SOTD: Galatea by Maison Alhambra #NoBuySept 27/09/2025

Edward Mooney

🔥

3d • SOTD 🍊

After the recent PDM marathon, ive been looking at some cheaper options. Liquid Brun

https://www.skool.com/bos/sotd-liquid-brun-by-french-avenue-2?p=93bf2826

is spot on as an option for the amazing Althair

https://www.skool.com/bos/sotd-althair-ny-parfums-de-marley-15072025?p=4ae3302a

But Maison Alhambra, a house That I already have a number of fine fragrances from, have a number of options including Hercules & Perseus. With my recent fixation with Leather, I decided to go for Galatea. Its said to be a dupe for Godolphin. I was not a big fan of Godolphin, but Galatea is actually much better in my opinion. It seems to get some bad press online with users slating it and claiming masceration issues etc. To be fair, I have never had issues with any fragrance from this house. Fun fact In the Greek myth, Pygmalion, a Cypriot sculptor, created Galatea. He sculpted her from ivory, fell in love with his creation, and prayed to Aphrodite to bring her to life. The goddess granted his wish, and Galatea became a real woman.

A 2022 release, Galatea is an oriental fragrance with a strong leather core. The opening is a complex blend of Fruits, Mate, Green Notes, Cypress & Thyme. Its both fruity & spicy & comes across quite sharp initially. As the fragrance develops, the floral heart of rose, orris & jasmine emerges, adding a subtle touch of sweetness & sophistication. But never fear, the florrals dont actially take over as you might expect. They play more of a supporting role here to the star of the show which of course is the leather. The dry down is where Galatea truly shines for me. The rich, animalic leather note is prominent & well-balanced by a creamy vanilla & warm amber. The cedar & vetiver provide an earthy & woody foundation, but its the inclusion of Iso e Super here that gives the fragrance its great depth & longevity. Iso E Super is a synthetic fragrance molecule known for its smooth, woody, and amber-like scent. It's often used to add depth and longevity to fragrances and is a common ingredient in many perfumes

Performance here is a major bonus, im clocking 8 solid hours.The sillage & projection are moderate to strong, making its presence known without being overly aggressive. Yes a nice scent bubble of approx 2ft for the first 3 to 4 hrs. The leather whilst being super plesant is not overly strong, you know its there without it shouting from the rooftops, its a nice touch. For me this is so much better that the Parfs De Marley and 1/5th of the price. Id stick this one somewhere in between Tom Fords Tuscan & Ombre leathers.

My Rating: 8/10

Scent: 2.5

Longevity: 2.5

Sillage: 2

Y/N: 1

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