PDM Layton (1/3) · Brotherhood Of Scent

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PDM Layton (1/3)

Needs no introduction, but I’m giving it my thoughts anyway. My fourth PDM fragrance that i tried before, but it was unfortunately faulty or exposed to heat, so this is my first proper wear.

The opening is fantastic. Not the fresh, crisp red apple like Y EDP or Coral Fantasy, but something juicier and softer. More like baked apple. It’s accompanied by beautiful lavender and a subtle touch of citruses. There’s also a slight minty or menthol nuance but it fades quickly. After the opening, I struggled to clearly pick out the florals in the mids. Everything feels blended a little too smoothly to dissect. The base lists many notes, but again the blending is so seamless that I mainly get vanilla, ambroxan, coumarin, patchouli and sandalwood. I barely detect the cardamom, pepper or guaiac wood.

The nickname “lady killer Layton” makes sense now. Layton is a high quality, very well blended (almost overly blended) warm vanillic spicy fragrance. It carries that strong PDM backbone but the drydown also reminds me slightly of Luna Rossa Black, possibly because they share that coumarin sweetness.

Performance wise, this is the weakest PDM I’ve tried but still above average. Around 6 hrs in, it becomes a skin scent, but projection was strong for the first 2 hrs. I’m expecting 8.5-9 hrs MAX. More than half of its lifespan sits closer to the skin. Heard the older batches were nuclear so ig the performance was nerfed with rising demand and, obviously, greed.

I quite like this one. Sweet, sexy and almost versatile. I get the apple pie vibe, but it isn’t strong enough to fully lean into that territory. I also have samples of Detour Noir and Layton Exclusif, so I’ll be comparing them soon to see if either edges this out.

If I had smelled this back in 2015 when it released, it probably would have blown my mind. The market has grown a lot since then. I still think it’s relevant today, though I’m unsure whether it’s truly timeless. PDM is constantly raising their own bar, so a “Layton killer” from the house wouldn’t surprise me.

Overall, I still like it. Easy 8.5/10. If this were one of the older, stronger batches, it might have been a 9. One of the easiest niche fragrances to gift and arguably the best introduction to the house. The other PDMs I’ve tried sit at 8.8+, though that could be first-come bias. For now, Althair remains my champion, and the house has yet to stop surprising me with their unique offerings with only slight overlap.

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