Homme

We can all agree that some fragrances build “narrative” by throwing theatrics at you. I recently saw one promising spiritual regression into animal status via... bear pheromones, because why not. Homme doesn’t need any of that. It simply paints the image claimed by Xerjoff's mythology: a man behind the wheel of a vintage car, wearing a leather flying jacket... but it's not another Nuvolari. Mentioning this is important. Homme was the opening chapter of Xerjoff. The first perfume created for the house, with Sergio Momo personally leaning into its creation along with Mr Fiori. Homme's opening is a crisp, citrusy ignition with a strong accent of tarragon. This will smell like aromatic unsweetened anise, green and dry. 15 to 20 minutes in, lavender and iris powder step in. Madagascar clove (my brain reads it as a cola‐ish spice, ever since I wore enough Madagascar Le Baume Vanille to start seeing flavours) will also appear. The iris is handled as I like it: more rooty, not lipsticky. As it fully dries down a clean bundle of woods and leather forms a rosewood-ish sheen Xerjoff loves to sneak into its fresher compositions. In fact, Homme could be considered Kobe (gran)dad. Performance wise, we are talking about something decidedly gentlemanly. It has your typical office/event-compatible presence. Controlled scent-bubble lasting around 5-6 hours, then still well recognisable closer to skin for 10+ hours. Overspraying is also an option... if that's your life choice. If you are into masculine aromatics (perhaps with a late ‘80s vibe) and you can appreciate a slight leathery backbone, this is for you. No bear genetics required, Homme will do enough on its own to push you into tasteful DILF territory. However, sample first. It is quite different from Momo's house in its current amberlicious zeitgeist. Homme doesn't have any twists, just refined blending and, to my nose, ingredients smell better than their other lines. Now I understand why this was the foundational act for Xerjoff. In contrast to Luca Turin's snobbery, to me this is a 10 out of 10.

When I first applied this fragrance I thought I'd found some heavenly stuff the opening few seconds are fresh and you definitely get a brief citrus blast..at least I did anyway and it was not what I was expecting. Then within seconds it starts to develop from the mouth watering...to the headache inducing! A VERY PETROLEUM like vibe starts to develop and as much as I kind of like the smell of petrol in a Pervy sort of way, I would never understand a desire to smell like it! Now except for my beloved Fahrenheit of course but that is different from this Xerjoff signature effect I've observed in a few others now. It has a hint of smoke too and between that and the stinging petrol note you can just about make out the pleasant powdery scent underneath. I'm saying petrol, it's a kind of grubby diesel. The petrol dies down and the fragrance improves a little to a leathery type scent in the dry down. Despite not smelling it at all at first it has the lavender and gernaium/carnation powder of a Rive Gauche, pleasant shave soap, type scent, Alfra's review below comparing it to Knize Ten but I don't think it's as floral. It's a little harsh at first but challenging to my olfactory system and keeps me sniffing which I like.

I love leather, but wasn’t expecting to find it here, so this sample was a wonderful surprise. It starts off with dry, dusty, musty, fuzzy, wonderful leather, some green lavender, and a little bit of sweet floral that smells to me like iris. Maybe it’s the effect of combining ylang with leather. I don’t get much, if any, citrus since the main feature starts right away without any opening act. The drydown is fairly linear, with the leather and faint floral persisting throughout. There’s moderate sillage, and the scent lasts and lasts, all day on skin, until washing on clothes. This is one spectacular leather scent! I think it might be my favorite of all the leathers that I’ve tried. It’s a pity that it’s so outrageously expensive. However, if a bottle were to suddenly appear on my doorstep, out of the blue, I’d take it in and use it often.

This fragrance has three or four distinct phases. The opening is a typical rich, fresh blend of bergamot and Lavendar giving a fougere feel. After 5 minutes the spices and the strong leather note come forward. The leather materialises as a sort of smooth petrochemical smell which one would associate with substances used to treat leather. After 45 minutes the leather dies down and this is where the Knize 10 connection is very accurate. 2 hours leather is gone and all that is left is the cloves and powdery woods for the remaining duration.

Even if some reviewers ascribe a petroleum-like consistency to the fragrance, I only find high-quality citric and woody notes that harmonize well with each other. The perfume is one of the most expensive fragrances from the XerJoff brand, from the "Stone Label" collection. In my opinion, the quality goes hand in hand with the skillful created harmony in the noble composition. The woody notes seem to float on a citrus fragrance cloud - unique. Fragrance: 9/10, Longevity: 8/10. Sillage: 8/10, Flacon: 9/10.