Dries Van Noten Soie Malaquais Perfume Review

Dries Van Noten Soie Malaquais Eau de Parfum began with sweeter florals and citrus blooms, while the first half of wear was primarily subtle rose, fruit and cocoa, and a hint of nuttiness. The latter half of wear was sweeter and vanilla-leaning with the cocoa and chestnut beneath it.

Soie Malaquais Notes

It is described as being inspired by silk dresses, “which gave [them] the idea for a silky, enveloping perfume, a mix of chestnut with sensual vanilla.”

• top notes: bergamot, blackcurrant
• heart notes: rose, silk
• base notes: chestnut, cocoa

What does Soie Malaquais Smell Like?

It opened with fresh citrus blooms, subtly floral and lemony with a hint of sweet peach. While peach wasn’t listed, the fruity quality that came through reminded me of sweetened, lightly syrup-coated peaches. The sweet peach strengthened over the first five minutes, while most of the citrus has evaporated. I detected a richness coming from the cocoa, like a dark chocolate glaze that was waiting to be drizzled over the peaches.

The rose wafted through the heavier concoction of peach and cocoa, adding an airier, floral sweetness that turned the whole composition more jam-like–not so peachy, a little more like a red fruit medley. It was smooth, well-blended, and sweet with facets of floral and fruit. Given another half hour to development, the chestnut and cocoa intertwine to create a darker, richer sweet and chewy mix that had the beginnings of nuttiness.

It was a confection of sweet vanilla, melted cocoa, and a hint of nuttiness and the last remnants of smooth rose-ish florals by the fourth hour, and it became more and more vanilla-heavy for the remainder of the wear.

Longevity

It lasted for 10 hours until it was a skin-scent and about 14 hours before it was quite difficult to detect on my skin. The sillage and projection were moderate with the sillage dropping faster than the projection within the third hour of wear.

Personal Notes

It was one of those scents that was pleasant enough to wear throughout testing but nothing that I’d personally leap for, as it was sweeter and more jam-like than I prefer, but as a composition, it seemed well-blended, long-wearing, and I was able to detect most of the notes listed.

These are more subjective feelings based on what I like (or don’t like) in a perfume as well as considering the fragrance against other perfumes I own and love.

Testing Methodology

For testing, I used a fraction of a 2ml sample vial dabbed to the underside and topside of my wrist area. I used an unscented moisturizer prior to applying the scent as I found scent did not hold well here otherwise.

I purchased my sample as part of a discovery set in May 2022; fragrances are known to be reformulated over their lifetime, so be mindful of when a review was made, e.g. a review from 2010 may not reflect what the same-named perfume smells like in 2022.

Availability

Soie Malaquais is available for $305.00 for 100ml or $375.00 for 200ml (refill).

If possible, I highly recommend trying a fragrance before purchasing a full bottle because fragrance can wear differently just because of skin chemistry. Skin chemistry can effect not just the longevity of a fragrance but also what notes are prominent or hidden.

Soie Malaquais Samples

We recommend trying one of the brand’s discovery sets before investing in a bottle.

Where to Buy

• Selfridges
• Dries Van Noten