Xerjoff Naxos Notes: Scent, Structure and Who It Suits

The Xerjoff Naxos notes start bright and herbal and end warm and dry: lemon, bergamot and lavender on top, honey and cinnamon in the heart, vanilla and tobacco leaf below. Xerjoff XJ 1861 Naxos is the house's tribute to Sicily and part of its 1861 collection, which marks the unification of Italy. Some people search for it as Naxos and others as XJ 1861 Naxos; the 1861 names the collection. This guide follows the pyramid tier by tier, shows how the scent moves and who it suits, and points to three other perfumes in the Xerjoff collection that share some of its notes.

Xerjoff Naxos notes: the pyramid tier by tier

The house sorts the notes into three tiers, the layout explained in our guide to how to read a fragrance pyramid. For Naxos it looks like this.

• Top: Lemon, Bergamot, Lavender, Incense from Oman
• Heart: Jasmine Sambac, Honey, Cinnamon, Cashmere
• Base: Vanilla, Tobacco Leaf, Tonka Bean

On top, lemon and bergamot give a short citrus lift, and lavender adds an aromatic, herbal edge. Incense from Oman sits beside them. Incense is commonly resinous and a little smoky, so the opening is not only fresh. It already has some depth.

The heart is where Naxos turns gourmand. Honey leads, with jasmine sambac, a white flower that is commonly warm and slightly fruity, and cinnamon for dry spice. The house also lists Cashmere and speaks of cashmere woods, which it credits with adding warmth.

The base is vanilla, tobacco leaf and tonka bean. Vanilla and tonka are sweet and rounded, while tobacco leaf is dry with a slightly sharp edge, which stops the sweetness from turning syrupy. The house speaks of an enveloping trail. Base notes like these are commonly the heaviest part of a composition and the part that stays closest to the skin.

The scent in plain words: spiced honey, kept dry

Naxos is classed as Aromatic and Spicy, and our scent tags add gourmand. In plain words it is a spiced honey perfume with an herbal start and a tobacco finish. The sweetness is real, but lavender and cinnamon stay noticeable next to the honey, and the tobacco leaf dries the vanilla. Our intensity tag is strong, so expect a perfume with presence rather than one that sits quietly in the background.

The house's story gives a way to follow it. It speaks of Sicily's sun-baked heat, ornate architecture, layered history and the blue of its sea. One way to find that in the pyramid is citrus and lavender as bright light, honey and cinnamon as heat, and tobacco and vanilla as the weight of old stone. That is our interpretation, not something the house spells out.

On the skin the order follows the pyramid. Lemon, bergamot and lavender are usually the lightest and most volatile, so they are noticed first and recede first. Honey, jasmine sambac and cinnamon take over as the opening settles, and vanilla, tobacco leaf and tonka bean remain once the rest has softened. The same perfume can therefore seem herbal and bright at the first spray and honeyed and dry some time later.

Who Xerjoff Naxos suits, and when

We list Naxos as unisex, among our unisex perfumes. It suits people who like honey and vanilla but not a sugary finish, and who enjoy herbs and tobacco next to a sweet note. Our tags point to autumn and winter and to evenings, when cooler air gives the spice and honey room. In warm weather a lighter application keeps the citrus and lavender in front. It is more at home at dinner than at a desk.

Eau de Parfum in 100 ml: what we list for Naxos

We list Naxos as an Eau de Parfum in 100 ml, and there is no other concentration or size of it in our catalogue. An Eau de Parfum usually sits between an Eau de Toilette and a Parfum in strength, so a modest amount is enough for a base this full. We give no timings, because how long a scent stays noticeable differs from skin to skin and from day to day.

Xerjoff perfumes that share notes with Naxos

Three more perfumes from the house share part of the Naxos vocabulary, each in a different direction.

Xerjoff Erba Gold shares words with XJ 1861 Naxos but has a different mood. It lists lemon and bergamot on top and vanilla in the base, as Naxos does, yet trades lavender and honey for ginger, green apple, melon and cardamom. Its tags say spring and summer, where Naxos says autumn and winter.

Xerjoff Tony Iommi Monkey Special is a Parfum from the house's Blends line. Like XJ 1861 Naxos it lists bergamot on top, cinnamon in the heart and vanilla in the base. It then adds rum, passion fruit, leather and caramel, so it leans toward leather and rum rather than lavender and tobacco. The strong, autumn, winter and evening tags are the same.

Xerjoff La Capitale, a Parfum in 50 ml, shares the vanilla base and the gourmand and spicy scent tags of XJ 1861 Naxos. Its sweetness comes from caramel, strawberry and peach rather than honey, and saffron, ginger, rose and oud take the place of lavender and cinnamon. Autumn, winter and evening appear in its tags too, with daily use added.

To see how Naxos stands next to Erba Pura, another Xerjoff Eau de Parfum from a different collection, read our comparison of Naxos and Erba Pura. You can also search the whole range by note and season.

Frequently asked questions

What is the scent of Xerjoff Naxos like?

A spiced honey scent: a citrus and lavender opening, a heart of honey, jasmine sambac and cinnamon, and a dry base of vanilla, tobacco leaf and tonka bean.

Is this a Xerjoff Naxos review?

It is a close reading of what the house publishes: the notes, the structure, the concentration and the idea behind the name. It contains no wear test and no verdict.

Which season suits Xerjoff Naxos?

Our tags point to autumn and winter, and to evenings. In warm weather a lighter application keeps the lavender and citrus at the front.