approximately $550, the financial commitment moves this fragrance well beyond what I would consider a safe blind purchase, particularly given how familiar its DNA feels. For that reason, I strongly recommend testing it on skin before deciding whether its execution justifies the premium price. Final Verdict: When Parfums de Marly announced the Les Extraits collection, my expectations were understandably high. This wasn't simply another addition to an already expansive catalog, it was positioned as the pinnacle of the house, showcasing richer concentrations, elevated craftsmanship, and the very best Parfums de Marly had to offer. As the fragrance chosen to introduce the collection, Valero carried the responsibility of making a statement. Unfortunately, after spending time with it on skin, that statement never came. From the opening onward, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had smelled this fragrance before. To my nose, Valero feels like Valentino Uomo Born In Roma Intense, YSL MYSLF, and Prada Paradigme blended together into a single bottle. Individually, those are all highly successful fragrances, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that style of DNA. The problem is that I don't expect a $550 flagship Extrait to remind me so strongly of fragrances that can collectively be purchased for a fraction of the price. What disappoints me even more is that I never felt the composition elevated that familiar DNA in any meaningful way. It doesn't smell richer. It doesn't smell more luxurious. It doesn't introduce an artistic twist or a level of refinement that separates it from the designer market. Instead, it feels content to imitate what already exists while asking luxury prices for the privilege. Compounding that disappointment, I found the synthetic character of the fragrance pronounced enough that it eventually became overwhelming, ultimately giving me a headache and forcing me to scrub it from my skin long before I actually wanted the review to end. That's what makes Valero so frustrating. I know Parfums de Marly is capable of far more than this. Throughout my exploration of the house, I've consistently found fragrances that successfully balance accessibility with originality, offering compositions that justify their premium positioning through memorable scent profiles and exceptional execution. Valero is the first fragrance from the brand that has genuinely left me wondering where that creativity went. I don't use this phrase lightly, but Valero feels less like a passion project and more like a product designed to capitalize on what is already selling. At a $550 price point, I expect originality, artistry, or at the very least a clear sense of identity. Valero delivers none of those things for me. Instead, it delivers a remarkably familiar designer DNA wrapped in luxury packaging, and I simply can't overlook that. There haven't been many misses during my journey through the Parfums de Marly catalog, but this is unquestionably one of them. I'm genuinely hoping Eragon and Carios remind me why I enjoy this house as much as I do, because Valero left me thoroughly disappointed. Needless to say, it will not be joining my collection. Scent: 5/10 Longevity: 7/10 Sillage: 8/10 Versatility: Very high Compliment Factor: Very high Gender: Masculine Value: Outrageously overpriced

My GF bought this for me, I’m the biggest PdM fan since early days. This was the one i was interested in trying and these are my thoughts: - Bottle is much better than older PdM bottles - Packaging is much cheaper looking (clone house level) - Smell hasn’t opened up yet, but from first wears there is nothing, it smells like a clone unfortunately and i didn’t want to believe it, i thought it was paid marketing by clone houses (which they do a lot) to spread misinformation to push their product and prove there is no difference in quality, but this really does smell like a sweet bubble gum slightly blue fragrance, longevity and projection are inexistent too so im not sure about the “extrait” claims - Price doesn’t matter to me, perfumes are subjective there are terrible perfumes to my nose at niche pricing and beautiful perfumes at designer level... you’re not forced to buy it so makes no sense to complain about pricing

Dear oh dear, what can I say about Valero? If anyone out there has actually spent £450 on this, you have publicly humiliated yourself. You could genuinely find yourself a better perfume on the £20 shelf in duty free. Not that it smells awful, but again £450?? PDM are smoking crack. It starts with a bright and clean cucumber-esque freshness, rather airy and watery with almost a soft minty coolness. This soon flattens and becomes more vulgar as a cheap and trapping lavender/amber molecule combo scratch at your throat. It smells cheap, there’s no getting away from that. I’ve seen people vote for its similarity to Paradigme - which I just so happen to have on my other wrist, and there are some similarities, but not hugely. This is a pathetic excuse for a perfume.

After first spraying this, I'm instantly reminded of Prada Paradigme and YSL MYSLF. In the drydown, Polo 67 comes to mind, too. It smells nice and familiar, very SEPHORA-ish. Which is why I don't understand who would pay $550 for this. Also, Percival, Sedley, Greenley, and even the new Castley are all much, much more unique and better than this. I don't understand why you would pay double for a less unique scent. Percival and Castley are better performers, too. Btw, why add artificial colorings to the juice? I don’t want to spray anything blue or red on my skin that is not blue or red naturally. Like... Why? Couldn’t you make the bottle blue and red?

I'm in shock at how cheap the DNA of this is. The first two designer fragrances that jumped to mind were Y Elixir ( but Y Elixir is genuinely more complex ) and the newest Michael Kors ( the one with the metal chain on the bottle). This is embarrassing. If anything, people have been going easy on PDM on this page. Y Elixir was immediately rejected by most of Fragcomm for charging $185 or whatever the exact price was, and is now going for $100. Someone is smoking something strong over at PDM. I'm pissed I even bought a sample. @dParis How can this be the DNA the perfume industry will start chasing when it's already run-of-the-mill?

All I smell is cheap amberwoods. The performance is abysmal as well. I had a 2ml that I received about a month ago. I started with about 4 sprays out of the shower and all I could smell is some faint amberwoods. A couple hours later I applied the rest of the 2ml. I am now finally in a scent bubble but it doesn't smell good at all. Amberwoods is the most generic DNA there is, and I am super sensitive to it. That's all I can smell. 3/10 and those 3 points are because the bottle and juice color look really cool. Try before you buy.