Perseveranza Xerjoff 2026

Continuing with the latest from Xerjoff and their collaboration with Lamborghini, Perseveranza delivers a more cohesive product, yet still falls short of the expectations established by the price and the marketing.

The DNA here is very simple to understand if you have actual experience in niche. The scent opens spicy, aromatic & camphorous with some bitter citrusy touches. The scent transitions into a fairly one-dimensional DNA where I smell resins (listed elemi and pimento, but it could also be incense, balsam, and/or labdanum) opposed by woodiness. Within niche, the genre of camphorous fragrances has been ruled by Serge Lutens' Fille en aiguilles with Le Labo's latest Eucalyptus 20 also being a servicable take on the DNA. Unlike these 2 fragrances, Perseveranza doesn't smell green as it is heavily structured around two accords: spicy and resinous. The elemi listed in the heart gives the scent a very dry warm spicy feel and not enough nuance is accumulated through the other notes to build up any depth. The previously mentioned citruses are too light beyond the opening, albeit the citron retains some ability in the heart of the scent too. Within Xerjoff's catalogue, I'd consider two scents as having some parts of Perseveranza: the dry elemi here is executed in a way that reminds me of the incense & myrrh in Groove Xcape, and the general woody-camphorous feel is slightly reminiscent of the structure in Golden Green. These two scents won't smell that similar overall, but you can pick at a piece or two like this to get a feel for where it fits into Xerjoff's catalogue.

Final accords: spicy-resinous-woody-citrus

Unlike with Fierezza, I find Perseveranza servicable. The marketing behind the scent is more tolerable, referring to 'not shouting or drawing attention' and 'working calmly and consistently'. Unlike some of the other reviews, I find the performance average to slightly above, meaning it indeed isn't a statement-making scent. Nonetheless, I find Perseveranza non-competitive within its specific sub-genre from a value perspective (listed by Xerjoff at €410/100ml). If you wanted a fragrance that smelled like this, you'd strongly prefer the Serge Lutens and the Le Labo for the added depth. Additionally, those two comps are slightly softer too, meaning they're more befitting for somebody who 'embodies quiet determination'. If you wanted a fragrance that had more complexity, you'd likely be looking at indie alternatives from brands like Folkwinds, Slumberhouse, Zanini etc (just to list some scents: Sleepy Hollow, Norne (2021), and Ora dopo Ora). Ultimately, Perseveranza just isn't enough.

Unfortunately, Perseveranza is a fragrance that doesn’t really do anything wrong for me, but as a result it also gets rather lost in mediocrity. Immediately after spraying it on, it reminds me of a lemon sorbet. I notice a light, fresh lemon that initially remains for quite some time, but hardly creates any particular mood for me. After a few moments, the lemon recedes slightly into the background, and the clove adds a spicy facet. For me, this creates a really pleasant blend of lemon, spice and woods. At this stage, the fragrance reminds me a little of freshly washed laundry, only with a citrusy, woody freshness and a very slight synthetic facet. It certainly doesn’t smell bad, in fact it’s quite pleasant, but it’s also not particularly unusual. After around four hours, Perseveranza becomes almost transparent to me. I can really only detect a very light floral quality, which barely projects anymore. That’s why I’m disappointed, especially with the sillage and longevity. Overall, Perseveranza is a good and fresh summer fragrance for me, but unfortunately not one whose price I can understand. Especially for a Xerjoff creation in collaboration with Lamborghini, I would have expected significantly more character, performance and perhaps something a little bolder. Even if it sounds harsh at first: I could genuinely imagine the fragrance working excellently as a high-quality car perfume. This clean, citrusy woody freshness would work really well for me in a car. As a perfume on my skin, however, it would simply be too boring for me in the long run.

Since my earliest childhood, Lamborghini has been one of my absolute favorite car brands. When I heard that Xerjoff was releasing a new fragrance collection in collaboration with the Italian car manufacturer, my interest was naturally piqued. I immediately ordered a sample set of the 3 new fragrances.

The first in my detailed test is Perseveranza. The word means "perseverance", and indeed it is somewhat that - just unfortunately not in a positive sense. But let's take it step by step: The opening starts with a piercing citrus note and feels somewhat harsh. Immediately, allspice and ginger shoot into the nose, which, combined with the lemon, almost makes the nasal hairs burn. After a few minutes, the fragrance calms down a bit, and now the spicy and resinous elements come to the forefront. As the scent develops, it remains, at least in my perception, quite linear. While the resinous elements are indeed pleasant, the harsh allspice-ginger top note unfortunately remains constant, overshadowing the otherwise beautiful aspects of the fragrance for me.

The longevity is quite decent, which is certainly also due to the piercing allspice/ginger combo. I could still perceive it on myself after 7 hours, and my colleague two seats away confirmed the still-present sillage.

Conclusion: €410 for a perfume is quite a statement. However, since the collaboration partner is none other than Lamborghini, the price can certainly be justified - provided the fragrance delivers. Unfortunately, Perseveranza does not deliver for me at all. The citrus-green top note clings constantly to the skin and pushes the otherwise beautiful, resinous elements completely into the background. Inevitably, I am reminded of both Torino21 and Pacific Chill - two fundamentally well-made freshies that, however, completely miss their target with me due to an overly dominant, harsh top note. Unfortunately, the Lamborghini branding doesn't help either!