Xerjoff: History of the Perfume House and Its Development

Xerjoff is an Italian perfume house founded in Turin in 2007 by Sergio Momo and Dominique Salvo. The company was conceived as a project combining perfumery, design, and decorative arts. Before entering the fragrance industry, Sergio Momo worked in design.

Sergio Momo, founder and creative director of Xerjoff

In 2005, he travelled to Grasse, where he studied fragrance creation, the history of modern perfumery, natural raw materials, and methods of extraction and distillation. In an interview with the Italian publication Pambianco Beauty, Momo described the development of Xerjoff's aesthetic as a combination of this knowledge with the traditions of Italian design.

According to Xerjoff's official history, the idea for the brand emerged before its formal foundation. Momo's first experiment was a fragrance presented in a hand-finished quartz bottle. During a trip to Moscow, one of his clients became interested not only in the fragrance but also in its unusual bottle and ordered several pieces. Xerjoff identifies this episode as one of the starting points of the future brand.

The first Xerjoff collection, 17/17 Stone Label, was launched in 2007. Its concept established one of the house's defining principles: fragrance was presented as an art object in which the formula, bottle, and materials form a unified creation. The collection's bottles are decorated with individually worked semi-precious stones. Xerjoff describes the philosophy behind the collection with the phrase:

“Nature provides the materials, the human hand transforms them into something new.”

The 17/17 Stone Label collection, introduced by Xerjoff in 2007

In 2009, the house introduced the Shooting Stars collection, whose concept was inspired by meteorites. The collection refers to the Sikhote-Alin meteorite fall in Eastern Siberia in 1947; individual fragrances received names and visual identities associated with celestial objects and meteorite fragments.

The Revival of Casamorati

Another important stage in the company's development was the acquisition of the historic Italian perfume house Casamorati. The company was founded in Bologna by Claudio Casamorati. On April 17, 1888, a trademark featuring a double C was registered for soaps and perfumes. Casamorati subsequently became known both in Italy and internationally, but ceased operations around the middle of the 20th century.

Casamorati, the historic Italian perfume house revived by Xerjoff in 2009

In 2009, Xerjoff acquired the rights to Casamorati and revived the house, retaining its original logo and bottle design. Some modern Casamorati fragrances are based on historical formulas or surviving samples, while others reinterpret the heritage of the original house through contemporary compositions. Casamorati therefore became a separate direction within the Xerjoff portfolio, built around the aesthetics of late-19th- and early-20th-century Italian perfumery and the heritage of Art Nouveau.

Brand Concept and Major Collections

Xerjoff's activities are organised around several collections with distinct artistic and olfactory concepts. In addition to 17/17 Stone Label and Shooting Stars, one of the house's major directions is Oud Stars, dedicated to oud-based perfumery. The collection draws inspiration from the travels of Ibn Battuta, with fragrance names referring to cities he visited and described.

Another distinctive concept is Join The Club (JTC). For this series, Xerjoff deliberately does not disclose the complete composition of the fragrances. Instead, consumers are invited to experience each fragrance through the idea of an exclusive club, community, or particular lifestyle. The current JTC range includes fragrances such as Torino21, Torino22, 40 Knots, More Than Words, and Ivory Route.

Packaging has also become an important element of the Xerjoff identity. One of the characteristic details of its bottles is the substantial cap, whose shape was inspired by the ancient Egyptian Deshret crown. According to the brand, the inspiration came from objects in the Egyptian Museum in Turin. In 2016, Xerjoff introduced a new bottle design featuring faceted surfaces and a substantial base.

Manufacturing and International Development

Xerjoff positions itself as an Italian luxury brand. In a 2024 interview with Pambianco Beauty, Sergio Momo stated that the house's products are “ideato e prodotto in Italia, a Torino” — conceived and produced in Italy, in Turin. He described the process as encompassing product development, packaging, and subsequent distribution. The company also emphasises the use of materials such as quartz and Murano glass.

International expansion began relatively early in the company's history. In 2010, Xerjoff opened its first monobrand boutique at Dubai Mall. Further boutiques subsequently opened, including a location in London, while the brand's fragrances became available through major department stores and specialised perfume retailers.

An interior view of a Xerjoff boutique in London

According to Forbes Italia, by 2018 Xerjoff had reached approximately €10 million in turnover, with exports accounting for 95% of the business and products distributed in 60 countries. That year, Andrea Tessitore joined the company's board as president and minority shareholder. Xerjoff was also reorganised as Xerjoff Group. At that time, the group's portfolio included Xerjoff, Casamorati, and Kemi.

More recent figures published by Xerjoff indicate further expansion. The company currently states that its portfolio comprises more than 180 original fragrances and that the brand is present in more than 125 countries, with 13 proprietary boutiques. These figures represent the company's current published data and may change as its product range and retail network expand.

Xerjoff Beyond Perfumery

In recent years, Xerjoff's activities have extended beyond fragrance creation. The company has developed Xerjoff Blends, a series of projects connecting perfumery with other areas of culture, including music, gastronomy, art, and design. Sergio Momo has described perfume as a form of creative expression, while the company uses collaborations to create projects intended to engage not only the sense of smell but also visual and tactile perception.

Xerjoff's collaborative projects have included work with the British band Duran Duran, co-founder of Black Sabbath Tony Iommi, chef Yannick Alléno, Italian automotive manufacturer Automobili Lamborghini, and other companies and cultural figures.

In 2021, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi became the first collaborator of Xerjoff’s newly established Blends collection

Another area of activity is the Spray to Help philanthropic programme. Through this initiative, Xerjoff creates special fragrances, with part of the proceeds directed towards specific charitable projects. For example, Save Me, released in 2021 in collaboration with Brian May, was created in support of the Save Me Trust, an organisation dedicated to wildlife protection. Other projects associated with the programme include 1986, connected with the Piedmont Foundation for Cancer Research and the Candiolo Cancer Institute, and CoExistence, created in support of The Great Elephant Migration conservation project.

Over less than two decades, Xerjoff has developed from a Turin-based project founded by Sergio Momo into an international perfume group. Its development has been characterised by the combination of Italian design and fragrance production, a collector-oriented approach to bottle design, the creation of several distinct concepts within its portfolio, and an expansion into cultural collaborations and philanthropic initiatives.