The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Zest me up! debuted in 2025, created by Lorenzo Orlandi Berti and Luca Maffei for Egōscentrique, the Italian fragrance house from Coreterno positioned between New York and Rome. Its name announces the effect before the first spray: citrus lifted by salt, sharpened with pepper, and given a tropical fruit heart. The composition follows Egōscentrique's radical-self-love philosophy, placing brightness and deeper warmth in the same frame rather than asking one to soften the other. That self-possessed idea becomes literal here. The wearer doesn't decorate the room; they bring a little voltage to it.
The unusual part is the collision: bergamot, grapefruit, orange, and yuzu supply immediate brightness, while salt pulls those fruits toward the shoreline. Black pepper interrupts the softness with a dry snap. Lily and mango keep the middle fresh and generous, and Cascalone®, driftwood, and amberwood give the base a mineral, woody architecture. It is a citrus aromatic built around friction, the moment clear water meets warm skin.
The evolution
At first, the citrus arrives all voltage. Bergamot, grapefruit, orange, and yuzu flash quickly, giving the opening a juicy, glittering surface. As they recede, the composition finds its pulse in black pepper and salt. Lily adds a clean floral lift, while mango lends sweetness without turning syrupy, more like ripe fruit warmed by salt air. The drydown changes the temperature. Driftwood and amberwood introduce a dry, weathered warmth beneath the marine brightness, while Cascalone® keeps the trail mineral and close. After roughly 4-6 hours, what remains feels like sunlit skin after a swim, with a faint woody shadow and a saline trace. Moderate projection carries the scent rather than announcing it from across the room.
Cultural impact
Egōscentrique occupies a self-possessed cultural register between New York attitude and Roman sensuality. Zest me up! extends that transatlantic identity into a bright, salty register, where tropical fruit and marine minerality replace polished darkness. Its appeal lies in sounding exuberant and self-aware at once, a fragrance for days that need more voltage. Independent commentary has framed the house as bold, playful, and enigmatic, qualities that make this release read as an invitation to wear confidence without apology.
The House
EGOSCENTRIQUEEgocentrique is a fragrance from Coreterno, a perfume house positioned between New York and Rome. Introduced in 2025, it presents fragrance as an act of self-assertion, pairing bright citrus notes with a darker, sensual character. A review describes its opening through the image of barbecued lemons, while another presents Egocentrique as a contrast of opposites, with brightness cutting through shadow. The result is a scent meant to feel direct, playful, and self-possessed rather than polished or restrained.
The Creator
Lorenzo Orlandi Berti & Luca MaffeiHis style favors clarity and precision, with a marked preference for Mediterranean botanicals and the richness they offer when treated with care. Lorenzo works comfortably across natural and synthetic domains, selecting each element for what it contributes rather than what it…
