The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Narici Milano launched in 2024 from Milan as a one-person creative studio. Alessandro Commisso, founder and in-house perfumer, built the house on a conviction that perfume-making starts with agriculture, not chemistry. He sources single-origin Italian materials, works with Iris Pallida from Tuscany, and frames each fragrance as an act of provenance. Matcha came from a question: what happens when a meditative Japanese tradition meets the assertive energy of Italian lavender? The answer is confrontational by design.
Lavender isn't a supporting player here. It's the structural spine, drawn from Tuscan cultivars with that characteristic camphor edge. The matcha isn't the creamy, sweet kind found in trendy lattes either. This is ceremonial-grade powder, green and bitter and vegetal. Alessandro didn't try to soften the collision. He let the fougère architecture hold the tension between them, with white musk providing clean structure and tonka bean slipping in at the base to keep the finish from going completely austere. The result is a fragrance that asks something of the wearer.
The evolution
It arrives without apology. Lavender opens with a camphor punch that surprises even people who knew it was coming. The matcha takes its time, but when it settles, it doesn't replace the lavender, it complicates it. Green and powdery, slightly vegetal, the matcha lingers beneath while the lavender softens into something more aromatic. White musk keeps everything clean. By the drydown, the tonka and benzoin arrive, adding a faint creaminess that recalls tiramisu without ever becoming sweet. The final impression is close to the skin, warm, and lasting well past the workday.
Cultural impact
Matcha enters a fragrance landscape where green tea interpretations have become increasingly sweet and consumer-friendly. Narici Milano's approach is deliberately different. By making lavender the structural spine rather than a supporting note, the brand positions Matcha as a fragrance for people who want scent to do something unexpected. Early reception suggests the matcha note itself is strikingly realistic, straight matcha powder, not a latte, but the lavender opening has generated the most discussion. The fragrance rewards those who stay with it past the initial confrontation.
