Xerjoff Italica Review: A Gourmand Scent to Die for!
Xerjoff is one of the most epic fragrance houses in the perfume world. You can not claim to be a frag head if you do not own some of the marvelous Italian house bottles created by Sergio Momo. Xerjoff created some of the most iconic releases in the world of perfumes like Alexandria II, Naxos and, of course, our today’s guest of honor, Italica.
Italica was first released in 2016 as an exclusive creation for Harvey Nichols. It was neither easy to find nor to pay for, but the reviews from those who tried it kept frag heads eager to try the elusive Italica. In 2021, the exclusivity deal was over, and Italica was released for retailers and gave many fans the opportunity to try it and satisfy their curiosity. Having said that, you will miss out on the remarkable previous bottle as well as the amazing packaging and Xerjoff’s brochure. With that, everyone got to smell the legendary Italica, and I was one of the lucky guys to buy it in 2021.
Italica is such a delicious gourmand. It is almost edible! It starts off with a blast of lactonic notes of milk, mixed with mysterious saffron and very smooth almond. The heart jumps in quickly and gets very accustomed to the opening by introducing playful sweet Toffee and some captivating and heartwarming Bourbon vanilla. The dry down is pretty woody with some little smoky hints that are a result of the sandalwood from the base notes and the saffron from the opening.
The vines you get when you smell Italica is like freshly baked cookies with some sweet almond and milk. A friend of mine once smelled it and said ‘that is not even perfume!’ However, in the niche world where everything is possible, Italica stands out as a very unique gourmand that is truly a masterpiece.
Speaking of uniqueness, I believe it was inspired by Roja Dove’s Sweetie Oud which was released just one year before Italica. It also inspired the creation of Black Phantom by Kilian which was released one year later. These 3 are true masterpieces, given the great similarities between them and not denying each one’s edge over the other.
Performance wise, Italica is great in terms of longevity. The sillage is also very good but it requires cold weather to become prominant. It also projects very well for the first 3hours. Sadly enough, it best suits young adults and middle-aged men in casual situations. I do not recommend wearing it to a formal meeting or to work.
In a nutshell, Italica is a great gourmand that you can currently get at almost any niche perfumes retailer or discounter. It is a strong performer in terms of longevity, sillage and projection. Just watch out for the eccentric, cookie-like smell in it! Have you tried Italica yet? Do you think it is worth the hype or is it just overhyped? Kindly share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
Images Credit: Xerjoff official website
