ESScent Of The Week: The Internet Says Parfums de Marly Athénaïs Is A Paradoxe Dupe — My Nose Disagrees

Can I be honest with the congregation? *Whispers* I almost slept on Parfums de Marly Athénaïs. The first time it hit my skin, I was underwhelmed. Unmoved, even. I set it down, moved on, and almost wrote the whole thing off. But something told me to go back. Particularly because of all of the polarizing reviews about it on TikTok. People either love this one, or hate it. So I told myself I needed to give it another go, to have a truly fair assessment. And the second time? I could not stop smelling myself. By the third time, I was reaching for the bottle before I even finished getting dressed. The lesson here? Always, always wait for the dry down. Please.

Athénaïs opens with neroli, bergamot, and yuzu, and the citrus on this thing caught me off guard in the best way (the second time). If you’ve been following this column, you know I’m usually reaching for something gourmand, so a fizzy, almost effervescent citrus like this isn’t typically my first instinct. But here we are. It literally feels like something is sparkling on your skin. The orange blossom in the heart adds just enough sweetness without tipping into heavy floral territory, and the jasmine is there too, soft and understated, barely there but you’d miss it if it wasn’t. The base is warm with tonka, vanilla, and ambrox, but I’ll be honest, I barely noticed the tonka at all. For a fragrance with vanilla in the base, it never gets heavy or syrupy in the way you might expect. It just stays bright and wearable throughout the whole wear. 

I’ll be the first to tell you that longevity is usually my biggest fragrance complaint. Scents tend to disappear on my skin faster than I’d like to admit (that’s why I always keep a travel size of the scent in my bag, or heck, bring the whole bottle with me). But Athénaïs? I was catching little bits of it on me well into the evening, including on my clothes, which for a fragrance this airy is actually impressive. I cannot wait to wear this when it gets warm outside, and not when I’m looking at mounds of snow outside my window in what feels like the 254th day of winter. I think it will be a completely different experience, and more appropriate for the wear. 

Why I love it: Okay so here’s the thing about Athénaïs. It’s just a really good, really wearable fragrance that makes you feel good when you put it on. I’ve been describing it to people as a jasmine-infused Aperol spritz because that’s genuinely the closest I can get to explaining it. That citrusy brightness with just that touch of floral sweetness underneath is so unexpected and so good. You just keep wanting to smell yourself. 

I also want to address something I’ve seen circulating online: Athénaïs is not a Paradoxe dupe. I own both and sprayed them side-by-side in real time. I’m sorry y’all, they are just not the same fragrance. Athénaïs is actually smoother and more refined to my nose. Paradoxe has its own warmth and roundness that’s just completely different. They’re in completely different categories, and the comparison just doesn’t make sense to me. I think people are reading reviews and forming opinions without actually giving this one a proper wear and that’s a shame, because the magic is entirely in the dry down.

And for those of you who own Safanad and are worried this is a replacement, it is not. I was nervous about that too. They are completely different fragrances. Safanad has that smooth, sweet roundness that Athénaïs just doesn’t have. You can rest easy.

Perfect pairings: Because Athénaïs is already such a vivid, citrus-forward fragrance, you really want to layer it with something that plays into the brightness rather than fighting it. My first recommendation is to layer it over Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin. The lime and mandarin notes just amplify the yuzu and bergamot in Athénaïs and make the whole thing feel even more vibrant and alive, which is exactly what you want going into warm weather. For something a little more intimate and skin-close, try it over Glossier You. The ambrox in You creates this seamless base that lets Athénaïs settle right into your skin, extending the wear and making it feel warm and personal. And for an evening option, a light spritz of Parfums de Marly Valaya underneath is stunning. The two share that Parfums de Marly DNA and Valaya’s brightness just lifts the yuzu and neroli in Athénaïs and the two together just make sense.

Final verdict: Do not go by the reviews of people who clearly didn’t wait for the dry down. Spray it, walk away, and let it do its thing. Because when it settles? It is genuinely one of my favorite things I’ve worn recently and I don’t say that lightly. 

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