Heritage
A house, in its own words
The Monegal story begins in 1916, when the family opened Myrurgia in Barcelona. The workshop produced fine fragrances, soaps and cosmetics for Spain’s elite, and later supplied the Spanish royal household. In 1979 Ramón Monegal Maso, the fourth‑generation heir, launched his first successful scent for Myrurgia, a bright citrus blend that earned critical praise and set a new creative direction for the house. Over the next three decades Ramón worked as a freelance perfumer for several European niche brands, sharpening his nose on accords ranging from smoky oud to delicate florals. In 2009 he turned the family legacy into his own label, MONEGAL, and began composing every fragrance in his Barcelona studio. The debut collection featured “Mon Bois,” a woody tribute to the Catalan forests, and “Ambra di Luna,” a warm amber that quickly became a cult favorite. Subsequent releases such as “Flamenco” (2017), a vibrant spice‑laden tribute to Andalusian dance, and “Alhambra Oud” (2019), an opulent oud wrapped in citrus and rose, reinforced the house’s reputation for bold storytelling. Recent years have seen experimental drops like “Invisible But Cool” (2022) and the limited “#allnightlong” (2024), each reflecting Ramón’s willingness to blend classic techniques with contemporary aesthetics. Today the brand remains a family‑run atelier, with the original Myrurgia archive still guiding ingredient choices and the brand’s commitment to quality. Ramon Monegal treats each perfume as a concrete idea rather than an abstract mood. He begins with a single word - luck, desire, dissidence - and builds the scent around that notion, allowing the chemistry to express the concept directly. The Mediterranean backdrop of Barcelona supplies a constant visual and cultural reference: the sea’s salt, the heat of summer plazas, the chiaroscuro of Moor‑inspired architecture. This environment pushes the house toward bright citrus, smoky woods and rich spices that feel both rooted and adventurous. Ramón insists on sourcing ingredients that meet his exacting purity standards; he prefers natural extracts when they can deliver depth, but he does not shy away from synthetics that add precision. The result is a line that balances tradition with modernity, where a classic oud can sit beside a synthetic amber note without conflict. Each launch is presented as a short, visual vignette - a photograph, a line of poetry - that reinforces the underlying idea and invites the wearer to adopt the scent as a personal statement rather than a fleeting trend.