The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
4 Rosso arrived in 2021 from Roberto Ugolini, the Florentine house shaped by a shoemaker's eye and a perfume connoisseur's curiosity. Perfumers Maurizio Cerizza and Cristian Calabrò built it around a clear tension: smoke and saffron, rose and black pepper, then caramel against wood and ambergris. Nothing here is merely decorative. The fragrance treats leather as a feeling rather than a note, letting smoky warmth, dark florals, and soft sweetness occupy the same polished space. Saffron threads through the composition with a leathery dryness, while rose deepens into something closer to dried petals than fresh blooms.
The structure makes 4 Rosso feel less like a collection of familiar materials and more like a carefully cut pattern. Saffron brings heat, while bergamot keeps the opening from becoming too heavy. Damask rose and ylang-ylang add a floral body that is dark and languid, not airy. Black pepper cuts through it. Below, caramel and Bourbon vanilla meet guaiac wood, musk, and ambergris, creating the dry, tactile impression of leather with a warm, wearable finish.
The evolution
On skin, 4 Rosso begins with a bright collision of saffron, smoke, angelica, and bergamot. The citrus and angelica sharpen the smoke at first, almost like light catching the edge of a dark material. Then Damask rose, ylang-ylang, and black pepper take over. The heart becomes floral and peppery, with a plushness that keeps the smoke from feeling rough. Caramel arrives before the florals disappear, turning the composition warmer and more rounded. Guaiac wood, musk, Bourbon vanilla, and ambergris settle underneath, leaving a smoky-sweet leather impression. The fragrance wears with above-average longevity, the kind that lingers through an evening without losing its structure. As hours pass, the smoke gradually recedes into a softer haze, and the vanilla and ambergris come forward with a creamy, almost lactonic sweetness.
Cultural impact
4 Rosso sits naturally beside fragrances that explore the line between polish and provocation, with Tuscan Leather and Godolphin offering useful reference points for its leathery warmth. It brings floral smoke, sweetness, and spice arranged with the confidence of a well-made accessory. The composition draws from a tradition of bold Italian leather fragrances while pushing into territory that feels more layered and contemporary, where the smoke and florals share equal billing rather than one supporting the other.
The House
Roberto UgoliniRoberto Ugolini is a Florentine fragrance house born from the intersection of artisanal shoemaking and perfume artistry. Founded in 2019 through a collaboration between master shoemaker Roberto Ugolini and perfume connoisseur Herbert Stricker, the brand translates decades of leather craftsmanship into olfactory form. Based in Florence, the city long renowned for its leatherworking heritage, the house draws directly from this tradition. Each fragrance in the collection takes inspiration from footwear and the culture surrounding it, with names like Oxford, Loafer, Derby, and Kitten Heel appearing alongside more evocative titles such as Patina, Giardino di Boboli, and Marzocco. The collection currently spans over a dozen scents released between 2019 and 2024, each attempting to capture sensory memories associated with fine leather goods, Florentine streets, and the art of dress.
The Creator
Maurizio Cerizza & Cristian CalabròCerizza's work reflects the discipline of the Roure method he absorbed early in his career. He favors working with natural materials, drawing on his family's deep expertise in extraction and distillation to inform every creation.
