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Round 88 of the AlHimyan Perfume Battle puts honey against roses. Xerjoff XJ 1861 Naxos defends a run of thirty-three straight wins, the longest reign the tournament has seen. Its challenger is Initio Atomic Rose, the 2019 rose and vanilla scent from the Carnal Blends collection that has become one of the most popular niche roses of the past few years.

Both are warm, both are sweet, and both are built for evenings, which makes this one of the closest style match-ups of the season. Naxos is honey, lavender and tobacco. Atomic Rose is a dense rose over vanilla and amber, lifted by pink pepper. Both are available at AlHimyan in the UAE, and both Fragrantica and Parfumo were reachable, so the full five-part scoring formula is in use.

The tale of the tape

Xerjoff XJ 1861 Naxos: the champion

Naxos belongs to the Xerjoff 1861 collection, created for the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy and dedicated to Sicily. It opens with lavender, bergamot and lemon. The heart brings honey, cinnamon and jasmine sambac over soft cashmere wood, and the dry-down of tobacco leaf, tonka bean and vanilla stays warm and creamy without turning sticky.

Fragrantica voters name sweet, honey, vanilla, lavender and tobacco as its main accords, and Parfumo ranks it first among all unisex perfumes.

Community scores: Fragrantica 4.49/5 from 21,381 votes. Parfumo: Scent 8.9/10 from 13,952 ratings, Longevity 8.8, Sillage 8.5, Bottle 9.1, Value for money 7.6.

Initio Atomic Rose: the challenger

Atomic Rose was launched by Initio Parfums Prives in 2019 as part of The Carnal Blends collection. Initio does not name its perfumers; Parfumo credits the composition to the Givaudan fragrance house. Fragrantica classes it as an oriental floral for women and men.

Fragrantica lists pink pepper and bergamot in the top, Bulgarian rose, Turkish rose and Egyptian jasmine in the heart, and Madagascar vanilla and amber in the base. Voters pick rose, vanilla, soft spicy, citrus, floral, amber and powdery as the main accords. The rose is thick and velvety rather than fresh and dewy, and the vanilla keeps it smooth. Reviewers often compare it with Parfums de Marly Delina, calling Atomic Rose the deeper, more unisex take.

Community scores: Fragrantica 4.27/5 from 4,508 votes. Parfumo: Scent 8.1/10 from 1,001 ratings, Longevity 8.6, Sillage 8.2, Bottle 8.3, Value for money 6.7.

Head to head

Scent quality. Naxos leads, 4.49 against 4.27 on Fragrantica and 8.9 against 8.1 on Parfumo. Atomic Rose has a large and loyal following, but some reviewers find its dense rose too heavy, while the honey of Naxos divides opinion less.

Performance. Very close. Parfumo users rate Atomic Rose 8.6 for longevity and 8.2 for sillage. Naxos edges it on both, at 8.8 and 8.5. Either one will last through a long evening.

Value. The widest gap of the round. Parfumo users score the value for money of Atomic Rose at 6.7, against 7.6 for Naxos. At AlHimyan, Naxos also comes in the larger bottle, 100 ml against 90 ml.

Presentation. Naxos, 9.1 against 8.3. The honeycomb-gold Xerjoff bottle remains one of the most admired in niche perfumery; the Initio flacon is sleek and modern.

The verdict

Winner: Xerjoff XJ 1861 Naxos. The champion takes its thirty-fourth consecutive round with a margin of 0.55, one of the tighter results of its reign. Atomic Rose kept it close on performance, but the community vote and value for money decided the round.

A note on method. Fragrantica ratings were read on 13 October 2026 and converted to a 10-point scale. Parfumo figures for Atomic Rose were read on 13 October and for Naxos on 12 October 2026. Longevity, sillage and value for money come from Parfumo community bars for both perfumes.

Which one should you buy?

Buy Naxos if you want a honey-tobacco scent with lavender freshness on top, a crowd favourite that lasts all day and night and works for both men and women.

Buy Atomic Rose if you love roses and want one with weight and warmth: a velvety rose wrapped in vanilla and amber, unisex, and strong enough to be noticed across a room.

How to wear them in the UAE

Both are rich, so go light. Two sprays of Naxos, one on the neck and one on the chest or the kandura collar, suit cool evenings, air-conditioned majlis gatherings and the winter months from November onwards.

Atomic Rose works the same way: two sprays at most, on the neck and the shayla or ghutra. It pairs naturally with oud, so try it over a light oud oil for weddings and Eid evenings. In the heat of midday it can feel heavy, so keep it for the evening.

Frequently asked questions

What does Initio Atomic Rose smell like? A deep, velvety rose. Pink pepper and bergamot open it, Bulgarian rose, Turkish rose and Egyptian jasmine form the heart, and Madagascar vanilla and amber sit in the base.

When was Atomic Rose released, and who made it? In 2019, as part of Initio's Carnal Blends collection. Initio does not name the perfumer; Parfumo credits the Givaudan fragrance house.

Is Atomic Rose long-lasting? Yes. Parfumo users rate its longevity 8.6 out of 10 and its sillage 8.2.

Is it for men or women? Both. Fragrantica lists Atomic Rose and Naxos as fragrances for women and men.

Is Atomic Rose similar to Delina? Many reviewers compare the two. Delina is lighter and more lychee-fresh; Atomic Rose is darker, with more vanilla and amber.

Where can I buy them in the UAE? Both are available at AlHimyan: Xerjoff XJ 1861 Naxos Eau de Parfum 100 ml and Initio Atomic Rose Eau de Parfum 90 ml, with cash on delivery and fast delivery across the Emirates.

Next round

Naxos has now won thirty-four rounds in a row. A new challenger steps up next time. Follow the Perfume Battle on the AlHimyan blog and on Instagram to see who finally ends the reign.