Richwood Xerjoff 2010

I wanted to give Richwood another try after hearing nothing but positive things about it. I had tried it years ago only on tester strip and didn't quite get it.

With a name like Richwood you'd be expecting a full-bodied woody fragrance like a Royal Oud or Ébène Fumé Eau de Parfum but it is nothing of the sort. The funny thing is that there aren't even any woods in the notes, with the closest thing being patchouli, more of an earthy note if you ask me. And the scent matches the notes, at least in terms of the lack of woodiness, more than the name.

Richwood is a floral chypre with patchouli replacing the oakmoss in the traditional chypre recipe of bergamot, labdanum, an animalic (musk in this case), a floral (rose in this case), and oakmoss. And like other floral chypres, especially those with patchouli, I can't escape the "grandma's potpourri" impression. It just feels super old-school, soapy, powdery, dusty. Definitely not my type of scent, and Richwood doesn't really introduce a big twist to keep me interested. It's well executed, sure, but feels like it's out of the wrong era.

Richwood is my definition of quiet luxury in perfumery.

It doesn’t walk into a room before you do, and it doesn’t need everyone around you to notice it. Its luxury reveals itself differently - through quality, complexity and the experience of smelling it up close.

To my nose, this is one of the most sophisticated creations Xerjoff has ever made. It feels rich, mature and incredibly polished, with the kind of complexity that I don’t think everyone will immediately understand or appreciate.

And that’s perfectly fine.

Richwood isn’t a fragrance I would necessarily recommend to someone taking their first steps into niche perfumery. It deserves time on the skin and a more experienced nose to discover everything happening inside the composition.

Interestingly, its relatively intimate projection is something I actually appreciate here.

Normally, I enjoy good performance, but Richwood doesn’t need to shout “I’m here.” It stays closer to the wearer and allows people who enter your personal space to discover it for themselves.

I experienced exactly that on a date. She got close enough to smell it properly and immediately complimented me.

That moment perfectly describes Richwood for me.

It’s not about attracting attention from across the room.

It’s about making an impression when someone gets close enough.

For anyone already deeply interested in perfumery, Richwood is absolutely worth experiencing. For someone just entering this world, I would strongly recommend trying it first and giving yourself time to understand it.

For me, it remains one of the finest fragrances Xerjoff has ever created.

I recently received samples of Richwood and Damarose and have given both a quick test, but today is the turn of Richwood to be reviewed. Looking at the note pyramid this should be 'love at first sniff' for me ... but sadly it's not. There is something so irritatingly sweet about this creation (I'll warrant it's the damn Blackcurrant!!) that completely turns me off ... and it's EXORBITANT asking price of course.

Firstly, I'm becoming less and less keen for fruit in my fragrances, probably due to the vile cornucopia of celebrity 'fruity florals' that have hit the market in the last few years. Yes, I know I don't have to smell them ... but I do on the off chance that someone has had the balls to do something exciting (thanks Madonna!!) that doesn't cause immediate olfactory toothache.
The opening of Richwood is hampered by just such a candy-like fruit laden effect ... with some floor polish thrown in for good measure. If this were fleeting it would be OK ... but it lingers inscrutably for most of the duration of this frag (which is not exactly stellar to begin with!) while the good stuff battles to make an appearance. By 'good stuff' I mean Sandalwood, Rose (which seems stunted here) and Labdanum, which I really love. The 'blurb' on the official site gushes about the 'genuine' Mysore Sandalwood contained in this frag ... if only it was allowed to shine it would be truly beautiful. Instead, it is coated in sugary, gelatinous berries ... like so much jam from Grandma's kitchen!!
In my travels I have had the opportunity more than once of acquiring Xerjoff frags. I decline because the price tags (500 Euro for 100mls of Richwood) are just obscene. These fragrances are quite obviously made with a decidedly 'nouveau riche' market in mind.

There are better renditions of this genre out there that do not require the sale of a kidney and a lung! This fragrance is not fantastic, it is just OK ... but that, of course, is simply my humble opinion.

Where do I even start with Richwood?

Someone recommended this to me as I love Coromandel, I grabbed a 5 ml decant, half-expecting it to be good but not as good as it turned out to be. I was wrong. From the first spray, I was blown away. My initial research had me unsure if it would tick all my boxes—but it did, and then some.

The opening, mid, and base all impressed me equally. After just two days of testing my decant, I knew this was full-bottle worthy. The scent evolves beautifully—citrus gives way to woods and Rose, then the patchouli that feels luxurious. It’s Coromandel’s richer, more polished cousin in my opinion.

The performance on this is oustanding, 5 sprays and I'm good to go for 12/14 hours, the projection and sillage surprised me and it is not what I expected but what I wanted. From the initial sprays it pushes off of my skin and radiates none stop.

The presentation, like all Xerjoff, is immaculate. Heavy bottle, gold cap, magnetic closure—it suits the name Richwood perfectly.

Bottom line - If you want a fragrance that feels expensive and you’re willing to pay for it, this belongs in your collection. The scent, performance, and the quiet confidence it gives you are worth every penny. I managed to grab a 95 ml full 2019 bottle for £175— I've never seen it under £250 at discounters like AllBeauty or Notino.

A welcome addition to my collection that I can't stop smelling and wearing.

9.5/10

Richwood is a woody chypre unisex perfume but not in a traditional Chypre way imo. I don't understand this modern way to call perfumes as Chypre if there is not Oakmoss but Patchouli instead. There is a little bit citrusy in the opening but it’s gone quickly and the middle notes seems to be hidden. This is a rich and creamy soft musky Sandalwood scent with a Patchouli bringing even more woody edge and a slightly sweet Vanilla wraps the other notes together.

The name Richwood is well deserved. The blend is really well done, it’s quite much a skin scent but it works well in this scent and it lasts many hours. For some occasions it’s a little a bit too boring since it’s quite linear perfume without any surprises from the opening until the last hints of the scent. But in the same time I find it really beautiful, sophisticated and luxurious with irresistible sensual undertone. It’s easy to approach and very wearable in the places where you don’t want to bother people with too load and strongly projecting scent. It’s very pleasant and calming which is the reason why it has became my favorite scent during a flights especially in the autumn and winter time.

There is not Sandalwood listed in the notes anymore but Xerjoff has confirmed that it’s not removed nor reformulated they just wanted to change the list of the notes. I really wonder why since the Sandalwood plays a major role in this inviting blend (at least my batch) of Chris Maurice. Difficult to believe it’s not reformulated.

Top: Mandarine Peel, Grapefruit, Bergamot, Bourgeons Cassis
Middle: Rose Absolute, Geranium Leaves
Base: Patchouli, Musks, Cistus Labdanum, Amber Coumarin, Vanilla, Sandalwood (not mentioned anymore)

Thank you for reading, I hope you liked my review and it was helpful.

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