Which Italian niche perfume houses should you know?

The essentials

The Italian niche perfume houses to know are Santa Maria Novella, Acqua di Parma, Bois 1920, Lorenzo Villoresi, Profumum Roma, Eau d’Italie, Xerjoff, Nasomatto, Maria Candida Gentile, Masque Milano, Filippo Sorcinelli and Carthusia. The oldest, the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella in Florence (Italy), traces its roots to a Dominican convent founded in 1221. Lorenzo Villoresi, founded in Florence in 1990, is the oldest author-led house in this selection. Milan has hosted the Esxence fair since 2009, and its 16th edition, in June 2026, drew more than 400 brands.

• Heritage names: Santa Maria Novella (roots in 1221), Acqua di Parma (1916) and Bois 1920 (1920, relaunched in 2005).
• The first author houses: Lorenzo Villoresi (1990), Profumum Roma (1996) and Eau d’Italie (2004).
• The 2007 to 2014 wave: Xerjoff, Nasomatto, Maria Candida Gentile, Masque Milano and Filippo Sorcinelli.

The houses at a glance

Each row was checked against the house’s official website. Ownership is given as of 9 November 2026. “Not published” means the house does not disclose the information.

Houses verified on 9 November 2026 on their official websites and on our house pages.

Which is the oldest Italian perfume house still trading?

The Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella in Florence (Italy) is the senior house in this selection. Its own wording is careful: it “can trace its roots back to the Florence of 1221”. That year, Dominican friars founded the convent of Santa Maria Novella and began tending its garden.

The house dates its first evidence of scented waters to 1381. It was a rose water, distilled by the friars during the decades of the Black Death. In 1542 the convent pharmacy came under secular management for the first time.

The Officina gives 1612 as the conventional start of its business open to the public. Its owner, the Milan investment holding Italmobiliare, calls it “one of the oldest pharmaceutical laboratories in the world”. Italmobiliare bought a first 20% stake in January 2020 and completed full ownership on 11 October 2021.

Acqua della Regina, also sold as Acqua di S.M. Novella, is the Officina’s oldest fragrance. The house links it to 1533, when Catherine de’ Medici left Florence to marry the future king of France. The historic shop remains at Via della Scala 16.

Which houses carried Italian perfumery into the twentieth century?

Baron Carlo Magnani founded Acqua di Parma in Parma (Italy) in 1916, “as an alternative to opulent perfumes”. Colonia, released the same year, is still the house signature.

The company is now headquartered in Milan. LVMH took a stake in 2001 and full control in 2003. In November 2026 the brand’s website still names LVMH as its parent company.

Bois 1920 began in Florence in 1920 as the Bottega Italiana Spigo, founded by Guido Galardi. His grandson, the perfumer Enzo Galardi, revived the name in 2005 with Real Patchouly. The publishing company is Arnoway srl, in Florence.

Which were the first Italian author houses?

Lorenzo Villoresi founded his house in Florence in 1990, after a philosophy degree and years of travel in the Middle East. It is the oldest author-led house in this selection. Production is still carried out in-house, and the hexagonal bottle is its trademark.

The boutique sits in a Renaissance palazzo at Via de’ Bardi 12. The house also runs the Villoresi Museum, devoted to how perfume is made and to its raw materials.

Profumum Roma followed in Rome in 1996, founded by the Durante siblings: Giuseppe, Luciano, Maria and Felice. The house puts the essence concentration of its perfumes at 43%. It runs four boutiques of its own in Rome.

Eau d’Italie launched in Positano (Italy) in 2004, to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the hotel Le Sirenuse. Founders Marina Sersale and Sebastián Alvarez Murena gave the first perfumes to Bertrand Duchaufour.

Who drove the 2007 to 2014 wave?

Xerjoff was founded in Turin (Italy) in 2007 by Sergio Momo and Dominique Salvo. It also publishes Casamorati 1888, its heritage line. The house claims more than 180 creations sold in more than 125 countries.

Nasomatto was founded the same year in Amsterdam (Netherlands) by the Italian perfumer Alessandro Gualtieri. Its perfumes are made in Italy. Gualtieri added Orto Parisi in 2014 and composes both catalogues alone.

Maria Candida Gentile, a perfumer trained in Grasse (France), founded her house in Sarzana (Italy) in 2010. Her first perfumes, including Sideris, date from 2009. She signs the whole catalogue herself.

Masque Milano was established in Milan on 1 April 2010 by Alessandro Brun and Riccardo Tedeschi. Its fragrance line, Masque Fragranze, followed in 2013. Each scent is given to a guest perfumer and staged as a scene in an opera.

Filippo Sorcinelli, an organist and designer of liturgical vestments, launched his house in 2014. Its first perfume, LAVS, opened the UNUM collection.

Carthusia, on Capri (Italy), ties its history to the legend of the island’s Carthusian monks and to Queen Joanna of Anjou. The Ruocco family runs it today. The house calls its workshop “the smallest fragrance laboratory in the world”.

Laboratorio Olfattivo, founded by Daniela Caon and Roberto Drago, publishes perfumes by guest perfumers. Jean-Claude Ellena signed its Viaggio in Italia and Fioriture collections. The house does not publish its founding date.

How big is Esxence, Milan’s artistic perfumery fair?

Esxence bills itself as “the world leading event dedicated to artistic perfumery”. The fair has run in Milan since 2009. It is the main annual showcase for Italian niche houses, alongside brands from across the world.

In November 2024, Esxence estimated Italy’s artistic perfumery turnover at 400 million euros, or 33% of the Italian fine fragrance business.

Houses versus style: what is the difference?

This page answers a question of names: which houses to know, with their dates and owners. The shared style of Italian perfumery, its materials and its Florentine heritage are covered in What is Italian perfumery?

For France, see Which French niche perfume houses should you know?

FAQ

What is the oldest Italian perfume house still in business?

The Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella in Florence (Italy) traces its roots to 1221, when Dominican friars founded the convent of Santa Maria Novella. The house gives 1612 as the conventional start of its business open to the public. Italmobiliare has owned 100% of it since 11 October 2021.

Who owns Acqua di Parma?

LVMH. Acqua di Parma was founded in Parma (Italy) in 1916 by Baron Carlo Magnani. LVMH took a stake in 2001 and full ownership in 2003. The brand’s official website still names LVMH as its parent company.

Is Nasomatto an Italian house?

Partly. Nasomatto was founded in Amsterdam (Netherlands) in 2007 by the Italian perfumer Alessandro Gualtieri, and its perfumes are made in Italy. The company that runs it, Nasomatto BV, is based in Amsterdam.

Where can you discover Italian niche houses?

At Esxence in Milan (Italy), held since 2009. The 16th edition, from 3 to 6 June 2026, gathered more than 400 brands from over 40 countries and more than 20,000 visitors. The 17th edition is scheduled for 24 to 27 February 2027.

How is this page different from our page on Italian perfumery?

This page answers a question of names: which houses to know, with their dates and owners. The shared style, materials and Florentine heritage of Italian perfumery are covered in our article on Italian perfumery.

See also

Sources

• Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, “Our Story” (1221, 1381, 1533, 1542, 1612), official website, accessed 9 November 2026: smnovella.com.
• Italmobiliare, “Italmobiliare now has 100% of Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella”, press release, 11 October 2021: italmobiliare.it.
• Italmobiliare, “Italmobiliare invests in Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella”, press release, January 2020: italmobiliare.it.
• Acqua di Parma, “Our Story” (Carlo Magnani, 1916, Colonia) and legal notice (Milan headquarters, LVMH as parent company), accessed 9 November 2026: acquadiparma.com.
• LVMH, Acqua di Parma house page: lvmh.com.
• Bois 1920, “About us” (Bottega Italiana Spigo, 1920; Arnoway srl), accessed 5 November 2026: bois1920.it.
• Lorenzo Villoresi, “Maison Villoresi” (founded 1990, boutique, museum), accessed 9 November 2026: lorenzovilloresi.it.
• Profumum Roma, “Who we are” (1996, Durante siblings, boutiques): profumum.com.
• Eau d’Italie, “Our story” (2004, Le Sirenuse), accessed 5 November 2026: eauditalie.com.
• Xerjoff, “The story of Xerjoff” (2007, Casamorati, 180 creations, 125 countries), accessed 4 November 2026: xerjoff.com.
• Nasomatto, terms and conditions (Nasomatto BV, Amsterdam), accessed 4 November 2026: nasomatto.com.
• Orto Parisi, official website: ortoparisi.com.
• Maria Candida Gentile, “The artist”, official website: mariacandidagentile.com.
• Masque Milano, “Philosophy” (established 1 April 2010, Masque Fragranze 2013, Masque srl), accessed 9 November 2026: masquemilano.com.
• Çafleurebon, “Behind the Bottle Q&A: Masque Milano L’Attesa”, interview with Alessandro Brun and Riccardo Tedeschi: cafleurebon.com.
• Filippo Sorcinelli, “About us” (first perfume 2014, Alter duo s.r.l.), accessed 4 November 2026: filipposorcinelli.com.
• Carthusia, “Our history” (legend, Ruocco family, Capri laboratory) and home page (Intenso di Basilico), accessed 9 November 2026: carthusia.it.
• Laboratorio Olfattivo, “Chi siamo” (Daniela Caon, Roberto Drago, Kaon lab S.r.l.), accessed 9 November 2026: laboratorioolfattivo.com.
• Esxence, closing press release of the 16th edition, 9 June 2026: esxence.com.
• Esxence, “Esxence celebrates its 15th anniversary”, press release, 28 November 2024 (378 brands, 36 countries, Italian market estimate): esxence.com.