Hamid Merati-Kashani

Hamid Merati-Kashani is a perfumer who has played a central role in building one of the most successful luxury fragrance houses of the past decade — Parfums de Marly. His creations for the house have become cult favorites in the fragrance community, with Layton leading the charge as one of the most popular niche fragrances in the world.

Merati-Kashani brings a rich cultural heritage to his work. His background gives him access to a wide range of olfactory traditions, from Middle Eastern perfumery with its love of rich ouds and warm spices to European techniques that favor structure and balance.

His creation of Layton for Parfums de Marly is arguably one of the most important niche fragrances of the 2010s. Layton combines apple, lavender, vanilla, and cardamom in a way that is warm, inviting, and completely addictive. It has become a phenomenon in the fragrance community, consistently ranking among the most recommended fragrances online.

Layton Exclusif takes the original concept and makes it even richer and more luxurious. It deepens the vanilla and adds more oud and amber, creating a fragrance that feels like liquid cashmere. Both versions have achieved something rare — they are beloved by both casual fragrance wearers and hardcore enthusiasts.

Pegasus is another masterpiece in his Parfums de Marly portfolio. Named after the winged horse of Greek mythology, it is a sweet, almond-driven fragrance with a vanilla heart that has won over millions of fans. Pegasus Exclusif concentrates this vision into an even more intense and long-lasting format.

His other Marly creations — Percival, Sedley, Oriana, Althair, and Darcy — each explore different facets of luxury perfumery. Percival is fresh and sporty. Sedley is clean and minty. Oriana is a rich feminine. Each one finds its own audience while fitting perfectly within the Parfums de Marly universe.

Merati-Kashani has also contributed to fragrances outside of Parfums de Marly, including work for Jean Paul Gaultier. But it is his Marly portfolio that defines his career and his creative identity.

What makes his work so successful is its emotional accessibility. His fragrances are complex and well-crafted, but they are also immediately appealing. You do not need to be a fragrance expert to appreciate the beauty of Layton or Pegasus. They work on everyone, in almost any situation.

The rise of Parfums de Marly from a relatively unknown house to one of the biggest names in niche perfumery is one of the great success stories of the modern fragrance industry. Merati-Kashani's compositions have been central to this rise. His fragrances gave the house its identity and its audience.

His understanding of what makes a fragrance both luxurious and wearable is exceptional. Many luxury fragrances sacrifice wearability for prestige, ending up as impressive but impractical compositions. Merati-Kashani never makes this mistake. His fragrances are made to be worn and enjoyed, not just admired from a distance.