Reviews of Xeryus (1986)
by Givenchy

Notes (from the bottle):

Top: Basil, Clary Sage
Middle: Violet leaves, Green Accord
Base: Exotic woods, amber

(from other sites: the green accord is composed of galbanum, tarragon and geranium, and exotic woods: gaiac wood, sandalwood, vetiver).

A male tandem to Givenchy Ysatis, Xeryus is an 80s powerhouse fragrance although its aromatic fougere composition isn't as butch or lumberjack-like as other virile man juices from the 70s and 80s. The trifecta of basil, clary sage and violet leaves carry Xeryus resulting in a dry, bitter, herbal and somewhat minty fragrance. The "bitter" component stood out to my nose during my initial interaction with Xeryus but soon the whole composition fell into place. The basil note is responsible for a herbal sweetness while the sage note gives off its trademark hay like herbal and slightly bitter aroma. With a combo of such inherently bitter notes there's a danger of Xeryus transforming into a poisonous potion that only perfume enthusiasts with chemistry Phds, in the name of "perfumers art", would lose their marbles over, but a geranium note of the minty-green (rather than the rosy musty) variety inconcert with a translucent violet note provides a much needed blast of airiness and creates a near perfect balance of green and bitter-herbal aroma.

The characteristic accord of Xeryus pretty much defines it. The fragrance sports good longevity (around 7 hours) but is pretty linear. The amber in the base is almost non-existent, with only lite hints of sandalwood and vetiver peeking out towards the end of this show. Its not as dynamic as I wanted it to be, but this Givenchy classics' core (masculine) accord is blended to near perfection. Xeryus is ysatis's passionate lover with a hardhitting and virile accord. How hard is it? Thats what she said.

Rating: 8.25/10.0

Another men fragrance that I love from Givenchy. The young rebel man that wore this in the 80's is now about 40ish and he looks sexy, elegant, powerful and refined. The fragrance evolved with him.

A grand "sweater weather" fragrance. I really love this Eighties classic, but it -- by its very nature -- is (at least for me!) one of those frags that can seldom be worn after spring/before autumn.

I don't find it linear at all -- on the contrary, I contend that it's rich, complex and beautifully blended. Not as formal as Rouge, either -- Xeryus is versatile enough for casual and/or office wear.

I wish that Givenchy had kept the original "Eighties Neo-Art Deco" bottle, but perhaps the house's marketing department thought differently.

Green and grey are the colors I see when I smell this. It's got a dry woodiness to it but has a wet feeling amber base. Quite exotic.

I’ve found that Xeryus is more complex and interesting than I had originally given it credit for. With my first few wearings, I found it well made but quite ordinary. With more familiarity, I’ve begun to appreciate its depth, and what has finally captured my appreciation are the abundant oakmoss and Artemisia that rise from the base and stay in the background throughout most of its duration. Artemisia is a resinous wood better known as mugwort or wormwood. I originally missed out on it because the wormwood is more recessive than other wormwoods I’ve experienced in other fragrances. I think it’s the wormwood that causes those accusations of “medicinal” and “petrol” and “linear.” This particular version has charmed me with its quiet aromatic wormwoodiness – just the right touch of resin and wood depth to enhance the citruses, spices, and florals of the pyramid. And as an oakmoss lover, I find the use of oakmoss in this fragrance quite excellent. To my nose all the other notes simply top off these two base notes. The top’s citrus and lavender would be very ordinary without the Artemisia and oakmoss. The dry conifer / spice of the heart notes are still shadowed by the wormwood exoticness, while the sandal-woody / mossy base finally shakes off that resinousness to settle down to a more standard wood / moss accord typical of the ‘80s. Xeryus is a dry fragrance – no sweetness. It took me a long time to appreciate it because it’s not a fragrance that sends me into raptures; but it is a solid, stable masculine performer that doesn’t call attention to itself, has an interesting depth, has excellent longevity, has aged much better than most, and certainly deserves its place in my fragrance stable.

Back in the 80s as a youngster I thought this was very daring and exotic and erotic even. That was after having discovered and worn Paco Rabanne pour homme, Kouros and Devin (Aramis). After having explored countless other perfumes through the years, I went back to Xeryus about a year ago and wear it about once a month. It's no longer exotic, but also not dated, never cloying, never too aggressive. Just easy to wear, day or night. Quite a bit easier to wear than its younger brother Rouge. Now that's an altogether different kettle of fish...

Funnt how this smelled more spicy and mysterious when it was launched in 1986 and I was a wide eyed teenager. Recently revisited I still love it but for its clean, but not too clean and fresh but not too fresh notes. If I had to take one fragrance to a desert island it would be this as I never get tired of it and it usually doesn't get polarised reactions from people; most just like it one way or another. I think its one of the classics and a great mens scent.

I first smelled this in a gay bar in Albuquerque, New Mexico back in 1986, right when this fragrance came out. I was standing next to a dashing attractive gentleman at the bar when I got a whiff of his fragrance. I had to ask what he was wearing, when he said Xeryus. We are still friends to this day.

Oooh - this is one that I have to keep going back to over and over to smell and ponder.

I tested this one because of how much I love Xeryus Rouge. I remember being quite surprised, both at the strange fragrance, and at how it bears no resemblance whatsoever to Rouge.

On the one hand, it's round, smooth, mysterious - it's all yellows, golds and ambers and it brings to mind yellow on black. As it settles into the skin it becomes more bitter. It's the kind of thing you wear with your black turtleneck.

It's quite special and not like anything else in my wardrobe, but the only problem with it is that I'm sure that some bathroom handsoap company based their fragrance on this and it's hard to get away from that association.

Still, I like it more each time I wear it. Night time only!

To me, a sort of pleasant, woody smell--one I like very much.

A very nice classic. Really I can't believe it was created 20 years ago. Yet modern,yet sensual and airy. It is not the typical citrus zest cologne, a very rare and confortable scent. Still, this cologne should never be used if under 20.

I found this to be a very intriguing, rich and very masculine scent. I don't know what's in this scent, but it certainly smells way better than a whole lot of highly-touted colognes. Unlike Xeryus Rouge and Pi, which are most suited to special occasions, Xeryus is well for any occasion. I truly love this scintillating scent. It's very versatile and powerful, so spray cautiously and lightly. Other than that, it's pretty good.

This, Eau Sauvage Extreme and Givenchy Gentleman were my favourite scents in my mid teens, I always loved the bitter herbal fragrance and slightly milky back-note (still not sure what this could be.) I was originally attracted to the slightly Gothic packaging, though my mother wore Ysatis at the time: subliminal? Whilst I have always kept a stock of Gentleman and use it regularly, and occasionally use ESE though I have increasingly found myself turning to the original version, I haven't owned this for years. Perhaps it's time to bring back some memories

Xeryus is the closest thing to my holy grail artemesia (wormwood) foliage scent. Although listed as a top note, to my nose the artemesia permeates the entire composition, lasting right into the dry down of amber and heady, dry, resinous woods. And I mean lasts! Six hours and counting.

(I see "grapefruit" in the pyramid but I no smell "grapefruit.")

This refined fougere is one classic 80's scent that makes the transition to the 21st century intact and with no apologies. Wear it with confidence.

A dark and dense enigma threw
A shadow most mysterious,
Sophisticated through and through,
Perhaps a touch nefarious,
A smooth, metallic, spicy brew
With undertones most various,
And then of course at last we knew
It had to be Xeryus.

Xeryus is an early favored scent upon my return to fragrances some ten years ago. I would compare it as a fresh competitor to Kouros, rather than likening it to Nobile, which I abhor and see no similarity to at all.
Xeryus typifies the "fresh fougre" to me perfectly and starts with a citrusy lavendar, the lavendar persisting into the very ambery drydown, which helps retain the fresh edge.
While a bit clubby and bold, not so much so as to exclude day use or casual options as well. My only regret is seeing the outstanding black bottle being replaced by a very mundane one.
BTW, Xeryus lasts too, and doesn't turn nasty on the drydown either.

I like this one a lot. Good scent that's not loud or overpowering, but doesn't fade quickly. It's getting hard to find and that's ashame. Seems most that I like do that. I also wear Xeryus Rouge and get more comments from women on that, but I find it too overpowering for day wear.