Xerjoff Esquel Review: The Meteorite Fougère You Didn't Know You Needed

Darling, let''s talk. In a world saturated with fleeting trends and deafeningly loud launches, there are certain secrets we in the industry keep close to our chest. These are the fragrances that don''t scream for attention on social media but instead earn a permanent, revered place on the vanities of those who truly know. I''m pulling back the velvet curtain on one such masterpiece today: Esquel, from Xerjoff''s enigmatic Shooting Stars collection. You won''t see this one hyped by every influencer, and that, my friends, is precisely its power. It’s a nod between connoisseurs, a silent acknowledgment of impeccable taste.

Launched back in 2009, Esquel arrived as part of a collection inspired by a truly otherworldly event—the Sikhote-Alin meteorite shower that fell over Siberia in 1947. Each fragrance in this line is a tribute to that cosmic spectacle, and Esquel, named after a specific meteorite found in Argentina, is no exception. It was designed not as a mass-market pleaser but as a piece of olfactory art. In the extensive Xerjoff universe, where giants like Naxos and Alexandria II command the spotlight, Esquel remains a quieter, more cerebral star. It''s the choice for the collector who has moved beyond the obvious and seeks nuance, history, and a story in their scent.

The concept is pure poetry: a classic, almost stoic, fougère structure—that timeless blend of lavender, oakmoss, and coumarin—colliding with the ethereal. It''s meant to evoke the cool, mineralic mystery of a celestial body meeting the warm, aromatic familiarity of the earth. Think of it as a perfectly tailored Savile Row suit, but woven with threads of stardust. It’s this tension between the traditional and the avant-garde that has cemented its reputation among the fragrance elite. It is, without exaggeration, one of the most masterfully blended modern fougères on the market today.

In the fragrance community, Esquel is spoken of with a certain reverence. It’s not a ''beast mode'' projector that announces your arrival from down the block. Instead, its impact is far more profound. It draws people in, creating an aura of sophistication and quiet confidence. It’s the scent of a person who has nothing to prove. My sources in Turin whisper that Esquel has a fiercely loyal following, one that buys backup bottles for fear it might ever be discontinued. It’s a cultural touchstone for those who appreciate the art of perfumery and a benchmark against which other luxury fougères are often measured. Now, let’s get into why this celestial gem deserves your immediate attention.