The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Marchesa Casati was a legendary patron of the arts and muse of eccentricity, known for her extravagant dark fashion and lavish fetes with exotic animals, gilded servants, and an infectious waft of incense and mystery. This fragrance captures that essence.
The composition builds around the dark resinous character of myrrh, warm spice from cardamom and saffron, and a smoky balsamic depth from incense and benzoin. It's a fragrance that rewards those who appreciate complexity over convenience, theatrical in its development, intimate in its drydown, demanding in the best possible way.
The evolution
The opening is sharp. Pink pepper and red berries announce themselves first, cutting through the air with intent. Then the heart of the fragrance reveals itself, dark myrrh taking center stage, surrounded by licorice, cardamom, and saffron. The herbal bittersweet notes shift the entire composition. Incense, benzoin, and patchouli rise and dip through the middle notes, with guaiac wood and cypriol oil providing the smoky, earthy foundation. The drydown strips everything back to something simpler. Pink pepper and saffron hold the line, grounded in warm benzoin that lingers close to the skin for hours.
Cultural impact
Myrrh Casati opened in 2014 to immediate attention from those who value complexity and depth over convenience. Its theatrical intensity and rich resinous character have made it a discontinued scent that continues to find new admirers. The fragrance opens bold and resinous, with Somalian myrrh taking center stage alongside warming cardamom and frankincense that temper the sharp opening with clean spice. As it develops, pink pepper and red berries lift the heart with a bright edge, while the drydown settles into warm benzoin, pink pepper, and saffron for a quiet, intimate finish that stays close to the skin.
The House
Mona di OrioMaison Mona di Orio emerged from a meeting between a classically trained French perfumer and a Dutch designer united by their passion for art and artisanal craft. Founded in Amsterdam in 2004, the house built its reputation on fragrances that bridge the golden heritage of 1920s and 1930s perfumery with a distinctly modern sensibility. Each scent plays with contrasts: light and shadow, sparkle and depth, the ephemeral and the enduring. The untimely passing of founder Mona di Orio in 2011 left a significant void, yet her vision continues through her partner Jeroen Oude Sogtoen and in-house perfumer Fredrik Dalman.
The Creator
Melanie LerouxMelanie’s signature technique blends bold spices with rare woods, creating layers that reveal themselves over time. She favors ginger, cumin, cardamom and pepper for their ability to spark attention, then grounds the composition with agarwood, sandalwood or cedar that linger o…
