Alexandria II Anniversary Xerjoff 2024

This review will sound more negative than I actually am about "Alexandria II Anniversary | XerJoff" (A2A). Also, a disclaimer: I wear the original "Alexandria II (Parfum) | XerJoff" (A2) as a signature and have been for a couple years now. To me, the main criticism of A2A is that the changes relative to the original A2 are so negligible that it just feels like the brand is riding its hero franchise into the ground much like how designer brands drop flanker after flanker. I wish I had smelled "Elle Anniversary | XerJoff" just so I had an idea whether they made noticeable differences there.

Discussing A2A's profiles: The scent opens powdery rose-oud, much like the original A2. I notice a hint of animalic flair that is not there with the original. I notice the lack of that sweet-creamy artemisia/coca cola style flair that the original A2 has which brings it some additional utility. First time smelling "Alexandria II Anniversary | XerJoff" on skin, I notice the mint bringing a menthol-esque vibe. As we settle into the drydown, the mint and the animalic flair become rather tame, dare I say they almost entirely fade. There are two core differences that I can notice in the base: (1) the scent smells a bit more aromatic, thanks to the introduction of mainly the clary sage; and (2) the leading accords are oriental & woody because the prominence of the sweet & creamy accords is not there with A2A (relative to the original A2).

So we had some twists in the top, we have some twists in the heart and even the base. What is there not to like? Well, my question to you is what does this achieve that the existing catalogue of Alexandria releases doesn't? If people wanted a less mature A2, they had the option of "Alexandria Orientale | XerJoff". If people wanted a more mature A2, they had the option of "Alexandria III | XerJoff". To me, A2A sits somewhere between A2 and A3 as it's clearly not in the direction of A2 Orientale.

The most annoying part is that even if I did like it, I would be expected to shell out €580 for 100ml knowing that the original is now €545 for 100ml. That €580 would pay for a fragrance that has less utility than the original (noticeably less sweetness), the same performance and only minimal changes to the existing catalogue of Alexandria releases since the scent is 80-85% similar to A2, A3 and A2 Orientale (nobody experienced would mistake this for a non-Alexandria product). To conclude: the scent is fine, but the changes are minimal; therefore most fans of the series stand to gain nothing from purchasing it, so why even release it?

I didn’t have any expectations for this new release but I didn’t think it would be anything so special either. Interestingly, contrary to the opinions of many others, in my opinion, this version is more reminiscent of A III than A II. Notes of Rose and Lavender appear stronger than the other notes in the opening and in the middle, as they do in A III. Anniversary is like a weaker (not diluted though) and more wearable version of III and it can be over sprayed easily without being suffocating. Oud and the woody notes appear more like in A II since those are not so strong than in A III. If I'm thinking the different accords you can find more similarities with A III than with A II. This didn’t steal my heart as A III develops pretty much into this one within a few hours and it’s more unique but if you prefer a tamed version this may be for you.

This short review is based on a sample and I'm not going to purchase a full bottle.

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Fair warning, I’m NOT a fanboy of the house Xerjoff, even though it is probably one of the (if not THE) most popular niche houses. As a niche lover, I’ve been curious about the House for a while. Every week or so, I’d go to perfume stores and try out some new scents, and Xerjoffs is always one of them. Despite my attempts to like the brand (in order to blend in with others), it never hit the spot for me; even with Naxos and Alexandria II (I guess I’m just weird). With this context, you probably can guess my feeling towards this Anniversary edition.

Previous reviews have detailed elaboration on the beautiful sides of A2A, so I’ll just share my dark experience; Civet. I only got to try out scents with Civet note recently, and the experience had been traumatic. The animalic sense that it brings out is dark, forceful and repulsive. It is also the case for A2A, and especially for its opening, and when applied on my skin than on the testing strip (my skin helps to ruin things up). The silver lining is that, as the scent evolves, the Civet recedes and the wood note (my fav) becomes more prominent, and I could finally enjoy the scent.

Like many other Xerjoffs, A2A is long lasting and has a good projection. If you’re OK with animalic smell, you’ll probably have a good time with it. If you’re not, run. run fast!

For anyone wondering what the differences are to Alexandria 2 (from what I consider a relative newbie in the niche field with less than 2 years experience):

- Throughout all the the stages in the scent pyramid, the Oud just sticks out more in the Anniversary edition. However, I don't really find it stinky resp. not more stinky than in Alexandria 2. It just smells slightly different (maybe thats the higher quality of Oud that everyone is talking about).
- With Alexandria 2, the initial Oud smell slowly fades away after 2-3h, leaving that slightly sweet/gourmandy smell that Alexandria is beloved and known for. With Anniversary however, the Oud is still clearly noticeable after +4h and it also stays in the background throughout the following hours.
- The biggest difference for me is the performance. The Anniversary significantly more. If Alexandria 2 has a performance rating of 9.1, I would only find it fair to give the Anniversary 9.5 or even more.

To summarize it: I think that the people around you will not smell any difference. The sillage is nearly identical with Alexandria 2, with the Anniversary edition lasting longer. Only by smelling the scents close to the skin/cloth, I can identify a difference.

Solely because of the performance, I would go for the Anniversary one, even if I'm not that much of an Oud fan (assuming the price is not much higher than for Alexandria 2).

My first Xerjoff was Ceylon and when I did smell it for the first time, something changed in my brain.
There is a before and an after in my perfume journey, and it was this moment, when I smelled a fecal strong oud for the first time.
I remember very well this first time I smelled Ceylon..it was nothing like the magnificent scent I expected..it was ..'what in the puppy barnyard is going on here?'........w t f ...smell like poop...I will sell this.....may be is a fake! I payed 380€ for 50ml, I felt robbed, unhappy, even angry....but after some minutes, the scent transformed, and I could not stop smelling my arm..
I re-applied constantly, suddenly after some days, I did not smell the poop any longer, just this opulent oud with dense, raw honey..a revelation..it became my favorite night scent. It became an obsession......this was years ago, I am proud I did an effort to rewire my brain to appreciate high level scents, because a whole universe opened before to me.

I am sorry but if you make a review like " it smells like an elderly diaper" that means you have no experience with animalic notes or oud, you did not teach your nose to learn and transform, and may be you should not be writing a review bashing a scent you dont understand, because is too high level for you.
Giving a note of 2 or 3 as some persons did to this scent is ridiculous, is still a very high quality scent that deserve a minimum of respect.

I enjoyed the book "Das Parfum" from P Suskind and my experience with eastern ouds helped me to truly understand the book.
In the book our hero Grenouille, the greatest nose in history, was a psychopath who lived entirely through his nose and is oblivious to all else, he wants to make a perfume to be loved, he murder 24 girls to extract the odor from their red hair, the scent contains also human secretions like sweat and poop, but when at the end of the book, he arrives in Paris and pours his last bottle of perfume over himself, people attack him, tearing his body to bits and eating it.
The book ends with:
"When Grenouille is gone, the group is embarrassed, but everyone feels like they have finally done something out of love".

I guess humans we have a love hate relationship with human odors....

Before I start with the review, I will like to talk about the oud used in Alexandria 2 Anniversary, because Xerjoff use many different kinds of oud, most of them natural, real oud from different parts of the world.

Borneo oud: the oud from trees on the island of Borneo tends to be different (and superior) to that from trees on the mainland of Malaysia or Indonesia, regardless of whether the tree comes from..... The characteristics of Borneo-style oil are:
Airy, light and soft, it is rich in terpenoids ( pine needles, camphor, glue, and sometimes mint), it contains also creamy undertones.
Borneo oud is generally sweet, but may show slightly bitter undertones

Despite my experience with Ceylon, I was quite nervous buying Alexandra 2 Anniversary, it is quite expensive...but now just a couple of months after I bought it, I can say this is the best spent money I had ever spend in my perfume journey.
Again, this scent is made only for people who have an appreciation and profound love for quality oud and opulent scents.....if you are, you most own this perfume.
but if you are not, you will be solid disappointed.
This scent is not for beginners.

Xerjoff is for me as usual, money well spent.

I dont fancy the scents that Xerjoff created for designer scent lovers, like Naxos, Torino 21, this cents smell like a very high quality designer perfume, nothing for me.
I like the other side of Xerjoff, the artistic, the bold, the niche masterpieces like Ether, Kemi, Ceylon. Italica, Starlight,Amber star....

Ceylon and Alex 2 Anniversary are my Xerjoff favorites.
and top 5 in my whole collection.

Let's talk about dating with Alexandria 2 Aniversary.......

Before the date, how you apply the scent is a ritual, after the shower, before you put clothes, you have to prepare your skin, moisturize, and then apply in the right places.
The perfume will become the key ingredient of your confidence.
And, like the cupid's arrow, the scent will create love and excitement.....
...and later in the night we were not two souls, we were 2 plus Alexandria 2 Anniversary.

I sprayed some drops of Alex over her body, spreading this magical scent, filling every corner ..... smelling the blend of magical sexy high quality cardamom mixing with the raw lavender and the cumin, after a minute, the rose appears...but a rose like I'd never smelled before, sensual, and pure all at once, and enveloping all this, a note of mint.
The oud is sumptuous; elegant and minty.
The way they blend the cardamom with the cumin and the Borneo oud is pure magic, so well balanced, so well blended, Xerjoff magic.........perfect...... pure art.

The oud was present even after several hours, it mixed with new notes: civet mingled with the lavender and in the finale that lasted an eternity, our intertwined bodies released , a mix of amber and sage, notes that appeared, transformed, delighted, and led us to a realm of happiness.

When I lit the cigarette, the perfume had already transformed, -yet again- now, the Iris was present and mixed with the sandalwood in a tender and peaceful dry-down.
And between some flashes of bourbon vanilla and a noble and welcoming cloud of Musk, we fell asleep.

In my lonely nights, I turn off the lights, go to bed, a drop of Alex in my wrist, comforts my soul and connects me with the universe.
I feel enveloped and enchanted by a scent that makes me dream of faraway places, of her, and all the beauty and art that mankind is able to create.

The bottle is beautiful.... in the pictures it looks like the Alexandria 2 bottle, but not at all, it have golden decorations, is even more beautiful than the original.
I bought it in February 2026 from Deloox.be
I payed 420€ for it. But even at 600€ is worth the money.