Duran Duran NeoRio

“Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand Just like that river twisting through a dusty land And when she shines she really shows you all she can” Rio - Duran Duran - Like a song that sweeps you away with its melodies and lyrics, NeoRio has done the same for me. It was a fragrance I smelled, I confess, out of sheer curiosity. Just like when you turn on the radio and suddenly stumble upon that one song that inexplicably captivates you, stirring emotions even though it’s your first time you hear it, even when the words aren't fully grasped. With this fragrance, I can feel enchanting sensations, a playful dance of notes that triggered a wave of feelings within me. Its creaminess, through the essence of a ripe and caramelized fig, sweetened with drops of maple syrup and resins, is deceptively gourmand thanks to the balm of Peru, with its illusion of vanilla. It enveloped me, making me feel genuinely good. It has found a place on my wishlist, as I truly enjoyed it. Always good, with incredible performance. “Butterflies,” painted by Andy Warhol.

Tested at NYC Scentbar. Thanks again to BJ, hes a scentscholar and a gentleman. Its very similar to Tommy Iommi but lighter and more female friendly compared to the heavier Tommy. The maple sap and peru balsam vs the passionfruit and cinnamon give it a gentler and sweeter characteristic. Overall If you already have the TIMS and like it, then this will be a reduntant purchase. If its your first time and you want something a bit lighter while still having a similar kick, go for this. Aside from that I was disappointed with the naming choice. Lyrically speaking feels more akin to Hungry like the Wolf especially with the way it opens up smelling like wine before morphing into a rum cocktail whereas Rio by its words feels like it should be more of a marine/beach scent. Overall a great scent, heres to hoping for more Xerjoff musical collabs. Personally speaking I think they should work with The Eagles and do a scent based on Hotel California.

My favorite xerjoff and one of my top 10 fragrances of all time. The only appropriate time to wear this type of dense scent is for a date night below 30 degrees Farenheight. I don't go on dates :( but when i do I am definitley going to have to wear this. I am planning on travelling to Moscow city in those cold months and I am going to wear this with a really nice suited jacket and good outfit. I really love this it smells so goddamn good I cant even describe it its just one of the best fragrances in the world. When I'm going to stay in Moscow I plan to walk in the city and have a good time looking at new clothes fragrances and just go shopping in general. I will be wearing this and I will be enjoying every second of it

Sultry, warm and inviting. I received this for Christmas and I really love it. At first spray I thought perhaps it would be too loud and bold for my taste, however after the boozy fig-filled opening it deepened and warmed up. It has depth and is a composition that changes from opening, mid and base. I find complexity and different notes pop in and out throughout the wear. I don't get the connection to the name/scent , however I do enjoy it very much and I feel that it would be best suited for cool weather. It has a Great Fig note. Maple here is terrific too. Nicely Nicely Done. Very Pleased and delighted to be wearing it.

best perfume i have ever smelled so far. u can feel the rum mixed with fig notes. feels very energetic during first hours but after 4-5 hours the dry-down feels a little too dark and strong for me. at the beginning, its reminding me the smell of martini rosso but in a very good way. I definitely agree with previous comment of "Your nose ping pongs around finding the smells." still trying to find out what is the thing i like to most.. I have to add that its not for everyone, if u love it, u will love it otherwise not that easy scent :)

I'm not sure why people categorize this as sweet. It's not bitter for sure, but I've smelled stuff that's 100x sweeter than this, so this is just a very balanced sweet, ambery concoction with rose+balsam giving it structure without making it overpowering or headache inducing. Pretty sophisticated, highly interesting and very addicting... I'm very happy to have added this to my collection <3 EDIT: November evening at an event, three spritz of NeoRio: heaven on earth with magical luminance. Calling this sweet is pure blasphemy...

I really love NeoRio. Like Iommi collabs, this is another one for the books. Very unique and complex. Very masculine, although I could see a younger woman getting away with wearing this. I really dig the notes and the way it dries down—my biggest gripe. PLEASE STOP with the overpriced 50ml bottles. This should come in a 100 ml bottle for the asking price. I have so many 50 mls and frankly, I want this, but I'll wait until I can find it for an acceptable price.

Just picked up a bottle in Milan. I got the neon yellow flacon. It still projects eight hours after spraying. It is warm and inviting but doesn’t remind me of Duran Duran or 80s music. Rum on high and that balsam note on the bottom really stick out for me. A nice medicinal, caramel scent.

This smells and feels nothing like the package.. except for the black cap. One of the best from the house and found its place on the shelf right next to my Iomi’s. A rare occasion where the fragrance smells exactly like the note breakdown... which is awesome.

When you can't even say my name Has the memory gone? Are you feeling numb? Go on, call my name I can't play this game, so I ask again Will you say my name? Has the memory gone? Are you feeling numb? Or have I become invisible?

Love this one! Scent wise it slightly reminds me of the master piece “black lacquer” from Tom Ford. There is a hint of vinyl and licorice as well as the recognized notes. Truly beautiful perfumery!

this will be my next and last buy, this is toooooo good

Finally, after agonizing forever, got my hands on @xerjoff @duranduran Neo Rio! OLFACTORY NOTES: Top: Candied Fig, Elemi Absolute, Rum, Spanish Cistus Oil Heart: Maple Syrup, Rose Oil, Saffron Base: Balsam of Peru, Patchouli, Tonka Bean So I tried this one out last night. It began slightly sweet and fruity but not with a particularly figginess but with a strong overtone of ??? Very prominent and a little too much. It reminded me at this point of Xerjoff Monkey Special. Same heavy beginning note. So I compared on the other hand. It's breakdown as follows: Top notes are Rum, Passionfruit, Bergamot and Geranium Middle notes are Singapore Patchouli, Cinnamon, Leather and Bulgarian Rose; Base notes are Caramel, Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Sandalwood, Labdanum, Ambergris and Musk. The overtone note which lessens after awhile in Monkey, is prevalent all the way through in Rio but seems out of place here. It can't be the rum because it's too woody. But its exactly the same note. I like it in Monkey but found it out of place in Rio. Is it the tonka? The rest of my Rio experience was good, not specifically picking up on anything else til in the final drydown after about an hour, I got a hint of rose and maple. Overall I did like it a good bit. I'd call it a slightly fruity wood with a dry down of floral wood. Only slightly resinous. Would I buy a larger decant, yes. The whole bottle, no. I feel like it would meet that aspect overall of Duran Duran if not for that overwhelming bit. I would give it a B+

I really like this for a winter fragrance. On the initial spray I found it super intense, very sweet with the maple syrup really taking control of the overload of notes. Through the middle the maple and rum mellowed and I enjoyed each sniff giving me a different note... I could literally identify each ingredient which all smell high quality and sophisticated. The dry down is wonderful, being smooth and resinous for hours!! On skin the opening is not as erratic as on paper but the journey is the same. This one and Black Moonlight are definitely not for the faint hearted but they are both compliment getters ... Though I think Black Moonlight wins by a whisker?

To me it is like a more subdued, less rich attempt at Amouage Royal Tobacco. Make Royal Tobacco lighter, toss in some sweetness by the candied fig and a good dose of maple syrup. Performance is great. There you have it. On a test strip, the maple stood out more for me. Luckily it calmed down a tad on skin. I like it but would wear Royal Tobacco any day over this. But I have neither. So I suppose whichever lands in my collection first. But as mentioned, I prefer Royal Tobacco. If you are a collector this is neat because you can choose the color of the bottle. If that matters to you. As always, great presentation from Xerjoff. So take your pick.

The notes are the notes🎶🎵. No surprises here and you will catch them all. They do not hide. The rum is pretty sweet from the maple and fig. It screams fall/winter despite the 90s neon miami colored bottle (bottle could be copper/bronze so people may be thrown off) First inhale -you get the gold sweet maple rum. The next inhale you may catch the moody resins, balsam and dry leather. Complex for sure. Distinct. Balanced but not blended if that makes sense. Your nose ping pongs around finding the smells.

It’s not even close to Tony Iommi let’s not confuse people. Neo Rio is very very similar to Amouage Royal Tobacco the same cigarette-smoke feeling. Yes, it’s sweeter and has a slightly rubbery nuance, synthetic play-doh, but overall it really feels like something Amouage could have released just a bit more playful and fun to wear.

This is a mix between Monkey Special and Golden Dallah. The opening is the only part where it kind of does it's own thing, then it goes into the same mid as MS and the dry down is almost identical to GD. I am not sure I like it more than either of those two. Definitely has an evolution, but still something is missing...

I've been a Duran Duran fan since 1984 when I saw them on MTV at the age of 11. I've seen them in concert I think 3 times? So I had to get a sample of their perfumes. This is currently my paper test: Starts off fruity and tropical and quickly dries down to amber/woods type scent that gets drier and drier as it oxidizes. On back of hand: The fig is more forward . On the skin it's very amber and woods, but the silage is more caramel and fig. It's definitely in the category of scents that I love (my favorite is Angel Share Paradis) but I think these top and mid notes are too fleeting fort me and teh drydown is too dry. My chemjistry tends to eat up a lot of the sweeter notes and so I have to really go for bombastic florals if I want florals. Still, I will come back on a day I haven't worn perfume and give this a full trial. ETA: As I’ve worn this, it has become smoother and more lovely. HOWEVER - it sort of occupies the same niche as Angels SHare Paradis for me? Fruit, woods, vanillic /amber, liquor... So I likely won’t buy it. Since I already have a scent that does this and also makes my eyes roll back in my head. But I won;t be giving away my sample either!

Even though this fragrance doesn’t quite align with my personal taste, I have to be honest about the quality—this is an exceptional composition. Xerjoff absolutely nailed the balance here. Every note feels intentional, and you can genuinely pick them apart throughout the wear. The syrup, rum, and fig accords take center stage, but none of the supporting notes feel lost or overshadowed. The craftsmanship on display here is truly artistic. If you enjoy rich, boozy, syrupy fragrances, this will likely be right in your wheelhouse. Fans of Angels’ Share–style compositions will probably fall in love with what this offers. Personally, gourmand and boozy scent profiles aren’t usually what I gravitate toward, so it doesn’t fully connect with me on a personal level. That said, I can absolutely appreciate the quality, blending, and attention to detail, which earns it high marks in my book. Rating: 8.5/10