The Colognes of Santa Maria Novella

Out of the 44 from the Florentine apothecary brand, 15 bestsellers are now available here. And each essential oil-based cologne is still made the 1300s way.

Santa Maria Novella doesn’t just have a rich history (it started in 1221); the Italian apothecary, still owned by Dominican friars, was also one of the most innovative and enterprising.

When the Black Death hit Europe in 1347, the friars of Santa Maria Novella distributed Acqua di Rose, a rose water disinfectant, to the public to help fight the plague. When it was called upon to make a fragrance for Catherine de Medici in 1533 as a wedding gift when she married the soon-to-be King of France, the friars were the first to use alcohol as a base instead of olive oil or vinegar – the latter were the norm then, but both left rancid odours over time.

first fragrance, Acqua di S.M. Novella, a bitter-crisp Calabrian bergamot with other fresh citrus notes, is still the numero uno of the brand’s present-day range of 44 colognes.

What makes Santa Maria Novella’s colognes exceptional in an already crowded market of perfumes? Well, they are made the same way as they were almost five centuries ago – with nature’s best ingredients from Florence and alcohol as a base. Few antioxidants are used as preservatives, to keep the fragrances smelling as similar to their fresh elements as possible. Then the colognes undergo an “ageing process” where the notes become more intense, and the colours of the liquids change.

“The changes are not defects by any means,” says the brand’s Japanese manager, Mayuko Vermeulen. “They are chemical reactions that take place as the essential oils in the colognes adjust naturally to their environment. It’s like you’re using an evolving perfume all the time.”

Another thing that sets them apart: their back stories. Angeli di Firenze, a fruity floral, was created recently (in 2010) to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1966 Flood of Florence, which killed 101 people and destroyed rare art and books. The scent was dedicated to the Mud Angels, youths who came from all over the world to help save lives, rare books and fine art.

“Customers not only get to wear the scent, but also the story that inspired it. It’s romantic.”

Acqua di S. M. Novella Tabacco Toscano Zagara Russa Rosa Inspired by Manifattura di Lucca’s Tuscan cigar. Sweet citrus + carnation + geranium. A “men’s cologne” of intense citrus floral + musk. A true powdery rose scent made from the May rose. The first cologne, and still the bestseller.

Melograno Gardenia Fresia Cala Rossa Tart + powdery + forest-y. Another single fresh floral with gardenias. Single-note everyday perfume with freesia. Wild lavender + mint + eucalyptus.

Muschio Ora Cinquanta Eva Customers say this smells like the first Chanel No. 5. Clean floral + green tea + amber. Masculine woody-spicy + black pepper + lemon.

Fresh citrus with Sicilian bergamot. Pot Pourri Acqua di Sicilia Angeli di Firenze Crisp greens + dried flowers. Sweet-fruity with soft and fresh florals.