Made in Italy perfume brands are internationally renowned for their use of high-quality ingredients, dreamy scents, and competitive price points. While luxury fashion houses like Giorgio Armani and Versace are well tapped into the fragrance world, there are other Italian brands focused solely on perfumes, and in some cases, also bath and body products, that are equally deserving of attention. These luxury companies strive to bring a taste of “la dolce vita” to their customers with scents inspired by Italy and the Mediterranean.
These three luxury Italian perfume brands should be a staple in your fragrance collection. Ranging in price from $100 to $490, with floral, oriental, fresh, and woody notes for both men and women, there’s something for everyone regardless of their preferences and budgets. All three brands ship to the United States.
Acqua di Santa Maria Novella
The Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella in the Tuscan capital of Florence dates back to 1221. Originally founded as a Dominican friars convent, the perfumery is considered to be the oldest pharmacy in the world. Scents like patchouli, freesia, and pomegranate are the company’s best sellers, while a new Iris fragrance is the pharmacy’s first Eau de Parfum in more than 800 years. Fragrances range from $100 to $180.
Eau d’Italie
Eau d’Italie is the signature fragrance and body care collection of Le Sirenuse, a 5-star luxury resort set on a cliff overlooking the town of Positano on the Amalfi Coast. Founded in 2004 to celebrate the hotel’s 50th anniversary, their fragrances are inspired by Italy and the beauty of the Amalfi Coast. Luxury scents like Mystic Sunset, with notes of saffron, sugar cane, and cedar wood; Acqua Decima, with lemon, mandarin, neroli, petitgrain, and wild mint; and Un Bateau Pour Capri, with peony, freesia, peach, jasmine, and cedarwood, cost $190.
Acqua di Parma
Founded in 1916 by baron Carlo Magnani of Parma, Acqua di Parma is a symbol of Italian elegance and luxury. All of their products are made in Italy to transport a piece of the sun-filled country to its customers. Acqua di Parma’s perfumes, geared toward both men and women with scents like Sicilian almond, Amalfi fig, and Capri oranges, embody the Italian arte di vivere, the art of living.
Asia London Palomba
Asia London Palomba is a trilingual freelance journalist from Rome, Italy. In the past, her work on culture, travel, and history has been published in The Boston Globe, Atlas Obscura, The Christian Science Monitor, and Grub Street, New York Magazine's food section. In her free time, Asia enjoys traveling home to Italy to spend time with family and friends, drinking Hugo Spritzes, and making her nonna's homemade cavatelli.