Newcleus Xerjoff 2024

This review was revised in April 2026 as I look to rerate every fragrance I've ever sampled with my current knowledge of the market. The review, originally written in December 2024, was titled "The key" and I've kept it so as I believe it will aptly summarize what Newcleus is and how all of its weaknesses are displayed.

Accords: sweet-creamy-floral-synthetic

Newcleus is a feminine fragrance that opens with a hefty dose of sweetened rose. A lactonic vanilla as well as caramel oppose the rose in the top, making the scent come off somewhat gourmand. On my first wear, I also got some tropical fruity nuances, but I don't really get much of that in this revised review. All of that is to say that in the top, it's fairly close to a product like Thameen's Peregrina or Montale's Crazy in Love. As we transition out of the immediate opening, you'll mainly be smelling plain white musk with an undefined sweetening note (either vanilla or caramel) as the rose falls into the background. On-skin, the scent does also have some spicy-powdery touches, likely as a mix of the musk and the sandalwood.

Now lets see where the problems lie for this fragrance:

Issue #1: Blending - Newcleus features Xerjoff's white musks, bringing a lot of overlap from both their recent products (White on White) and their older catalogue (Apollonia and Erba Pura). In the original review I wrote "the product isn't the most screechy", but I cannot stand behind that statement. The base blending is done about as poorly as something like M. Micallef's Hypnotic Musk Eau de Parfum which I rated a 1.5. The only saving grace here is the lactonic sweet rose in the top.

Issue #2: Performance - Xerjoff launched this fragrance right as the alcohol-free formulation topic started to get some buzz with mainstream brands like Dior and Guerlain entering the arena. However, that appears to be nothing more than a marketing gimmick for religious audiences as performance, a key aspect demanded by Western consumers, is completely missing from this product. Sillage is extremely light - I wouldn't say that it's completely intimate throughout, but it's not that far from it either (I revised sillage up from a 1/10 to a 2/10). The longevity is strictly driven by the musks used in the base, i.e. the actual fragrance you experience in the top doesn't even make it past the 15 minute mark. If we count the white musks featured on-skin, I would estimate the longevity of Newcleus at around 5-6 hours, but I'm rating it more-so as a 4 hour fragrance.

Issue #3: Value - Xerjoff launched this fragrance for €290/50ml, a price point significantly higher than the various competing brands I've listed (Thameen) or that this scent is being compared to (Montale, Kayali).

All that is to say that there is no reasonable explanation for why anybody should be buying this product. Xerjoff is gambling away their reputation with these post-COVID launches, essentially throwing a lot of darts at the board with nothing sticking.

First of all, I don't understand why this fragrance is rated so poorly. In my opinion, it is a truly wonderful, unobtrusive, sweet, and creamy rose water scent. The quality is impeccable; it does not smell old-fashioned - like grandma or anything... - or unpleasant.

Due to the intentional absence of alcohol, the liquid has a honey-like consistency and a slightly yellowish color. The bottle is, as one expects from Xerjoff, high-quality and aesthetically pleasing. Another plus is the compatibility of the perfume: I think it's great that it is alcohol-free, making it suitable for allergy sufferers.

The only downside I see concerns the longevity and sillage. Just a few minutes after application, the scent dissipates significantly and loses intensity. Even waving my hand does not unfortunately spread any scent molecules into the air. On the skin, the fragrance lasts about 4-5 hours, but for the price, this is not sufficient for me despite the excellent composition.

Therefore, I give the fragrance a 9, but longevity and sillage only a 6.

Hello everyone,

today I am writing a rather "not recommendable" review about a fragrance called "Newcleus | XerJoff" and somehow it pains my heart. Because I am a fan of XJ from "YESTERDAY (old batches)" and when I see today's offerings like the "Newcleus | XerJoff" .... = difficult.
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About the fragrance:

What do we have here = we have a milky and very rose-dominated scent with a creamy and fluffy musk and a certain sweetness from the vanilla and caramel.

By the way, it was made "WITHOUT" alcohol and yes..., for some this is very important and nice..., however, I find it... relatively unimportant^^

I see it much more suited for women than for men. It feels like rose water mixed with body lotion = a curious vibe, in any case.

As difficult as this statement may be for me..., nice try XJ, but that was nothing.

Performance?

Well, nonexistent or hardly there...

The dear money / the purchase price:

I am tired of discussing whether a purchase makes sense or not, as this is very relative and my views may not align with yours and vice versa... . From a purely commercial perspective (which I am, among other things), I can say = test it, then we’ll see!

But recommend = honestly NO!

And now have a nice day/evening or whenever you read this review, best regards, Benny
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"Newcleus | XerJoff" was announced as a major innovation based on an alcohol-free formula; quite grand. The approach deserves recognition, even though many other brands have already done alcohol-free before, like Taif Al-Emarat. However, the scent falls significantly short of my expectations in terms of its effect and complexity, and yes, innovation or not, "Newcleus | XerJoff" was one of the bigger flops for me this year in the perfume scene.

I’ll keep it brief, as every minute spent on this scent is actually one too many:

- the scent starts with rose and ends with rose; but it’s not a truly beautiful rose; it neither smells bad nor good, for me it’s actually on the level of rose body lotion, no joke

- At first, you get a slightly fluffy-milky, somewhat sweet rose, in the drydown it leans more towards sandalwood, but the overall tone is simply "soft" and unfortunately intertwined, it doesn't smell high-quality at all, but for many it’s probably pleasant. Yes, exactly, pleasant - not high-quality as a designation.

The projection is underground, the longevity is below average. Overall, not worth the price.

In summary: the alcohol-free innovation was supposed to bring a breath of fresh air, but the reality is that they’ve delivered an overpriced, lukewarm breeze.

The Newcleus is alcohol-free; however, unlike the also alcohol-free Sauvage Eau Forte or the soft perfumes from Sabe Masson, it is not a milky spray mist but rather a quite thick, oily gel-like substance. It cannot be sprayed; instead, it is more like a dab for rubbing in, like a lotion. In this case, a finely rose-scented lotion, very close to the skin, as far as one can judge for oneself.