Parfums de Marly Carlisle dupes

What is Carlisle?

Carlisle is a perfume by Parfums de Marly, a French brand. It came out in 2015 as an Eau de Parfum for men and women.

The perfumer is Quentin Bisch, a French perfumer.

Parfums de Marly was started in 2009 by Julien Sprecher. The brand looks back to the court of King Louis XV, who loved perfume and horses.

That is why every bottle shows a pair of rearing horses and the year 1743. They copy the famous Marly horse statues made for the king's château.

Many of the brand's perfumes are named after famous horses. Carlisle is one of them.

What does it smell like?

Fragrantica lists green apple, nutmeg and saffron at the top. Then come rose, osmanthus, davana and tonka bean, over patchouli, vanilla and opoponax.

Opoponax is a sweet resin, a little like myrrh. Davana is a plant oil that smells fruity and boozy.

On paper, it sounds like a fruity floral. On skin, most people describe something darker.

Owners call it a dark, sweet vanilla with patchouli, spice and a smoky, leathery edge. One person said it "smells like an expensive tobacco leaf was dipped in expensive honey."

There is no tobacco on the note list. But many people smell it anyway, and they group Carlisle with tobacco perfumes.

How it changes on your skin

The opening. The first spray can be loud. Several owners say it smells like dark cherry liqueur at first, even though no cherry is listed.

One owner said the opening "can be a little harsh and heavy." Another said the green apple "does something weirdly addictive."

The middle. The rose and spice come through, with a leathery note from the saffron. It feels rich and a little mysterious.

The drydown. About an hour in, it turns into a creamy, sweet vanilla over patchouli. One owner said "the real magic happens an hour or so in."

Why people love it

It smells expensive. One owner called it "very rich man laugh cologne," and another wore it to their graduation.

It is also unusual. A reviewer who tried 150 samples put it above the brand's best-known scents, and praised its "unique blend" of apple, saffron, rose, patchouli and vanilla.

On Fragrantica, it has far more "love" votes than any other kind.

Why some people don't

It is not an easy crowd-pleaser. One owner said friends told them it "smelled like an old man."

Another said simply, "I love PDM Carlisle and my wife hates it." A third said that up close they only got patchouli and saffron.

It is also very sweet. One fan said they can't wear it in many places because of that.

How long does it last?

Older bottles had a reputation as monsters. When Reddit users were asked for the strongest perfume they own, one of the top answers was "Carlisle (older batch)."

Newer bottles are a different story. Parfums de Marly changed the formula around 2021, and many owners say the newer version is weaker.

One owner who has both said they "can no longer smell the floral rose" in the new one. They added it is "no longer as nuclear as it once was."

Another owner of a recent bottle said projection drops off after about an hour and a half. After that, it sits close to the skin.

So how strong your Carlisle is may depend on when it was made. Many owners still use only one or two sprays.

The dupes

Carlisle has five dupes on this page. They fall into three groups.

The closest: Borouj Perlador and Ard Al Zaafaran Tafakhar

Borouj Perlador. Borouj is a brand from the United Arab Emirates. Perlador is the Carlisle dupe people mention most often.

One collector called it "1:1 to Carlisle," as in the same scent. Another owner, who had compared it with Red Tobacco, said it was "almost identical" to Carlisle as they remembered it.

Not everyone agrees it is a twin. One owner said it is "clearly doing it's own thing," with a green apple note like an appletini and no boozy side.

Its performance gets mixed reports. Some say it is very strong for a full day, while one owner said projection dies after an hour.

One owner said the first spray from their new bottle was rough. It improved as it rested.

Ard Al Zaafaran Tafakhar. Ard Al Zaafaran is another house from the United Arab Emirates. Tafakhar comes up again and again as a Carlisle dupe.

One owner of both said it did not remind them of Carlisle right away, because "it's somehow blended differently." But they called the vanilla drydown "FANTASTIC."

Their verdict on the gap: "Carlisle is deeper, richer and a little darker." Tafakhar also does not last as long.

Another owner said it needs time to rest in the bottle before it smells its best.

The cheap and divisive one: Maison Alhambra Cassius

Maison Alhambra is a house from the United Arab Emirates that makes cheap copies of famous perfumes. Cassius is its Carlisle dupe.

Owners are more split on this one than on any other. One sprayed both on each hand and called Cassius "90% identical."

Another, who has owned it for over a year, put it at "60-65% Carlisle and 35% dustiness." They said it never improved.

Most agree on its weak point. It "smells very strong up close but doesn't carry far at all," one owner said.

The opening can be harsh too. One owner called the first 15 seconds "screetchy," but said the rest is hard to beat for the money.

Fragrance World Carlisle

Fragrance World is a big clone house from the United Arab Emirates. It sells this one under the same name, Carlisle.

In a side-by-side test of four Carlisle clones, the top comment put it at about 95% the same, with strong performance.

One owner called it "really good and close to the OG," with a dark, masculine feel. They wear it in the evening.

It does not come up as often as the others. One owner said it seemed hard to find.

Ard Al Zaafaran Wafa

Wafa is the second Ard Al Zaafaran perfume on this page. It starts close to Carlisle and projects well.

But owners say it changes later. On the drydown, it drifts towards Kilian's Black Phantom, a darker rum and coffee scent.

So Wafa is close at first and less close by the end.

Other names you will see

Mancera Red Tobacco and Argos Triumph of Bacchus. These are not dupes, but they share the same family.

One reviewer placed Carlisle between them, closer to the smoother Argos. That makes it smoother than Red Tobacco.

Maison Alhambra Cassius Exclusif. This is a darker version of Cassius. One dupe list rates it a little closer to Carlisle than the original Cassius.

La Ree Autumn Air and Bujairami Kingpin. Both appear on clone lists as Carlisle dupes. We have not found owners who compared them side by side.

Carlisle and its cousins

Carlisle belongs to a small family of dark, sweet, spicy scents. People often name Mancera Red Tobacco, Boss Bottled Absolu and Argos Triumph of Bacchus next to it.

One reviewer said all three of Carlisle, Red Tobacco and Boss Bottled Absolu share "prominent patchouli notes." They differ mainly in how they are blended and what they cost.

Another reviewer tested 40 tobacco perfumes. They found Carlisle and Red Tobacco "dominated by vanilla," while Clive Christian's Mystery Tobacco puts the tobacco leaf up front.

This matters if you are shopping for a dupe. Several Carlisle dupes sit close to Red Tobacco too, and one owner said simply, "If you like Perlador, you'll like Red Tobacco."

Which should you buy?

Buy the original if you want the full depth and the richest drydown. Try to smell a recent bottle first, because the newer formula is weaker than many old reviews suggest.

Buy Borouj Perlador if you want the most-praised dupe and strong performance. Give a new bottle some time before you judge it.

Buy Tafakhar if you mainly love the vanilla drydown. It is softer and less dark than Carlisle.

Buy Cassius if you want the cheapest way to test the idea. Expect it to stay close to your skin.

Skip all of them if you dislike patchouli or very sweet scents. That core is in every one of them.

When to wear it

Fragrantica voters pick it most for winter and autumn. Summer gets very few votes.

Voters also choose it far more for night than for day. Owners call it a date night or special occasion scent.

Tips for wearing it

Start with one or two sprays. Even owners who love it say a little goes a long way.

Do not judge it in the first few minutes. Almost everyone says the good part starts after the opening settles.

A short story about the Marly horses

The horses on the bottle come from real statues. In 1743, Louis XV ordered two marble horses from the sculptor Guillaume Coustou for his château at Marly, near Paris.

Each statue shows a wild horse being held back by a man. Today the originals are in the Louvre, and copies stand at the Place de la Concorde.

The brand uses that image and that year on every bottle. It is the reason a perfume house names its scents after racehorses.

The bottom line

Carlisle is a rich, sweet, dark vanilla with apple, saffron and patchouli. It is loved by most who wear it, but it is not for everyone around them.

Borouj Perlador is the most-praised dupe, and Tafakhar is a softer, vanilla-led option. Cassius is the cheap way in, but it is weaker and more divisive.

If you can, test the original from a recent bottle. Older praise for its strength may not match what you buy today.