Zarkoperfume Ménage à Trois - A Poetic Review

2016 - an ordinary afternoon in the life of a postgraduate student in Winchester. She stopped in front of the Space NK store within the old Tudor buildings along High Street and discovered a clean glass perfume bottle with the label titled ‘Zarkoperfume - Ménage à Trois’ - little did she know that the bottle was the start to her new level of existence. 

As my daily casual curiosity pings, I sprayed the bottle on my wrists. I sensed a blend of airiness, earthly woody skin-like and a sweet fruitiness to it. It was strange, unfamiliar, but oddly intriguing as it wasn’t the type of scent that would hit me right away.

To be sane and sure that I’m not going to waste my student budget. I walked out of the store and let it sit for a bit. As I start to move my arms around and my wrist comes close to my face, the wafting scent travels into my nostrils. After an hour of food, hand-washing and petting a fluffy canine or two, the scent unravelled to this intimate yet electric effect, especially the way it lingers on my cardigan.

So I ran back to Space NK and purchased it, again, and again…for 9 years. 

A Passionate Gathering of Three

Hence the name, Ménage à Trois was first described to me by the Space NK staff as the most minimal combination ever - watermelon and musk. I was already intrigued, and that also explained a lot as to what I was sensing. 

While it’s fun to get people’s reaction to how simple the scent’s notes are, it has more to it. Ménage à Trois’s top notes include crushed watermelon & ozonic freshness, the heart of musk warmth that is powdery and woody, and followed by the base of three musk accords that is soft and skin-like. 

The harmonious relationship of the watermelon and musk accords truly brings out a unique sweetness that does not overpower, thanks to the refreshingly cool notes that also balance out the fruitiness. The notes quietly transition into a comfortable warmth, like a whisper, or pretty much ASMR in a bottle. It gives you the perfect day to feel comfortable anywhere you may be, whether it’s your bed with your head on the cold side of the pillow, your sofa soaking up the warmth sun, your favourite cafe, or even building your atmosphere in your workplace. 

Because of the watermelon note, it is easy to picture it as a summer scent, but I love spraying it all year round. Between this scent and my favourite Diptyque Orphéon, I received so many compliments and convinced a number of friends and strangers to purchase it. It’s the kind of fragrance that doesn’t announce its arrival, but it comes in quietly and lingers around. Simple, but mysterious. 

About Zarkoperfume

Zarkoperfume isn’t your usual perfume house; it sits somewhere between a science lab and a dreamscape. Founded by Zarko Ahlmann Pavlov in Denmark, the brand merges molecular science with sensory storytelling. These aren’t perfumes that scream - they whisper, murmur and occasionally haunt.

That is because Zarkoperfume leans into the molecular; these are scents designed to evolve with the person wearing them, both on the skin and in their atmosphere. 

Each bottle is a minimalist's dream - a clear and intimate glass cylinder bottle with a simple gold cap on top, packaged in a white tube box. The brand has since expanded into cosmetics, most notably in collaboration with Pavlov’s daughter, Olivia Ahlmann, whose own skincare journey inspired a makeup line dedicated to beauty for all skin types and problems. 

Let Your Curiosity Linger

If you’re looking for a perfume that is clear-cut and crowd-pleasing, this brand and scent might not be for you. These are not fragrances made to impress en masse but ones that are made to melt into your skin, to shift with your mood and carry secrets only you can translate.

Then again, that’s the beauty of scent. Everyone’s skin tells a different story. Everyone has a unique body chemistry that reacts differently to each note. One’s summer dew is someone else’s soft cashmere. 

Nearly a decade later, Ménage à Trois still surprises me. The perfume has been my ride-or-die throughout the season of change and chance. Some days it feels youthful and luminous, other days more grounded and sensual. It never shouts, never tires but simply exists with me. It's the minimalist friend that helps balance out the maximalist in me.

Sadly, Space NK no longer stocks them and can only be purchased on their website in a few countries within Europe. There was a time when I found it on Amazon, now, if I’m still lucky, I can find it on All Beauty. 

Because I’ll always be grateful for that curious moment outside Space NK in Winchester, it became the scent that I wore everywhere, especially on the day that I met the man who is now my husband.

Discover Ménage à Trois by Zarkoperfume