Lua

Lua is XerJoff's meditation on the tension between lush florals and crystalline fruit—a composition that opens with an almost shockingly juicy melon accord before revealing its powdered floral architecture. The melon here isn't the cloying Cavaillon variety of early 2000s fruity florals; instead, it's taut and green-edged, brightened by bergamot's petitgrain facets and sweet orange oil. What makes Lua compelling is how swiftly it pivots from this fruit-forward opening into a heart dominated by Bulgarian rose absolute and orris butter, the latter lending that signature lipstick smoothness whilst the former brings jammy depth. Pink pepper adds a fizzing quality that prevents the florals from becoming too somnolent, whilst lily of the valley contributes its soapy-green character—though here it feels more like a supporting player than a lead.

The base is where Lua settles into something recognisably XerJoff: a plush bed of vanilla-sweetened musk with just enough cedarwood and patchouli to provide structure. The patchouli is clean, modern, scrubbed of its hippie connotations, whilst the cedar adds a pencil-shaving dryness that keeps the vanilla from veering into gourmand territory. This is a fragrance for someone who appreciates the floral bombast of high-end Italian perfumery but wants enough fruit and powder to make it feel approachable, even playful. It's suited to warmer months when you want presence without weight, and to those moments when you need to feel simultaneously polished and insouciant.