Herod Parfums de Marly (2012)

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8.8 / 10 796 Ratings

Herod is a popular perfume by Parfums de Marly for men and was released in 2012. The scent is sweet-spicy. The longevity is above-average. It is still in production.

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Perfumer

Olivier Pescheux

Fragrance Notes

Top Notes	Cinnamon, Pepperwood™
Heart Notes	Osmanthus, Tobacco leaf, Frankincense, Cistus
Base Notes	Vanilla, Cedarwood, Vetiver, Patchouli, Cypriol, Musk

Ratings

Scent

8.8 (796 Ratings)

Longevity

8.5 (686 Ratings)

Sillage

7.8 (700 Ratings)

Bottle

8.6 (659 Ratings)

Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 16.10.2019

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Reviews

10/11/2019

7.0 9.0 8.0/10

Tom27
0 Reviews

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Tom27

Helpful Review 8

The gentle tyrant

If one were to go by the name of Herod, one should be able to expect an almost brutal appearance of the perfume. It is named after a biblical tyrannical king who became famous for his tyranny. But far from it, because exactly the opposite is the case. Shortly after spraying on, Herod starts with a sweet, sugary, soft and mild accord of tobacco, resins, cinnamon spice and pleasant aromas of myrrh, vanilla and a hint of vetiver. No brutality, but only very finely tuned components.
With every minute the tobacco pushes itself into the foreground and covers more and more the other spices. After half an hour, a greenish-balsamic scent of Osmanthus joins the tobacco-cinnamon mixture and leaves a soft, long-lasting scent impression with a pleasant honey-sweet tobacco-vanilla-cinnamon texture that persists until the fragrance is completely dry.
Herod is an excellent handcrafted fragrance, with high quality and little synthetic ingredients. The shelf life on my skin is about 10 hours, with an arm-length projection adapted to the gentle scent.
I can recommend Herod for those who are looking for a gentle sweet tobacco scent, with excellent shelf life for the cold days.

7 Replies

08/26/2019

9.0 9.0 9.0 8.5/10

Fenice
0 Reviews

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Fenice

Helpful Review 9

The best tobacco scent?

I'm honest: I never think anything of tobacco, no matter in which way and form, and I always made a wide bow about the stuff... until the day a sample of PdM Herod fell into my hands. At first I was skeptical, because I didn't think anything of tobacco and tested carefully with a mini small splash on my hand and couldn't believe it: What the hell's going on? That smells so damn good and not at all as bad as I imagined it in my worst thoughts!

The smell:
You know, I used to ask myself, how do people get this cherry tobacco story? Today I know! The fragrance opens, at least with me, with a very beautiful, fine and juicy tobacco note, no dry, strange smelling cigarettes/cigar tobacco, no, really fresh, juicy tobacco that is accompanied by a very nice cinnamon and vanilla note. Yes, in fact, if you smell it longer and let it work on you, you really smell a nice cherry note. Funnily enough, I had to think about the taste of Cherry Cola, but this is by no means to be taken negatively, on the contrary, everything smells very high quality and natural and the individual notes are mostly (one more, the other less) to the advantage. With time, the tobacco and vanilla harmonize very well with each other and it smells fabulous throughout! The Drydown I find here but still a ticking more beautiful, because it smells in the drydown simply so beautiful Vanillig-Holzig and you would like to nibble yourself. Musk and the other notes I can't smell out, at best a little incense but by no means penetrating, disgusting or the like. I myself mainly perceive tobacco, light cinnamon, light cherry note, vanilla and cedar wood.

In my opinion, this scent is simply wonderful for going out in beautiful clothes, i.e. suit/smoking and date, but also suitable for work, if you dose carefully. Personally I associate the smell with a well-groomed and well-dressed boy man/man, who never wants to attract attention in a negative way, a gentleman. In warm/hot weather I wouldn't necessarily wear the scent but up to 20°C is completely okay. When it rains or storms, PdM Herod is definitely a fragrance that brings you back to a good mood and probably invites you to cuddle.

I can recommend PdM Herod with a clear conscience if tobacco fragrances are something for you.

5 Replies

08/14/2019

9.0 9.0 9.0 10.0/10

AdAstra72
0 Reviews

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AdAstra72

Very helpful Review 5

Very tasty!

Are those homemade apple cakes with a hint of icing sugar? Or was that the mysterious woman who just walked past me?

I don't really think of myself as the gourmand type, but one of these scents catches me every now and then. So also Herod.

He brings for me enough spice with on the caramel pancake which smells pleasantly tender from somewhere. At the same time it is somehow fresh ... like the melange of delicious scents at a fair sometime in the cool autumn.

The vanilla is pleasantly round and unobtrusive, so you follow it instead of just having it there. The tobacco keeps itself together with the incense discreetly in the background. And the cinnamon is really only a pleasant hint and not an obtrusive nose tickler. All in all the perfect balance without getting boring.

Slowly I have tested all PdM unisex and men's fragrances and Herod is my new favorite next to Godolphin and will surely find his place in my collection relatively soon.
Great for autumn and winter!
Only... I like it even now in summer!

4 Replies

08/13/2019

9.0 6.0 8.0 8.0/10

MrInfinite
0 Reviews

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MrInfinite

too expensive? Cry!

Some people can't understand why people spend so much money on things that are worthless in their eyes. It's as if she and only she alone know how much Herod von Parfums de Marly is worth in the concrete case.
Oh yes, the world is supposed to be a disc and not round according to flat earth pendants. Who cares? Everyone can decide for himself whether, how and what the earth is. But to nail the beauty of a fragrance to its price in the visual cortex results in a perception that has probably been affected. The followers say hello! Maybe they just fell on their head and the occipital lobe was narrowed a bit and their horizon they see. But, but everybody likes him and I find Herod so boring... there's nothing special about it; a broth of cinnamon, vanilla and wood.
Exactly this combination has probably not succeeded other houses to catch so beautifully and to have success!
The price is voluntary, 20% perfume oil on top :)
For me personally, Herod is a beautiful gourmand who is more spicy than Layton. The pleasant tobacco note could radiate a little more presence or I feel too distracted by the cinnamon note. This takes over a large portion of the first hours in changing chords with tonka beans.
In the background the vanilla never fades away and nevertheless I would wish it, because it gets too sweet for me in the long run. Therefore wear Herod only on cool days and evenings.
Unfortunately, the Sillage weakens and I do not notice it after 5 hours any more so well :(

12 Replies

06/13/2019

Duftmax
0 Reviews

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Duftmax

Greatly helpful Review 13

Love on the 1. 2. 3. ... Look

Sample ordered - immediately in love
Filling ordered - still overwhelmed
Ordered bottle - I don't get enough
For every use - a pleasure

Cinnamon, tobacco, a light cherry note, sweetness, a little smoky and towards the end a heavenly vanilla - I wonder: What do you want more?

Correct: a good shelf life and Sillage
There I must give the good Herod also full points

The last obstacle for the brown horse: the price
... is steep, but justified in terms of performance.

All in all a hit in the black!

Hats off, over and out

4 Replies

03/22/2019

9.0 7.0 9.0 9.0/10

DaveKunstein
0 Reviews

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DaveKunstein

Very helpful Review 27

Brighton and my first great love...

Parfums de Marly Herod and Brighton, the famous seaside resort in England where Abbey and co. were already filmed downtown. Now you're wondering how this fits together and why I'm writing my first comment here on this very fragrance, in connection with this place. At the beginning of 2019 I visited my girlfriend who is doing a year abroad in England. She has been living near London for 6 months now and on her birthday, I visited her and then spent a weekend with her in Brighton. Now exactly at this time, I registered here in this forum and ordered my first scent samples due to my enthusiasm for scents, and different reviews and evaluations here. Now that my girlfriend is the one who smells me the most (okay, sounds weird, I know...), I thought I'd just take the scent samples with me so she can test them. Among these scent samples was now also the said Herod. We checked into our hotel and on the second day, we had planned to spend the evening all over England in the restaurant awarded by the "Times" as the best vegetarian restaurant. This was of course only possible for us as "poor" students, because her host family gave her a voucher for the said restaurant for her birthday. In the hotel room I dug up my scent samples and decided to wear "Herod" this evening. Of course I had no idea what to expect and when I sprayed it on, I was greeted by a sweet tobacco note and an unbelievable warmth. We dressed up and now we started, it was a wonderful evening, the stars were shining and we had time to talk about everything. We trudged along the Brighton Pier, on the way to the restaurant, talked, laughed, and finally had each other back. All the time, Herod, that cuddly tobacco smell, enriched me with a beautiful vanilla, surrounded me. The food was wonderful and we talked for almost 3 hours without interruption about plans, wishes and the future. After dinner we went back to the hotel, it was raining cats and dogs, I felt like in a movie, in a strange place, after a great evening, with my sweetheart and there was someone or something that accompanied me the whole evening and that was Herod. Now I am sitting here, back in Germany, the weekend in Brighton with my girlfriend, is now almost 2 months ago. She's back in England and I'm in Germany. And that's going to be the case for months to come. But when I want to be in Brighton again, stand at the Brighton Pier with my girlfriend and remember the moment when everything was perfect. When we were together again and knew that this would never change, I took my Herod out of the cupboard and smelled the small spray head. And then I feel how much I miss her and how much I love her.
And the latter is valid since then, also for the small dark brown, matte, bottle, at which I now and then just sniff to recapitulate this beautiful memory.
I am sure, my friend, will have a place in my heart forever and since that evening, Herod will too!

perfumes, make memories.

12 Replies

02/20/2019

8.0 4.0 8.0 9.0/10

DerNeue
0 Reviews

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DerNeue

Less helpful Review 3

Herod, a good scent but..

I had a chance to try this scent. It smells very oriental and heavy with a light sweet note. Just the way I like it.
The shelf life is very good, I myself smell the scent all day long, but strangely enough, it is not noticed at all in my environment. That's the only point of criticism. Otherwise top fragrance

1 Replies

02/02/2019

9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0/10

DarkWinterCS
0 Reviews

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DarkWinterCS

Helpful Review 3

Let's go to the Orient!

Herod - My first perfume from Parfums de Marly. I fluctuate between enthusiasm to be allowed to hold such a horny fragrance in my hand and really good, but ultimately does not fit 100% into my collection. This fragrance with its oriental spice is a real hit. Super long lasting and very intense. For me, the cinnamon and tobacco notes are in the foreground. The combination of both is very spicy at the beginning, but becomes very pleasant and soft after a while. After 4 to 6 hours I could even compare the smell with a dark jam which is not too sweet.
For me, at the end of the day the question arises as to whether or not I should take up or leave the fragrance in my collection and take Viktor & Rolf out or not. Since I tend not to have too many fragrances of the same group in my collection, I will have to make this decision soon, even though they differ in their spiciness.
It is and remains a fragrance that you should definitely test. I definitely think price-performance is still okay.

2 Replies

01/31/2019

10.0 6.0 10.0 10.0/10

Parfumer
0 Reviews

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Parfumer

Less helpful Review 3

Unique Gourmand

My favourite fragrance when it comes to sweetness/gourmand. It goes in the direction of the Orient mixed with the modern scent of Shisha tobacco. Thus it stands out strongly against all other sweet/gourmandischen smells

1 Replies

12/21/2018

10.0 8.0 9.0 10.0/10

Carlitos01
236 Reviews

Carlitos01

Very helpful Review 7

King Herod's song

Herod, I am overjoyed to meet you face to face.
You've been getting quite a name all around the place.
Healing my nose, and then spinning my head,
I understand you shine like led,
That's what everyone said.
So, you are the Herod, you're the great King Herod.
Prove to me that you're so fine; Take away my Calvin Klein.
That's all you need do, then I'll know it's all true.
Come on, don't make me blue.
Herod, you just won't believe the hit you've made around here.
You are all we talk about, the wonder of the year.
Oh what a pity if it is all a lie.
But still I'm sure, that you can rock the cynics if you try.
So, you are the Herod, you're the great King Herod.
Prove to me that you're no fool; cut across my fragrance pool.
If you do that for me, then I'll let you spray free.
Come on, spray your scent on me!
I only ask things I'd ask any super star.
What is it that you have got that puts you where you are.
I am waiting, yes I'm a captive fan.
I'm waiting to be shown that you can spray on any man.
So, if you are the Herod, yes the great King Herod
Spray my neck with tobacco instead.
You can do it with your head.
Was my order wrong? Why did you took so long?
Oh Come on, don't make me mad.
Aren't you changing my life, making happy my wife?
You're a king. Yes, you're the Lord. Everyone else is just a fraud.
Yes, I'll use you today. And on every other day!
Spray out you king perfume, give me some of your fume,
Or else get out of my way!

Herod in numbers:
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Scent opening...........10.0 (Wonderfull fresh vibe and cinnamon)
Scent Dry Down........10.0 (Wonderfull TOBACCO+vanille+musk)
Longevity (h) ..............9.0 (9~10 hours with 3 sprays; 50% on clothes)
Sillage (ft)....................8.0 (6 ft with 2.5 h of projection)
Versatility....................9.0 (Above average; initial freshness welcomed in the summer)
Usability......................9.0 (Everywhere except hot interiors and hot outdoors)
Compliments..............9.0 (A compliment magnet, although not the best)
Uniqueness.................9.0 (Arabian Horse from Alexandria Fragrances and Zara R/W/A)
Quality.........................9.5 (high ingredients quality, excelent cap & sprayer, heavy bottle)
Presentation..............10.0 (a matter of opinion)
Price.............................5.0 (€ 125 for 125 ml, but on sale; normal price is € 160)
_________________________________________________________________________________________
- Average:................8.86/10.0
between 7 and 8 => above average;
between 8 and 9 => recommended;
equal or bigger than 9 => don't miss it;

Opinion on this magnific Herod perfume:
Outstanding presentation, outstanding sweet - spicy - tobacco EDP! Very good performance. Ugly pricing!
Recommended? I recommend this fragrance only if you think the price is within your budget. It is probably my best tobacco fragrance.
Blind buy worthy? Yes depending on your budget.

Music: "King Herod's song" from "Jesus Christ Superstar" rock opera.

1 Replies

11/21/2018

8.0 7.0 8.0 9.0/10

Mntbubblegum
0 Reviews

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Mntbubblegum

Less helpful Review 4

Dark Knight hurries to the rescue

Geiler Duft.
Sweet vanilla, cinnamon and a light tobacco. Of course there is much more but mainly you smell these three notes.
One thing I have to give credit to the scent. I am relatively new and inexperienced when it comes to niche fragrances and I totally fell on my nose. First Aventus (good but 300 EUR WTF for that?). Then Elysium (not your serious or the second niche scent I'm trying is a reinterpretation of Aventus). I want to throw the door to the niche world already with momentum again and best of all put a stop to it. And then Herod came along.

2 Replies

10/29/2018

9.0 7.0 8.0 9.0/10

Eliassport
0 Reviews

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Eliassport

Less helpful Review 5

Oh, yes, the Herod....

The perfume has such a good reputation in the community that I absolutely had to test it.

When I first smelled the stripe, I thought to myself, wow, something so bodily beautiful. So sweet and beautiful at first. It's probably the cinnamon, which I like very much. On my skin the scent hardly changes, it remains very sweet, slightly spicy and very discreetly smoky. I only hoped that this constellation would last for a long time:-)

In the first 2 hours the scent is intensely perceptible, from then on it becomes weaker and weaker. From the 4 h he becomes very close.
The shelf life is 7-8 h, eiso not bad.
On the clothes the scent really lasts days, there is apparently his special field when it comes to performance.
Eiso really acceptable or totally sufficient.
History:
Me, my wife and our 2 children are in the village at a beautiful Christmas market.
There are numerous pastries to buy, sometimes more cinnamon things.
We spend 2h there intensively, because the atmosphere there is so pleasant and beautiful.
After the 2h we walk towards the house.
On the way we meet some Christmas stalls where our children want to buy something. But we're still going out.
After 3 hours we already see our house, the children are already running, but me and my wife are walking comfortably ahead. There is just such a lovely mood at us two.
Arrived in the house, the children get ready for bed and my wife and I watch a Christmas film close to the cuddle.
Arrived in the 7 h we got tired and go to bed.
We fall asleep together, deep and firm... :-)
Rating:
Fragrance: Very pleasant and suitable for wintertime
Durability: lasts long but on clothing very long.
Sillage: Rather average, not intrusive.

For whom?
For young and old.

Versatility: Well, rather something for autumn/winter.

3 Replies

08/23/2018

MasterLi
367 Reviews

MasterLi

Great tobacco fragrance...

I had heard a lot about this one. A very nice tobacco fragrance which is enjoyable and has a vanilla and cinnamon vibe here which I love. Very luxurious and satisfying and one which I believe is perfect for formal and the cooler seasons. The tobacco is sheer and it manages to give a dry, almost humid feel to the fragrance but at the same time is great when combined with the cinnamon and vanilla. I would recommend this to people who like a good take on a well-made tobacco fragrance. Really good.

08/13/2018

8.0 7.0 10.0 9.0/10

Zane
0 Reviews

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Zane

Incredibly warm, ideal conditioner with infinite shelf life

Amusingly, this is the only fragrance where pretty much all the opinions buzzing around it really apply.
All the questionable associations - "shisha tobacco, cherry cake, candy" etc.. - everything can be attributed to fragrance. That's probably what you do first when you get your hands on it and start experimenting with it.
I believe that most people like this (in my eyes men's) fragrance from the very beginning because it radiates an incomparable warmth and commitment. All you have to do is like cinnamon. The many negative associations with cheap cosmetics must therefore first be silenced, but this happens automatically over time. Only after a lot of back and forth one notices that the actual components in their fine tuning and subtlety have nothing in common with their clumsy "doppelgangers". For me it took about 9 months in total, even though I knew deep inside from the beginning that I was already gripped by this fragrance.

The olfactory experience: the fragrance has no "curve" or dramaturgy, as so often, and is incredibly intense and present. It smells from the first second to weeks later exactly the same and also constantly intensive. One smells all the components over the entire time, in addition also still in constant balance. It may become slightly vanillier over time, but even better. For the smell, it doesn't matter if you put it on clothes or the skin. At least with not too strongly smelling skin types no difference might result; the skin changes the smell as good as not, I would like to suppose.

Therefore I use the smell especially as a conditioner for my clothes (< 1 spray from far away). Especially with linen and Vitage-Look-like fabrics, pastel colours etc. I find this very flattering and can then be combined in the low dosage with a "real" perfume, which is applied to the skin. I don't think this is a taboo break, because Herod smells completely different than most eau de toilettes, which one knows in such a way, so that the contrast might distract usually from the fact that one combines scents.

Conclusion: Wonderful fragrance that can give you an unmistakable identity. But a perfume is different for me. That's why I use it in homeopathic doses on clothes on days when I don't actually wear perfume. However, the insane intensity and endurance of this product gives you an effect similar to that of conventional perfumes after 4-6 sprays.

1 Replies

07/28/2018

10.0 8.0 9.0 10.0/10

Parfumhero
0 Reviews

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Parfumhero

Less helpful Review 3

The well-ridden horse!

Parfums de Marly are all niche perfumes, and I've always wondered... What for?
The scents are all very good, but in my opinion nobody has a special niche smell. Some good designer scents could almost keep up. But for once, this is not the case here... on the contrary... Herod is a niche scent. Its smell is unique and yet many like to smell it.
Too bad with the other de Marly for the high price... As I said, they are all good fragrances, but not typical niche fragrances. Let's get to the bottle for a moment... what am I supposed to say other than TOP!!!
Attractive design and high-quality workmanship... I like it a lot!
So if you are looking for a sweet, wintery and spicy scent, you have found it now. ;)

1 Replies

07/24/2018

8.0 9.0 10.0/10

PBregovich
0 Reviews

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PBregovich

Greatly helpful Review 14

The shape-shifter

Parfums de Marly is a name that is probably often encountered as an active perfume. The brand promises a mixture of aristocratic nobility, imperial decadence and pompous appearance through its founding history, the flacons and the naming of the fragrances alone.
So far I have only been able to test another fragrance from the house of Marly, which perfectly represents the blue-blooded nobleman who doesn't give a damn about the events of the bourgeoisie and also shows the wearer the cold shoulder: repellent, cold and arrogant Herod is different for me. Herod is the nobleman who could not be exposed by his behaviour as a member of the royal house. He was only born into this family in 2012. Although his robe resembles that of his big brother Pegasus, his behaviour is completely different. Herod is cheerful, he greets everyone with an extraordinary warmth. He is loud like his brother, but in an inviting way. If he weren't part of this family, this hereditary line, then he would have so gladly invited you to one of the red wines in his father's cellar. He probably would have stolen some vanilla desserts from the kitchen to share with you. Although he is still quite young, he would have smoked tobacco with you at the end, he has already tried this behind the back of his family. Herod is the sheep in wolf fur.
Apart from personification, I see Herod as a shape-shifter. It is often said to be a very good fragrance for those who are just beginning to explore niche fragrances. I can underline that. It is a fragrance that you have often smelled in this form in the designer area. Nevertheless, he has a certain something that makes him look more noble. I don't know if it's the slightly explosive start or the quality of the ingredients, but the fragrance looks very noble (regardless of the presentation). On the other hand, it never gets stuck, which makes it very pleasant even for designer noses. Therefore, in my opinion, he balances on the degree between designer and niche.
However, I must also say that I recognize many scents in him. A sniffing brings with it certain associations, which however vanish with the next breath and give way to others. Sometimes he reminds me strongly of Thierry Mugler's A*Men Pure Havane, but the next moment he reminds me much more of Hermessence Ambre Narguilé. Towards the end of his gallop I even recognize Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanilla. This is of course largely due to the very dominant scents of cinnamon, tobacco and vanilla, but also contributes to the fluidity of this fragrance.
He is constant, as one would expect from a strong royal family. Loud, of course. The fragrance is slightly linear, but in a pleasant way.
Herod is a fragrance that is reluctant to be put in a drawer. A fragrance between nobility and bourgeoisie, between designer and niche, between known and unknown.
Is he worth the high price now? That's for you to decide. Is someone so similar to us worth more just because he comes from a noble family?

3 Replies

05/22/2018

10.0 9.0 9.0 10.0/10

AnjaTom
0 Reviews

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AnjaTom

Less helpful Review 7

Love at second sight...

"Unfortunately in me a much too bad Sillage! Pegasus is much better positioned here!"
I thought...
Until I gave the first encounter a 2 chance and let him get back to me after a rehearsal...and lo and behold...the following happened:

I thought at first everything is like the first time...yes quite nice, but does not hold so well and is not really good of Sillage and durability...

But this time the scent went more on the clothes than on the skin...and what can I say...I can't explain it...but on the tissue the scent unfolded differently and stayed longer on me...there were 3 compliments on the same evening in the family environment...

Question marks buzzing over my head!? Was that the magic of HEROD?

No, I didn't want to be convinced that quickly!!
The next day again applied...office day!
Moderately warm, shirt, jeans... patent leather shoes... Bääääm!

The scent adapted to my outfit like a shadow and crept around me like who it would be a part of me, took me in and seemed to say... "to this outfit you will never wear anything else than me again, sure!"

An egoist among fragrances! But he can afford it...even if not everyone notices it right at the beginning (including me)!

He's really top, but he doesn't quite catch up with Layton and Pegasus!
Nevertheless a top fragrance from PdM and probably the best tobacco blend on the market!

3 Replies

02/11/2018

10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0/10

Vmaster
28 Reviews

Vmaster

Helpful Review 4

Herod by Parfums de Marly

The perfect balance of tobacco and sweetness. This has a moist tobacco note. Not as sweet as Pure Havane, which can be a good thing if you do not care for fragrances that are too sweet.

Two sprays to the back of my neck and the scent was detected 6 feet away. The next day, the scent was slightly lighter but still easily detectable on my skin.

If you are able to purchase, I highly recommend Herod!

10/10

01/12/2017

10.0 8.0 10.0 10.0/10

JCopelandSFP
10 Reviews

JCopelandSFP

Greatly helpful Review 11

A phenomenal blend of the highest quality

Scent: going to take a slightly different approach, and do a comparative analysis:
-comparing it to Spicebomb Extreme, they certainly have a similar vibe. SE is sweeter and more aggressive (spicier) in the opening, while Herod is also sweet but much smoother (not as spicy).
-As the initial blast dissipates, SE definitely reveals itself to be fairly fresh (there's lavender). Herod is a warmer fragrance.
-The main accords I get in SE are "cinnamon" (there's no cinnamon, here, but perhaps the mix of tobacco, caraway, and black pepper seems to create the accord), and not long after that the scent calms a bit and becomes a little smoother (thanks to the vanilla). Herod's cinnamon accord is actually cinnamon, and definitely comes off as more than just a representation of it.
-The tobacco note is so smooth (as compared to SE and also DG The One, in which the accord is a bit dirtier, harsher, though not off-putting); though smooth, the tobacco it is definitely the most detectable accord. The vanilla provides a smooth sweetness, that seems to calm the black pepper and cinnamon here (those two can come off as extremely spicy, I find it astounding at how smooth the scent is in light of that). The foundation of the sweetness is definitely the cinnamon, which seems to stay a while. There is a tiny, tiny hint of freshness, which probably comes from the vetiver in the base (though the actual scent of vetiver is virtually undetectable, it's just the vibe).
-Overall, if comparing Herod to SE, it is clear that Herod is a niche fragrance. The quality of the ingredients and their blend is so well done. It is very difficult to truly distinguish the other notes, like the incense (slight vibe), osmanthus, and labdanum in the heart, or even the woods in the base. The only other presence I can detect outside of the main accords is a bit of muskiness.
Performance: lasts 12+ hours on my skin, projects ok for the first 3 or so, seems to get a little stronger during that time, then basically a skin scent after 8 hours, but I didn't have to dig my nose into my arm to smell it. Definitely stays on my skin much longer. I took a shower the next morning (almost 20 hours later), and as my skin started to heat up from the hot water, I started smelling it again.

1 Replies

03/03/2015

ColinM
516 Reviews

ColinM

Very helpful Review 5

Trendy tobacco

Herod opens with a sweet, sugary, soft and mellow accord of tobacco, resins, candied notes, sweet spices (cinnamon) and pleasant whiffs of myrrh, vanilla and light vetiver. Few notes and all quite detectable. Halfway some “candied” Lutens (like Arabie) and soft-sweet tobacco scents like Tobacco Vanille or Tabacco Toscano by Santa Maria Novella (to which the tobacco note in Herod resembles quite much; I am pretty sure they used the same aromachemicals here too). The head notes provide a light fresh breeze, I smell something halfway silky bergamot and a greenish-balsamic note (I guess this may all be due to osmanthus, which is in fact a tea-ish sweet-fresh note a bit balsamic and a bit floral). But most of all it’s tobacco and resinous spices. The tobacco note is close to the smell of fresh and humid tobacco right out of the bag, so nothing “dark” or too masculine – on the contrary, slightly humid, quite plushy and sweet. Among the Parfums de Marly range, which for what I’ve tested so far I always considered below mediocre, this is one of the nicest for sure; derivative and quite uncreative, but crisp, rich and pleasant, not (too much) synthetic, with a nice set of nuances which work fine. Good persistence and quite bold projection. Just a bit tacky perhaps, but a nice “Christmas tobacco” scent which I’d (moderately) suggest to all tobacco fans.

6,5-7/10

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