Heritage
A house, in its own words
The Officina Profumo‑Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella was founded in 1221 when Dominican friars settled in Florence and opened a modest infirmary at the convent of Santa Maria Inter Vineas. Their early work focused on herbal remedies, tinctures and balms for the sick and the poor. By the fifteenth century the workshop expanded its catalogue to include scented waters and cosmetics, a shift documented in municipal records that list the sale of "acqua della Regina" in 1533 for the young Catherine de' Medici. The pharmacy earned a reputation for quality, attracting patrons from the Medici court and later from the courts of France and Spain. In 1828 the brand introduced Marescialla, a fragrance that referenced the title of a local military commander, demonstrating an early willingness to blend local history with scent. The nineteenth‑century saw the launch of Peau d'Espagne (1901), a complex blend of rose, amber and musk that quickly entered the inventories of European boutiques. The twentieth century brought a series of modern releases: Rosa (1999) highlighted centifolia rose, while Acqua di Sicilia (1997) captured the citrus groves of the island. Recent additions such as Porcellana (2012) and Cala Rossa (2014) illustrate the house’s continued dialogue between historic formulas and contemporary olfactory trends. Throughout its eight‑century journey the Officina has remained a family‑run enterprise, passing stewardship through successive generations while preserving the original workshop in Florence’s historic centre. Santa Maria Novella approaches perfumery as a continuation of its original medicinal mission: to create scents that nurture the body and calm the mind. The house emphasizes transparency, publishing the botanical origins of each ingredient and the traditional extraction methods used. It values longevity, preferring ingredients that age gracefully, such as aged rose petals, aged citrus peels and natural resins. The brand also respects the environment, sourcing many raw materials from Tuscan farms that practice sustainable agriculture. Creative decisions arise from archival research; perfumers study centuries‑old notebooks to understand the balance of aromatics that early monks prized. Rather than chasing fleeting trends, the house seeks to translate historic recipes into forms that feel relevant today, allowing a modern wearer to experience a fragment of Renaissance Florence. This philosophy underpins every new launch, from the citrus‑forward Acqua di Colonia (originally 1533) to the herbaceous Nostalgia (2002), each framed as a sensory narrative rather than a mere product.