Perfume Battle Round 57: Xerjoff Naxos vs Mancera Cedrat Boise
Round 57 of the AlHimyan Perfume Battle sets a four-time champion against the citrus powerhouse that made an entire house famous. Xerjoff XJ 1861 Naxos, the honeyed tobacco Sicilian on a four-round winning streak, faces Mancera Cedrat Boise, the lemon and blackcurrant beast that is still one of the most recognised bottles in the Gulf.
Both are unisex. Both are known for performance rather than subtlety. Both sit on the AlHimyan shelf right now, at very different price points. Only one leaves as champion.
The contenders at a glance
Xerjoff XJ 1861 Naxos EDP 100ml is the reigning champion, four wins deep.
Mancera Cedrat Boise EDP 120ml is the challenger, and the value play of this round.
Head to head
| Xerjoff XJ 1861 Naxos | Mancera Cedrat Boise | |
|---|---|---|
| House | Xerjoff, Italy | Mancera, France |
| Launched | 2015 | 2011 |
| Perfumer | Chris Maurice | Not publicly credited |
| Concentration | Eau de Parfum | Eau de Parfum |
| Family | Sweet spicy, honey tobacco | Citrus woody, lemon and blackcurrant |
| Parfumo rating | 8.9 out of 10 | 7.7 out of 10 |
| Parfumo ratings count | 13,610 | 2,381 |
| Longevity score | 8.77 out of 10 | 7.75 out of 10 |
| Sillage score | 8.54 out of 10 | 7.44 out of 10 |
| Value for money | 7.59 out of 10 | 7.79 out of 10 |
| Bottle design | 9.12 out of 10 | 7.48 out of 10 |
| Size at AlHimyan | 100ml | 120ml |
The notes
Xerjoff XJ 1861 Naxos
Top: Lavender, bergamot, lemon, Omani frankincense.
Heart: Honey, cashmere, cinnamon, jasmine sambac.
Base: Tobacco, tonka bean, vanilla.
Naxos opens bright and almost herbal, then within ten minutes the honey arrives and never leaves. Cinnamon keeps it from turning sugary, and the tobacco and tonka base gives it that warm, lived-in finish people describe as smelling expensive. It is a fragrance that reads as tailoring rather than as a statement.
Mancera Cedrat Boise
Top: Sicilian lemon, blackcurrant, spices.
Heart: Patchouli, water jasmine.
Base: Woody notes, leather, musk, oakmoss.
Cedrat Boise opens with a loud, slightly sour lemon and a very realistic blackcurrant, the kind that smells almost like cassis on leather. The citrus is not the whole story, though. Underneath sits a dry cedar and oakmoss base with a leather edge that carries the scent long after the top notes have gone. It is a daytime fragrance that behaves like an evening one.
How we scored this round
Fragrantica has been unreadable to automated tools for several weeks and returned a 403 error again today. Rather than estimate its numbers, we removed that component entirely and redistributed its weight proportionally across the remaining criteria. Every figure below is real, pulled from Parfumo on the day of publication. Nothing here is guessed.
| Criterion | Weight | Naxos | Cedrat Boise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community rating (Parfumo) | 38.5 percent | 8.90 | 7.70 |
| Longevity | 23.1 percent | 8.77 | 7.75 |
| Sillage | 15.4 percent | 8.54 | 7.44 |
| Value for money | 23.1 percent | 7.59 | 7.79 |
| Final score | 100 percent | 8.52 | 7.70 |
The verdict
Xerjoff XJ 1861 Naxos wins Round 57 and takes its streak to five. It led on community rating, longevity and sillage, and the margin was not close on any of the three.
Cedrat Boise did win one column, and it is the one buyers care about most. On value for money it scored 7.79 against Naxos at 7.59, and it is the only fragrance in this battle to beat the champion on any criterion. At a third of the price for a larger bottle, that result is entirely fair. Cedrat Boise is not the better perfume by the numbers. It may still be the better purchase, depending on what you want from a bottle.
Our honest read: if you want the fragrance people stop you to ask about, buy Naxos. If you want a loud, long-lasting citrus you can wear to work every day of a Dubai summer without thinking about how much you are spraying, buy Cedrat Boise.
Which one suits you
Buy Naxos if you want warmth, honey and tobacco, you wear fragrance mostly in the evening or in cooler months, and you want something that reads as luxury without shouting.
Buy Cedrat Boise if you want citrus that survives the heat, you prefer a fresher opening, you spray generously, or you want the most performance per dirham on this page.
Questions we get asked
Is Naxos too sweet for men?
It is sweet, but the cinnamon and tobacco keep it dry enough to stay firmly unisex. It is worn heavily by men across the Gulf.
Does Cedrat Boise really last as long as people say?
Its Parfumo longevity score is 7.75 out of 10 from 2,381 ratings, which places it above average but below Naxos at 8.77. In practice it is a full working day on skin and longer on clothing.
Are these fragrances unisex?
Both are, and both are listed as unisex on our site.
Which is better in UAE heat?
Cedrat Boise. Citrus and cedar handle high temperatures better than honey and tobacco, which can turn heavy at midday.
Can I order these in the UAE with cash on delivery?
Yes. Both are in stock at AlHimyan with cash on delivery available across the UAE, free delivery over AED 299, and a 7 day return window.
Order from AlHimyan
Buy Xerjoff XJ 1861 Naxos Eau de Parfum 100ml or Mancera Cedrat Boise Eau de Parfum 120ml from AlHimyan. Authentic brands, cash on delivery across the UAE, and fast delivery.
Round 58 runs tomorrow. Naxos defends with five straight wins.