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Round 76 of the AlHimyan Perfume Battle sends a very different kind of rival to the champion. Xerjoff XJ 1861 Naxos arrives with twenty-one straight wins, the longest reign the tournament has ever seen. Its challenger is Orto Parisi Brutus, the 2014 creation of Alessandro Gualtieri, the perfumer behind Nasomatto and one of the most talked-about noses in niche perfumery.

This is sweet against dry, and smooth against rugged. Naxos is a honeyed tobacco made to please. Brutus is an aromatic fougere with an earthy patchouli and oakmoss backbone, made to provoke. Both are unisex, both are in stock at AlHimyan in the UAE, and both have loyal fans. Here is how they compare on verified community data.

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 holds the number one unisex ranking on Parfumo. It opens with lavender, bergamot, lemon and Omani frankincense. The heart brings honey, cinnamon and jasmine sambac over a soft cashmere-wood texture.

The dry-down of tobacco, tonka bean and vanilla is warm and creamy without turning sticky. It is refined rather than loud, wears close and long, and lingers on fabric into the next day.

Community scores (Parfumo): Scent 8.9/10 from 13,834 ratings, Longevity 8.8/10, Sillage 8.5/10, Bottle 9.1/10, Value for money 7.6/10.

Orto Parisi Brutus: the challenger

Orto Parisi is Alessandro Gualtieri's most personal line, and its bottles carry a raw, almost sculptural look. Brutus takes its name from the Roman who turned on Caesar, and the idea is revolt against the classics. Several reviewers read it as a modern answer to the great old fougeres: familiar in its structure, but rougher, darker and more earthy.

The opening is a sharp burst of bergamot and mandarin. The heart moves into lavender, geranium and rose, the classic barbershop core. Then the base takes over with patchouli, cedar, oakmoss, labdanum, amber and musk, and that is where Brutus lives: earthy, resinous and slightly smoky, rugged but still polished enough for a formal evening.

Community scores (Parfumo): Scent 7.8/10 from 441 ratings, Longevity 8.0/10, Sillage 7.5/10, Bottle 8.0/10, Value for money 7.3/10.

Head to head

Scent quality. Naxos scores 8.9 across 13,834 ratings. Brutus scores 7.8 across 441. Brutus is a connoisseur's fragrance, and its earthy patchouli and oakmoss split opinion in a way the crowd-pleasing honey of Naxos does not.

Performance. Naxos wins both. It rates 8.8 for longevity and 8.5 for sillage, against 8.0 and 7.5 for Brutus. Brutus still lasts a full day on skin, but Naxos projects further.

Value. Naxos again. At AlHimyan, Naxos costs AED 8.69 per millilitre against AED 15.65 for Brutus. Parfumo users agree: 7.6 for value against 7.3.

Presentation. Naxos, 9.1 against 8.0 for the bottle, though the rough Orto Parisi flacon has its own fans.

The verdict

Winner: Xerjoff XJ 1861 Naxos. The champion sweeps all four categories and takes its twenty-second consecutive round, by a margin of 0.88. Brutus is the more daring composition, but on community scent score, performance and value, Naxos leads every line.

A note on method. Community figures come from Parfumo, fetched on 28 September 2026 and checked twice for a matching page. Parfumo does not list a note pyramid for Brutus, so the notes above come from the published Fragrantica listing as shown in search results. Fragrantica's public pages returned an access block, so no Fragrantica score is quoted and its weighting was moved to the Parfumo scent score, as in recent rounds. No figure in this article is estimated.

Which one should you buy?

Buy Naxos if you want a smooth, elegant honey-tobacco scent that almost everyone around you will enjoy, from the office to dinner.

Buy Brutus if you love classic barbershop fougeres and want one with more grit: dry, earthy, woody and far less common in the room.

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 cooler evenings, gatherings in air-conditioned majlis settings and the winter months from November onwards. On fabric it can still be noticed the next morning.

Brutus is drier and more restrained. Its citrus top and aromatic heart make it easier to wear on warm evenings, and it pairs well with oud or a light musk if you like to layer. Three sprays give a clean, woody trail that stays close for most of the day. For a first test, try it on skin rather than paper: the oakmoss and patchouli need body warmth to show their depth.

Frequently asked questions

What does Orto Parisi Brutus smell like? Bergamot and mandarin on top, lavender, geranium and rose in the heart, and patchouli, cedar, oakmoss, labdanum, amber and musk in the base. It is an earthy aromatic fougere.

Who created Brutus? Alessandro Gualtieri, founder of Orto Parisi and the perfumer behind Nasomatto. It was released in 2014.

Is Brutus for men or women? It is unisex, though its fougere structure makes it especially popular with men.

Which is better for the UAE heat? Brutus, with its citrus opening and dry woods, is the more versatile of the two for warm evenings. Naxos is sweeter and shines in autumn, winter and air-conditioned rooms.

How do I order in the UAE? Both are in stock now at alhimyan.com. Cash on delivery is available across the UAE, delivery is fast, and returns are accepted within seven days.

Shop this round

Xerjoff XJ 1861 Naxos Unisex Eau de Parfum 100 ml

Orto Parisi Brutus Unisex 100 ml

Champion standing after Round 76: Xerjoff XJ 1861 Naxos, twenty-two straight wins. A new challenger enters next round.