Italian Perfumery (4/4)

Then, from the mid-90s, fifteen years of quasi-neglect. Not that there was nothing interesting: brands such as Lorenzo Villoresi, Bruno Acampora, Acqua di Parma and others were pioneering a fascinating  alternative market, pivoting around concepts of craftsmanship and love for the artistic aspect of composition, which certainly stimulated both the public and many young composers of the the next generation.

The years 2000 saw the launch of more "niche brands" such as Carthusia, Bois 1920, I Profumi del Forte, Nobile 1942, started offering the new, "selective" public a convincing range of  more satisfying fragrances.

Moreover, both Armani and Prada have launched their "exclusive/privèe" lines aiming the market of “niche” perfumery with exciting new fragrances, composed with a fresher, artistic intention. In addition, the most important Italian distributors (those that bring in Italy the most interesting foreign brands) supported the establishment of several small artistic realities, which over time have grown and earned respect.

The success of Italian perfumery in these last few years stems from the roots told in these last posts, I don't know if this success may also be a financial one, I have no numbers to tell. But I know that, as far as perfumes are concerned, Italy is once again on the map for  originality, personality, taste. Composers and brands born in recent years as Maria Candida Gentile, Nasomatto, Xerjoff, Eau d'Italie, Histoires d'Eaux, Blood Concept, Meo Fusciuni, Nu_Be, Culti, Castello di Ama, Gini etc.. show that there's still creativity here, and it's fine, thanks.

Italian fragrances continue to show the same taste for attractive, round, satisfying raw materials of their predecessors. They still enjoy personality, facets, chiaroscuro, expressed in compositions stimulating both nose and brain with intense, abstract scents, or titillating the senses with tactile and taste feelings.

Many contemporary works share the love for fabric of the scents of the past, like in Nasomatto line (the tweed roughness of Absinth, a Narcotic Venus in satin slip etc.), Villoresi (a cashmere pashmina for Alamut, a spicy powder for Piper Nigrum), while Blood and Nu_Be scents allow you to touch cool rocks, moist soil or breath a cloud of dry primitive gas in a spaceship.

Gourmand scents, instead, are not at all about candies, but complex gastronomic sensations, such as Meo Fusciuni's spicy teas, Eau d'Italie's renaissance pomander (Baume du Doge), bitter black olive spread (Sienne l'Hiver), basil ice cream (Jardin du Poète), while rose and bitter almonds in Cinabre and Sideris by Maria Candida Gentile convey a gourmand feeling without this being so obvious.