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Round 83 of the AlHimyan Perfume Battle sends a heavyweight into the ring. Xerjoff XJ 1861 Naxos arrives with twenty-eight straight wins, the longest reign this tournament has ever seen. Its challenger is Creed Oud Zarian, a 2025 release from one of the most famous houses in perfumery and the most expensive bottle Naxos has faced in weeks.

This is honey-tobacco against spiced oud. Naxos is warm, sweet and enveloping. Oud Zarian opens with frankincense, ginger and spices over a single rose, then sinks into oud, myrrh, liquorice root and sandalwood. Both are available at AlHimyan in the UAE, and both Fragrantica and Parfumo were reachable today, so the full scoring formula is in use.

The tale of the tape

Xerjoff XJ 1861 Naxos: the champion

Naxos belongs to the Xerjoff 1861 collection, a tribute to the unification of Italy, and it still sits at number one among unisex fragrances on Parfumo. It opens with lavender, bergamot and lemon with a thread of Omani frankincense. The heart brings honey, cinnamon and jasmine sambac over soft cashmere wood.

The dry-down of tobacco, tonka bean and vanilla is warm and creamy without turning sticky. Fragrantica voters name sweet, honey, vanilla, lavender and tobacco as its main accords. It wears long and stays on fabric into the next day.

Community scores: Fragrantica 4.49/5 from 21,277 votes. Parfumo: Scent 8.9/10 from 13,920 ratings, Longevity 8.8, Sillage 8.5, Bottle 9.1, Value for money 7.6.

Creed Oud Zarian: the challenger

Oud Zarian is one of the newest Creed releases, launched in 2025 and credited on Parfumo to perfumer Cécile Zarokian. Creed presents it as a spiced oud built around a long-aged oud oil, and it is one of the few Creed scents that puts oud right at the centre.

The opening is bright and resinous: bergamot, ginger, frankincense and warm spices. The heart is a single rose centifolia, velvety rather than sweet. The base is where it lives: oud, myrrh, sandalwood and patchouli, softened by liquorice root and tonka bean. Fragrantica voters list warm spicy, amber, soft spicy, sweet and balsamic as its main accords. It is dark and smooth more than smoky, a modern oud rather than a barnyard one.

Community scores: Fragrantica 3.81/5 from 1,574 votes. Parfumo: Scent 7.4/10 from 465 ratings, Longevity 8.9, Sillage 8.6, Bottle 8.1, Value for money 5.1.

Head to head

Scent quality. Naxos leads on both sites: 4.49 against 3.81 on Fragrantica and 8.9 against 7.4 on Parfumo. The Naxos numbers come from tens of thousands of people and barely move from round to round. Oud Zarian is new, so its vote counts are still growing.

Performance. This is the first time in a while that a challenger has beaten Naxos on performance. Parfumo users give Oud Zarian 8.9 for longevity and 8.6 for sillage, just ahead of Naxos at 8.8 and 8.5. Both are strong, long-lasting scents that fill a room.

Value. This is where the round is decided. Parfumo users score the value for money of Naxos at 7.6 and Oud Zarian at 5.1. At AlHimyan, Oud Zarian costs AED 1,919 for 100 ml, a little more than twice the AED 909 of Naxos.

Presentation. Naxos, 9.1 against 8.1. The honeycomb-gold Xerjoff bottle remains one of the most admired in niche perfumery, while the Creed flacon is classic and clean.

The verdict

Winner: Xerjoff XJ 1861 Naxos. The champion takes its twenty-ninth consecutive round by a margin of 1.20. Oud Zarian edges it on longevity and sillage, but Naxos wins the scent vote on both sites and is far ahead on value for money.

A note on method. Fragrantica and Parfumo figures were read on 8 October 2026, and Fragrantica ratings were converted to a 10-point scale. 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 rich honey-tobacco scent with strong projection, a crowd favourite that lasts all day and night.

Buy Oud Zarian if you love oud and want it polished, spiced and wrapped in rose and incense, from a house with a long name in perfumery. It is the more serious, darker choice of the two.

How to wear them in the UAE

Naxos is rich, so two sprays are enough: one on the neck and one on the chest or the kandura collar. It suits cool evenings, air-conditioned majlis gatherings and the winter months from November onwards.

Oud Zarian is also powerful. Two or three sprays on the neck and clothes are plenty. It sits naturally next to bakhoor and dehn al oud, so it fits weddings, formal evenings and the majlis. In the daytime heat, keep it to a single spray.

Frequently asked questions

What does Creed Oud Zarian smell like? Bergamot, ginger, frankincense and spices over rose centifolia, resting on oud, myrrh, sandalwood, patchouli, liquorice root and tonka bean. It is a warm, spiced oud.

When was Oud Zarian released? In 2025. Parfumo credits it to perfumer Cécile Zarokian.

Is Oud Zarian long-lasting? Yes. Parfumo users rate its longevity 8.9 out of 10 and its sillage 8.6, slightly higher than Naxos.

Is it for men or women? Both. Fragrantica lists Oud Zarian and Naxos as fragrances for women and men.

Which is better for a gift? Naxos is a sure crowd-pleaser in a striking bottle. Oud Zarian is the gift for someone who already loves oud and wants something new from Creed.

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

Next round

Naxos has now won twenty-nine 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.