The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Lugano entered Duomo Perfume House's city-named collection in 2022, a release credited to Essa Bu-Abbas and Yaqoub Al-Attar in the fragrance record. Part of a collection that uses Italian city names to establish distinct scent personas, Lugano moves beyond a single place reference and builds its character through contrasting notes. Blackcurrant and ginger bring a bright, sharp opening, while dark chocolate and orris root create a bittersweet, powdery center. Tobacco, castoreum, and Iso E Super settle the scent into a woody, musky, ambered base. As the fruitiness softens and the darker notes gain weight, the fragrance reveals itself as an atmospheric interpretation of place, with a composition that feels layered, tactile, and expressive.
The unusual part is the contrast running through the pyramid. Blackcurrant gives the opening a juicy, almost cordial brightness, while ginger adds clean heat. Dark chocolate pulls that brightness toward rich, bittersweet warmth, and orris root softens the center with a powdery iris texture. In the base, tobacco brings smoke and dry depth, castoreum adds an animalic edge, and Iso E Super gives the whole composition a clean woody framework. The notes move from fruit to spice, sweetness to smoke, and polished powder to something more primal.
The evolution
At first, Lugano announces itself with the brisk lift of blackcurrant and ginger, like fruit cut with a little heat. That brightness doesn't linger as sweetness alone. Dark chocolate and orris root step forward, rounding the opening into a darker, powdery center where fruit becomes richer and less obvious. As the hours pass, tobacco takes over the drydown, adding smoke and dry depth. Castoreum leaves a distinctly animalic trace, while Iso E Super keeps the base woody and composed. Over time, the fragrance develops toward a warm, polished interpretation of its opening: still sweet, but darker, smokier, and more grown-up. The contrast between juicy fruit, powdery iris, dry tobacco, and a clean woody base gives the scent an evolving shape, with each stage adding a distinct layer while the earlier notes gradually recede.
Cultural impact
Lugano sits within Duomo Perfume House's city-as-identity framework, where Italian place names function as cues for distinct scent personas. Its composition gives that city register a richly layered character, beginning with blackcurrant and ginger before moving through dark chocolate and orris root toward tobacco, castoreum, and Iso E Super. The interplay of bright fruit, bittersweet depth, powdery texture, dry smoke, animalic warmth, and a woody base makes Lugano a compelling addition to the collection's exploration of place through scent.
