Nio

Nio This is part 2 of 6 in my reviews of Xerjoff Shooting Stars that are in my current collection. I will independently review Kobe, Uden, Uden Overdose, Nio, Cruz del Sur I, and Cruz del Sur II. I will provide limited comparisons and ranking of each. Fresh cut grass anyone? The initial blast can be polarizing. It’s truly the closest thing I have smelled to fresh cut grass. It’s not my favorite, but give it five minutes and the bergamot helps the green settle down into a beautiful spring morning. Soon, the jasmine arrives balancing out the citrus and adding a welcomed creaminess, turning this into luxurious soap. The citrus begins to fade and the fresh soapiness remains. Eventually, the vetiver provides just a bit of earthiness to remove the soapiness. The opening is a little odd, but the mid and dry down are nearly flawless. I owned Nio for a while and really forgot about it. I grabbed my bottle for my series on Xerjoff Shooting Stars, I realized what I have been missing. So clean, so fresh, so energizing. Nio will be an easy reach for the remainder of summer. It has decent projection and legs, especially for a freshie. I would say it’s completely unisex and leans towards a daytime spring or summer option. It’s likely for a more mature wearer since it lacks bubblegum sweetness, but it’s definitely not dull. I know the notes do not support the comparison, but it reminds me of the feeling you get from Green Irish Tweed and several different Acqua di Parma offerings. So where does Nio rank with my other Shooting Stars… My ranking: 1. Nio 8.5/10 2. Uden 6.5/10 3. Kobe 6.3/10 4. Uden Overdose 6.0/10 5. Cruz del Sur 5/10 6. Cruz del Sur 4/10

Opening is nice and fresh, summery, and smells clean. But then after about 45 mins on my skin it just transforms into something totally addictive. Subtle, woody, musky with a hint of that citrus in the background. Lasts absolutely ages on me, I can still pick it up after 10-12 hours, but stays close enough that it's just for me and my little bubble. Had a sample, used it twice and bought a bottle immediately because I don't want to live in a world where I know I could smell like this but then chose not to.

8.6/10 Opening is really bad, smells like cleaning products. However, after 5 minutes it turns into a gorgeous citrus. Smells like high quality citrus soap, the type you'd get in a fancy hotel bathroom.

Finally couldn't resist & when the price dropped to £120 I bit the bullet,total blind buy! Everyone online has raved about this so I felt safe (ish) not entirely what I was expecting but still really like it. Needs a few more wears but initial impression is soapy citrus,reminds me of Zefiro without the incense.

I have to agree with realmoocow on this review. I just got a sample and applied an hour ago and am enthralled with this one. I am a big fan of Xerjoff but generally go more for fragrances with less green notes. This is an exception. For those folks likening it to cleaning products, I think perhaps they are missing the scent trail and just detecting what their skin smells like up close. I say this because I find many of the fragrances with higher fragrance oil concentrations to me smell much better when not putting one’s nose up to the skin where applied. For fragrances of lesser oil concentrations and more chemically derived ingredients, I see less difference between the scent trail and skin odor. I also expect a slower evolution from parfum concentrations than EDP or EDT, which I prefer rather than being hit with rapid aerosolized fragrance immediately after applying. Xerjoff is known for quality ingredients and essential oil concentrations closer to a parfum, even for their EDP blends (around 30% oil). Years ago I wanted the immediate result and could not wait to see how my chemistry would respond. Go figure…

Truly disappointed in the open of this. it was green, but liked to parsley and mint. Not the kind of green I imagined. The green notes overwhelm the bergamot and gives it a sort of medicinal scent. Though it’s clean it’s not one I believe is attractive “clean”. Smells like the vegetable crisper in your fridge where you’d keep your thyme and parsley. For the price point you would think it’ll be more exciting. I’m so disappointed - especially at the price point! Zero thrill here. Hard pass. Looking to trade with for a Roja Elysium if anyone’s interested.

Blended in a subtle, refined way. Nothing screechy stands out. Beautiful harmonious creation. This is poetry.

Continuing my dive into the house of Xerjoff, today’s review focuses on a fragrance that heralded by those that know as an absolute titan within the realm of warm weather perfumery: Nio. Released under their ultra premium Shooting Stars collection, this particular bottle enjoys an immense reputation among citrus enthusiasts, frequently cited as a definitive benchmark for high definition freshness. The structural blueprint for this creation promises a masterclass in hyper realistic botanical design, aiming to deliver an explosive, sharp blast of Italian bergamot rind paired with freshly crushed green leaves before easing into a sophisticated heart of cool spices and clean woods. This release illustrates the house channeling their technical mastery into capturing the raw, vivid energy of a sun drenched Mediterranean citrus grove, focusing on crystalline clarity and premium natural ingredients rather than the typical synthetic transparency found in mainstream summer scents. Approaching a composition that carries such heavy expectations, the question remains whether Nio can deliver the legendary performance and unmatched realism required to justify its premium price tag, or if it is simply an overhyped option in a crowded genre. Let’s see if this fragrance stands as a brilliant, towering masterpiece of refreshing green art or if the excitement is overblown. Opening: The opening is citrusy, green, and floral. The primary notes I get are bergamot, green notes, neroli, and jasmine, with the bergamot and green notes leading the introduction. The bergamot starts the fragrance off with an absolute explosion of crushing citrus. This is not a sugary or synthetic lemon juice; it is the raw, oily rind of an authentic Italian bergamot, delivering a piercing, ultra bright freshness that instantly awakens the senses. Right behind the bergamot are the green notes, providing an intensely crisp and photo realistic botanical greenness. It gives the opening the distinct atmosphere of snapping a fresh green twig or, together with the bergamot, like walking through a sunlit citrus grove in the early morning. Working right under the dominant citrus and green notes, the neroli introduces a shimmering, white floral breeze. It helps soften the piercing bite of the bergamot rind, adding an incredibly upscale, aristocratic cleanliness to the introduction. Lastly, the jasmine serves to support the clean theme of the neroli as an additional velvety white floral layer, helping beautifully to smooth out any rough edges from the prominent citrus and green notes. The result is an opening that is incredibly bright and clean, effortlessly calling to mind other compositions like Herbes Troublantes, Artisan Pure, or Neroli Portofino. Dry Down: The dry down remains citrusy, floral, and green. The primary notes I get are bergamot, neroli, green notes, and vetiver, with the bergamot and neroli leading the composition. The bergamot is still the highlighted note with that same gorgeous, bright citrus, although it is no longer as intensely piercing as it was during the initial blast. The neroli has moved confidently into the foreground to become a primary note, delivering a much bigger dose of the clean white florals that played a supporting role in the opening. Meanwhile, the green notes have taken the neroli's previous place as a supporting note, contributing a much softer, gentler touch of that realistic greenery. Lastly, the vetiver has emerged at the base to provide a clean background of dry, slightly grassy woodiness. The result is a dry down that stays strictly focused on bright, pristine cleanliness, but becomes noticeably softer while leaning on a subtle woody backbone. Performance: The initial projection within the first hour of wear is strong, easily reaching out about six feet and making an immediate impression. The sillage perfectly matches that strength, leaving behind an easily noticeable scent trail. After about three to four hours on skin, the projection draws in to a more moderate three to four feet, with the trailing scent trail becoming lighter but remaining completely noticeable to anyone nearby. At around the seven to eight hour mark, the projection drops down further to sit within arm's length, and the scent trail becomes only faintly noticeable. The fragrance officially becomes a true skin scent around this same time, presenting an understandable lifespan for a fresh profile, though it stops short of true powerhouse longevity. When to Wear: Nio is a definitive spring and summer fragrance that is best worn during the daytime hours. Its exceptionally fresh, bright, and clean central theme works absolutely great for upscale casual wear, making it a perfect match for polo shirts, crisp linen button downs, or relaxed weekend outings in high heat. However, it possesses an immense amount of inherent refinement, allowing it to transition effortlessly into formal outdoor daytime events like summer weddings, garden parties, or upscale brunches. It also serves as an exceptional choice for professional office environments, where its pristine, soapy trail will feel incredibly clean and put together without ever offending coworkers in close quarters. Conversely, I would not select it for cooler months, nor would I choose it for special evening occasions or date nights where a much deeper, richer, or more atmospheric profile would work much better. Blind Buy: I would not consider Nio to be a completely safe blind buy for everyone. The sheer prominence of the sharp citrus, uncompromised greenery, and crisp florals means it is a highly specific artistic creation, rather than a mass appealing blue fragrance that relies on safe, heavy synthetic musks. The intense, bracing quality of the green notes can easily come across as too sharp or bitter for someone expecting a sweet, sugary lemonade or a gentle designer aquatic. It is a release tailored strictly for connoisseurs who possess a true, deep appreciation for highly realistic, botanical accords and upscale Italian style perfumery. Because it commands a significant premium price point, purchasing a full presentation bottle completely blind carries a massive financial risk if you find yourself sensitive to heavy neroli or sharp citrus rinds. Sampling is highly recommended so you can evaluate how these vibrant green notes react with your personal skin chemistry first. Final Verdict: Spending time with this bottle provided an immensely pleasant testing experience, as it is a fragrance I genuinely enjoyed wearing from start to finish. While my personal tastes naturally gravitate towards much heavier, deeper compositions, I have a massive love for fresh fragrances when they are executed properly, and Nio is definitely done right when it comes to the actual scent profile. The development is highly reminiscent of my past experience with Herbes Troublantes, as both creations share that high quality, luxurious, clean, and bright theme that feels exquisitely refreshing to wear on a hot day. However, Nio also unfortunately shares a similar performance level to that release. While it is certainly not a weak fragrance, especially when keeping its fresh, citrus driven nature in mind, I personally prefer a bit more overall longevity and heavy sillage from a luxury house price point. All things considered, I think Nio smells incredible, but like Herbes Troublantes, the somewhat underwhelming performance paired with that price point ultimately prevents it from being full bottle worthy to me. Scent: 8/10 Longevity: 7/10 Sillage: 6/10 Versatility: Average Compliment Factor: Average Gender: Unisex, leaning masculine Value: Overpriced

Got this as a sample. It's a beautiful, enlivening, summer-ready fragrance. I like the review underneath mine characterizing it as a "blossoming orange tree in a bottle," but I think there's more to it. This scent has more depth the more you smell it. You get floral accords and citrus, followed by fresh spices, then the herbs and woods...there are a lot of scents out there that smell good, but few reach this kind of olfactory experience and art. If I HAD to gripe...I guess I wish it performed a little better? But this is one of the best-performing freshies I've used -- I get 5 hours of solid sillage no problem before it starts to really die down. Also, I guess it does lean male, but it's more towards the unisex side of things for me to where women could pull this off too. It's kinda expensive so get a sample before you commit to a full buy. But I must say, I'm kinda smitten.

Two things awe me most when it comes to Xerjoff or rather around, the quality this brand has managed to uphold and the banality of people. I say this because it is absurd and ridiculous the usual comments when it comes to these type of fragances, fresh and clean ones. "It smells like a high-end cleaning product". Please, tell me how luxurious can a soap be or even better, how often are you smelling cleaning products in order for that to be your first reaction. Sure, a lot of daily-common cleaning and bodycare products contain such fragances in order to feel more fresher and cleaner but then again, how often are you smelling these products in order to distinguish one from another?... This may come across as snobish or simply pompous but really ask yourself, "is this all i can really smell?" (a cleaning product). And i´m not talking about picking each and single note from a fragance but simply, "what else can i picture this from?". Just that. And this, allows me to speak of Nio, this fragance. Simply put, Nio is a blossoming orange tree in a bottle. That's it. Which may sound simple but to make it in such a natural, reflective and isomorphic way to the real deal, is more complex than first impressions can tell. If i were to be more specific, imagine you are cutting oranges but from the branches and stems of the tree, not just the fruit. Why?, because that same "greenness" and "stem-like" aroma is exactly what it smells to cut a real branch of an orange tree (with the flowers of course). It is bitter, yes, just like a real cut stem but that´s the beauty of it. Perhaps even the point of perfumery, to capture such experiences in a bottle and having them persist in time, for whenever you want to be in a mediterranean field cutting oranges...without being there. Luckily for me, i do love neroli and white flowers. Especially when they come in such a natural, raw and might even say, "photorealistic" quality presentation just like Xerjoff makes it. Neroli is front and center, i might say it's actually a middle note, not a top one, as it persist the whole lifetime, finally vanishing and leaving a white-musk aroma. Light and pleasent smell overall, easy-to-wear and perfect for work, school, daily wear and even for more formal occasions. There is, however, a downside. The longevity. This fragance would benefit a lot from being more potent. So do consider overspraying for long routines.

Nio didn't impress me the first time I tried it, but now that I gave my sample a full wear a couple of months later I enjoyed it a lot. Nio is green, has a smooth white floral aspect from neroli, a perfectly dosed citrus zing from bergamot, the scent overall comes across very well balanced and doesn't end up smelling like a cleaning product in my opinion. As it starts drying I notice a light vetiver up close on skin, and around 4 hours later the skin scent becomes a clean, white musk. They're not necessarily similar but I see this being in a similar vein to fragrances like Neroli Portofino and Sun Song, but personally I think Nio is the best of the three by far. Performance is a mixed bag. Projection initially is strong as my mom said this smelled great immediately after walking into the dining room. Sillage is also rather dense at first but thankfully it's not overwhelming. It doesn't stay this way for long, though, about 2 hours in projection and sillage are muted to almost nothing and now, about 4 hours later, I can't really smell it on my skin anymore, not sure if out of nose blindness, the heat, the scent itself or all three.

Great! Not like the Riiffs Freeze… THATS a cleaning product style…. Its clean and fresh with class.

Feels like a expensive cleaning product with a lot of citrus in a good way for me, gets even better with time.

Genuinely did not like it the first time I tried it. Months later I tried my sample again, and I enjoy it so much more! I can appreciate it being one of the greatest examples I have smelled of a photorealistic natural bergamot note in the opening. As it begins to transition I get a short few minutes where the spices are really pronounced, but it quickly dies down to reveal green notes, white florals, and a hint of citrus. Very elegant and classy. Smells like fresh pressed linens at a 5-star resort. Exceptional fragrance for the gym, and work. Projection is low-moderate. Warm weather/body temp at the gym will boost projection, but will cut into the already sub-optimal longevity. I get 4-5hrs with the best projecting in the first 2hrs. Not everything needs to be a room-filler and I appreciate Nio for what it is. This is a true gentleman's fragrance.

Love, love ❤️ 😍

High quality, clearly well done, crisp and fresh, but too herbal/citrus-green in a way that turns savory. I agree with the reviewer below who said it smells like salsa. If you are okay with that, you'll probably love this. It's not for me, however.

This is just another citrusy perfume that smells like detergent. You can smell citrus and green notes and that’s about it. Such a disappointment. Take a sample or try it, do not blind buy this.

Torino21 and Uden 10 times better. This one really smells like a cleaning spray or something. Luckily only got a 5ml decant.

I like it. Professional and high quality summer day scent for men. I get mainly green notes then citrus and woody notes.

Too close to other offerings in this profile. Too much bergamot for my liking also. It overpowers the other notes too much. I’m very glad I bought a decant of this.

This fragrance reminds me of being a kid, eating honey suckles off our neighbors fence. It’s very bright green/citrusy. Almost too overwhelming and realistic in the opening but it quickly transitions to a more subtle nuance. This thing smells beautiful on my skin and lasts extremely long for what it is. I wasn’t sure about this one at first but after a few applications, its really grown on me.

Nio is an opulent citrus and floral fragrance. Upon application, tart bergamot and dry green notes combine with white florals, producing a bitter summery scent. As it dries down, the florals become more prominent, making the profile creamier. All in all, it is classy, refined, and unapologetic—like liquid wealth. 8.5/10

Fragrance Journal Entry #129 I appologize in advance if this review ruins this fragrance for you, you will not be able to unsee this connection after i make it. So this fragrance is best described through mental imagery...and that image is salsa...literally... Picture you order take-out mexican food, you open up the styrofoam box and next to your food is a little clear plastic cup with pico de gallo inside...you pop open that lid and take a whiff and that smell is this fragrance. So yes it's super fresh but it's fresh salsa, if it wasn't so herbal then maybe it would be more wearable but as it stands i don't want to walk around smelling like this. Side note: this smells nothing like JV Artisan Pure, that fragrance is better in everyway with the exception of performance. Rating: 5.2/10 Blind Buy Safe? NO

Really brighter and citrusy. Really photorealistic citrus opening with some ginger pop and green brightness. Gives me Italian imagination vibe or even can pass as an Acqua di Parma with my eyes closed

Nio used to be my favorite citrus until they reformulated it sometime in 2015/2016 (I belive it's when the change of bottle took place). Now it's not worth buying anymore. The wonderful citrus opening has been cheapened and it does not smell as natural as it used to. Don't give Xerjoff your money.

Special fragrance if you like bright citruses with green slant. The woodiness balances the fragrance out but make no mistake about it, the bergamont/neroli is the star. This is easily a love for me and one of my favorites from the house.

I have 1 vintage nio for sale 100ml bottle missing 1 ml Have box and bag in box. Shipping only in eu forst but i was flexible. Offer me the price . By vintage, I mean that it comes in vintage-style shooting stars bottles, not the newer type. https://share.google/images/DfNy7SkWIouMFcNFw

This fragrance immediately takes me to a wooden dock on a quiet lake. The afternoon sun filters through the trees, warming the planks beneath me, while a cool breeze carries the scent of water as it dries from my skin. Fish dart through the vegetation nearby, completing the scene. On my skin, the green, salty, and woody facets stand out more than the citrus. It feels both clean and murky—grassy, damp, with a mossy undertone. Not quite rotten wood, but definitely that distinct sense of moisture clinging to timber. I absolutely love this one.

Opens with a prominent citric bergamot with petitgrain, neroli, thyme, jasmine, pink pepper, and ginger as well as a distant cardamom, vetiver, cedar, gaiac wood, patchouli and amber. Surprised ginger isn't listed as a note here As this dries the pink pepper and woody notes become more prominent. I also get a nice sweetness coming from somewhere I'd wear this. Def one of the better ones from Xerjoff for the summertime

I just love it, it is such a photorealistic bergamot, more accurate I would say it smells, at its opening, exactly like a cut lemon leaf. Then it gets warmer because of the woods and spices. It is not a sexy female fragrance, it is more male. Personally as a Greek, I enjoy the familiar, Mediterranean note of the citrus fruit. It is so fresh, definitely a winner for hot summer time.