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Oud Stars

Alexandria II Anniversary Xerjoff 2024

8.7 / 10 617 Ratings

A new perfume by Xerjoff for women and men, released in 2024. The scent is oriental-woody. Projection and longevity are above-average. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Oriental

Woody

Spicy

Sweet

Animal

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Bulgarian rose

Lavender

Cumin

Cardamom

Heart Notes

Borneo oud Civet

Civet

Amber

Clary sage Cypriol

Cypriol

Florentine iris Mint

Mint

Vermouth

Base Notes

Bourbon vanilla Musk

Musk

Australian sandalwood

Ratings

Scent

8.7617 Ratings

Longevity

9.2591 Ratings

Sillage

8.9587 Ratings

Bottle

9.4589 Ratings

Value for money

6.3530 Ratings

Submitted by Spl3xx, last update on 11/06/2025.

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the Oud Stars collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Alexandria II Parfum

Alexandria Orientale

Alexandria

Alexandria Imperiale

Forza

Alexandria III

Reviews

17 in-depth fragrance descriptions

03/30/2024

8.5Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

NicheOnly
116 Reviews

NicheOnly

4

Why even release this?

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?

06/26/2024

Ninamariah
295 Reviews

Ninamariah

2

A bit redundant release

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.

06/08/2024

5Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

FitzLi
35 Reviews

FitzLi

3

Unpopular opinion

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!

08/17/2025

9Scent 10Longevity 9Sillage

LucianB
28 Reviews

LucianB

2

A more refined Alexandria II

This is indeed very similar to the Alexandria II. However, it is not 100% the same scent, you can smell more oud, it is more powdery and creamy while Alexandria II is more fresh, no oud smell (or very little), etc.
From performances point of view A II Anniversary stands little bit better than the A II (2023 batch) I had, you can feel it all day long with a very good projection. On clothes it smells for weeks.
Now if it worths the money… definetly not full retail price, but for a discount I would go with the anniversary edition instead of the original one.

09/04/2025

Kabarga
2 Reviews

Kabarga

1

Alexandria ii anniversary vs alexandria ii

To give you an idea of what this fragrance smells like, I’ll try to compare it with Alexandria II and also their oud accords.
Take Alexandria II, remove that apple-like and slightly fresh opening, add cumin instead, intensify its civet-like warmth and cardamom feel, and reduce the lavender dose. Although Alexandria II also contains cardamom, its dose is much lower than in the Anniversary version.
Other aspects of To give you an idea of what this fragrance smells like, I’ll try to compare it with Alexandria II and also their oud accords.
Take Alexandria II, remove that apple-like and slightly fresh opening, add cumin instead, intensify its civet-like warmth and cardamom feel, and reduce the lavender dose. Although Alexandria II also contains cardamom, its dose is much lower than in the Anniversary version.
Other aspects of Alexandria II’s opening are still present, such as rosewood (but in much lower dosage in the Anniversary edition), and oud (the Anniversary edition uses Borneo oud, which smells more like toasted wood—as if the oud were slightly burned. Along with that toasted note, you also get hints of dry hay. The same oud was used in Bortnikoff’s Oud Maximus. In contrast, the oud in the regular Alexandria II smells more woody-musky, with faint acetone-gasoline nuances, and to me, less animalic than the Anniversary version). Also present are lavender and a sweet dark note.
So what’s the difference?
The Anniversary opens warmer and more animalic, with a slight spicy character from cardamom and cumin. The added cumin, stronger civet, and different oud type give it a more animalic and warm feel. If Alexandria II opens woody, aromatic (more lavender), slightly fruity (apple), sweet, and musky—then the Anniversary is more animalic, oud-heavy, spicy, warm, musky, and sweet. Personally, I much prefer the opening of the Anniversary version because it feels warmer, more animalic, and the oud suits my taste better. Its opening also somewhat reminds me of Xerjoff Luxor. (Overall around 60% similarity to the regular version, in my opinion comparing anniversary to alexandria ii).
After about three hours, Alexandria II and the Anniversary become very similar: that same velvety musky feel with vanilla, lavender, patchouli, and sandalwood. However, the same issue I had with Alexandria II remains: although the oud concentration seems higher in the Anniversary, it’s still too low for the price. Within three hours the oud practically disappears, and after that I have to press my nose to my skin to detect any trace. Honestly, before you can fully enjoy the oud note, it has already evaporated, What remains is mostly sandalwood, patchouli, some synthetic musky accords, and synthetic vanilla. Still, the blend is addictive and pleasant, with high-quality ingredients.
Xerjoff also added iris in the heart, and if I really force myself, maybe I can imagine a faint earthy orris nuance at the start—but it vanishes quickly, just like the oud.
In the heart, the animalic impression is still there (thanks to the different oud, stronger civet, and cumin), though weaker than in the opening (around 70% similarity to the regular version in the heart).
In the drydown, you get that velvety, woody base (sandalwood plus a synthetic sandalwood accord to enhance the velvet feel), musky accords, vanilla, tonka, patchouli, and cypriol (both reinforcing the oud character). It’s very similar to the regular version, maybe slightly less fresh/aromatic (due to less lavender, a bit more animalic tone, or less ambroxan). I also detect a faint green-grassy touch in very low dosage (similar to Alexandria III). (Over 80% similarity to the regular version in the drydown).
Longevity of both versions is outstanding—just one spray lasts up to three days on my skin faintly, with excellent projection during the first 8–12 hours. So realistically, you’d never be able to finish more than 10ml of this fragrance in your lifetime, especially if you own many perfumes.

In terms of mass appeal, I’ve never shown the regular version to anyone who didn’t fall in love with it. Surprisingly, even this more animalic Anniversary version is still very mass-appealing and safe, everyone I’ve shown it to loved it, which I honestly didn’t expect. It shows Xerjoff clearly tests their fragrances extensively before release to ensure wide appeal and sales.
If you liked the regular Alexandria II, don’t miss the chance to try this one. The oud here—though limited in dose—is very high-quality and valuable, comparable to artisanal and rare perfumes. And considering reformulations might reduce it even further (as happened with Alexandria II and ceylon), I’d recommend testing it before it’s too late.

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