XERJOFF
LUNOSA
2020
neroli
cypriol
Sandalwood
Gardenia
Tuberose
Tobacco
Oud
Vetiver
Lunosa is a Harrods exclusive release.
‘Lunosa takes you on an intriguing journey where rare flowers bloom in the moonlight. Infused with the idea of mythical gardens, the scent opens with notes of neroli before leading you to its heart of tuberose and sandalwood. Ending your voyage with a warm base of ground tobacco and oud, the encapsulating aroma gives no reason to doubt the Italian label’s expertise.’- Harrods
Lunosa was my Holy Grail for over two years, before finally getting my hands on the elusive bottle in 2022. This is a Harrods exclusive, pure parfum concentration (37%). It comes numbered and the magnificent hand-chiseled bottle is 24 carat gold-plated. But don’t mistake it for being an average Xerjoff scent in a pricier and fancier bottle; the fragrance itself is on a different level to most if you ask me (or at least on par with the quality of the very best of their 17/17 Stone Label and Oud Stars collections). Lunosa was the most money I’ve personally spent on a fragrance, along with Ensar Oud Tonkin Musk, but I’m glad that I did.
Lunosa is a thick tuberose and sweet tobacco combination that fits in more with the Bortnikoff’s, Areej Le Dore’s and Ensar Oud’s of the industry, than with the more known Xerjoff releases. In fact, its closest alternative is Bortnikoff Sir Winston. The latter is more fruity and bubblegummy with the tuberose, whereas Lunosa is more tobacco-focused to me. The Xerjoff feels a tad richer and denser than the Bortnikoff, which is a sentence you’d never expect to be uttered, but there you have it.
The opening has most of the tuberose and a greenish, bitter cypriol tinge. Almost vegetal and slightly floral, but that gets overtaken by a sugary tobacco and woodiness. I used to prefer the sweetest point in the drydown, but now I actually prefer the punchier opening (in general tuberose has grown on me throughout the years).
There’s a creaminess, from sandalwood, but I think also from the tuberose. I can’t necessarily pick up or describe a type of oud in it. I would classify most of the wear as a tuberose-tobacco scent profile. Much more mature, thicker and more ‘niche’ than the similar combination used in Xerjoff Decas.
Texture-wise it’s neither wet nor dry, but you really feel the parfum concentration; dense and cohesive. On my skin, this is a sillage beast and it will stick to clothes for days.
As mentioned, this is one of my Holy Grails and I tried buying this for years, despite its price tag (getting it shipped to the Netherlands proved a challenge). Luckily, Xerjoff semi-lifted Harrods’ exclusivity by having a sample available from their own website, so if you want to try it, getting it as part of a discovery set is the way to go.
