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.
Kimberly Wilson, of Essence, disappointed at first try, came back to it and made it one of her current favorites, a sparkling citrus she refuses to see as a copy of Paradoxe. Sophie Normand finds a round, luminous floral with a mischievous femininity, meant for summer evenings.
Olfastory’s review
Kimberly Wilson, Essence, March 2026
In her column of March 5, 2026, Kimberly Wilson admits she almost missed it: the first try left her indifferent. On the second, she could not stop smelling herself, and on the third she reached for the bottle before she was even dressed; the lesson, she says, is to wait for the drydown.
She describes sparkling, almost effervescent citrus, an orange blossom that sweetens without weighing things down and a discreet jasmine; the tonka bean nearly escapes her. The fragrance lasts into the evening, clothes included, and she compares it to an Aperol spritz touched with jasmine.
Finally, she rejects the comparison with Prada’s Paradoxe, which she sprayed next to Athénaïs: the latter seems smoother and more refined to her. Nor does it replace Safanad, from the same house, which is rounder and sweeter to her nose.
Sophie Normand, Fragrantica, April 2026
On April 9, 2026, Sophie Normand describes a lively opening, where the bitterness of bergamot is rounded out by yuzu; she thinks she detects mandarin and petitgrain. Orange blossom, perceptible from the first minutes, dominates a white bouquet that jasmine sambac makes green and honeyed.
She senses balsams and ambroxan in the amber accord, giving the base a slightly saline tension, and notes the tonka bean treated twice. She concludes that it is a round, smooth and luminous fragrance, classic in construction but contemporary in writing, made for summer evenings.