Athénaïs joined the Les Signatures collection of Parfums de Marly in 2026 and borrows its name from the Marquise de Montespan, favorite of Louis XIV. Julien Sprecher sets two opposing notes against each other, neroli and tonka bean, the latter used as both an absolute and a resinoid: neroli, bergamot and yuzu at the top, orange blossom and jasmine at the heart, tonka bean, vanilla and Ambrox at the base.
The house divides Athénaïs into three tiers: neroli, bergamot and yuzu at the top; orange blossom and jasmine at the heart; tonka bean, vanilla and Ambrox at the base. Ambrox is the trade name of a molecule with an ambery scent.
The house’s English description details the materials: neroli, bergamot and yuzu essences; jasmine sambac and orange blossom absolutes, joined by mahonial; tonka bean absolute and resinoid, accompanied by a vanilla accord and an amber accord.
Tonka bean thus appears twice. According to Luxsure, the resinoid, obtained by maceration, keeps woody, honeyed nuances, while the absolute, lightened by molecular distillation, reveals an airy, almond facet; the first anchors the trail, the second lets it breathe.
Neroli, obtained by hydrodistillation, gives a floral, lemony essence, less opulent than the orange blossom absolute, its counterpart at the heart. Both come from the flowering bitter orange tree: distillation for the neroli, extraction for the absolute.
Sophie Normand also believes she perceives mandarin, petitgrain, Veltol and Cashmeran, which the house does not declare. These impressions from a reviewer stay outside the tiers, like mahonial and the amber accord, which do not appear on the olfactory chart published by the house.
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