The Story
Why it exists.
Pegasus arrived in 2011 from Parfums de Marly, a house built around the pleasure culture of 18th-century Château de Marly,a retreat for French nobility escaping Versailles rigidity. The brand channels that spirit into fragrances that refuse subtlety. Hamid Merati-Kashani composed Pegasus as the house's sixth release, anchoring it around an unlikely pairing: cool bergamot against warm bitter almond.
If this were a song
Community picks
Intro
The xx
The Beginning
Pegasus arrived in 2011 from Parfums de Marly, a house built around the pleasure culture of 18th-century Château de Marly,a retreat for French nobility escaping Versailles rigidity. The brand channels that spirit into fragrances that refuse subtlety. Hamid Merati-Kashani composed Pegasus as the house's sixth release, anchoring it around an unlikely pairing: cool bergamot against warm bitter almond.
The heliotrope-cumin axis is the real surprise. Heliotrope brings characteristic almond-powdery softness that could skew feminine, but cumin adds earthy, slightly animalic depth that shifts the composition into masculine territory. Lavender in the heart doesn't read as traditional fougere here,it bridges the cool opening to the warm base. This structural choice gives Pegasus its personality: starts cool, ends warm, never feels disjointed.
The Evolution
The opening hits fast,bergamot and pink pepper arrive together, bright and effervescent. Within minutes, heliotrope and cumin emerge, adding warmth and faint spice at the edges. The heart is where Pegasus earns its reputation: almond and lavender create a creamy, powdery cloud. This phase lasts roughly two hours before the base takes over. The drydown is where longevity becomes remarkable,vanilla and sandalwood blend into skin-but-better, projecting softly for another eight hours minimum.
Cultural Impact
Pegasus established Parfums de Marly in the modern oriental-fougere space, attracting wearers tired of safe aquatic scents who wanted real character and longevity. It became a reference point for powdery-almond orientals and influenced how other houses approached sweet-masculine compositions. Today it remains one of the most-discussed PdM releases, frequently compared with house siblings Layton and Carlisle.
The House
France · Est. 2009
Parfums de Marly resurrects the opulent spirit of 18th-century French royalty for the modern world. The house is famous for its bold, powerful fragrances that blend classical elegance with contemporary flair, all inspired by the lavish lifestyle and passion for perfume at the court of King Louis XV.
The Creator
Hamid Merati-KashaniParfums de Marly built its identity around the spirit of Château de Marly,a retreat where 18th-century French nobility escaped Versailles formality to indulge in pleasure and celebration. The house creates bold, unapologetic fragrances. Each release honors historic figures or concepts, with Pegasus named for the winged horse of Greek mythology: power, transcendence, the ability to rise above the ordinary.
If this were a song
Community picks
The opening minutes feel like a brass section arriving all at once,bright, assertive, impossible to ignore. As the heart develops, strings emerge: smooth, powdery, almost romantic. By the drydown, a single cello holds the final note. This is music for someone who enters a room and the conversation shifts.
Intro
The xx
