Santa Maria Novella, quintessential Italian elegance to celebrate the rose in all its splendor

In Florence, the rose is more than just a flower: it’s a heritage, a precious material, an olfactory language handed down for centuries.
With the arrival of May, Santa Maria Novella puts this queen of the garden back at the heart of its perfume creations and skincare rituals.

Founded in 1221 within the walls of a Florentine Dominican convent, Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella belongs to those rare houses that have survived the centuries without ever losing their soul. Behind its elegant bottles and delicately powdered fragrances lies a history of botany, craftsmanship and gestures almost unchanged since the Middle Ages.

As summer approaches, the Italian house celebrates the rose season with several emblematic lines, all built around two major botanical varieties: Rosa centifolia, also known as May rose, and Rosa damascena, renowned for its soothing and regenerating properties.

The May rose, at the heart of perfume creations

At Santa Maria Novella, the rose is never content to be romantic. It becomes in turn luminous, powdery, green or spicy, depending on the accords that accompany it.

Among the most delicate creations, Rosa Gardenia, from the Firenze 1221 collection, develops an enveloping, musky floral style. Bergamot, almond blossom and orange blossom open the fragrance with radiance, before giving way to a more generous heart of gardenia, rose centifolia, fig leaf and jasmine. At the base, sandalwood, vanilla and musk prolong the sensation of warm, velvety skin.

Available as Eau de Cologne, bath gel or fluid body cream, the line creates a veritable perfumed ritual.

Rosa Novella, a more contemporary rose

A more recent addition to the House’s universe, Rosa Novella interprets the flower in a more vibrant, almost textured version. Here, the rose is adorned with spices and precious woods, while retaining its characteristic Florentine elegance.

Lemon and petitgrain add lively freshness from the very first notes. Next come centifolia rose, gardenia and jasmine, in a composition that gradually gains in depth thanks to patchouli, cedarwood, sandalwood and musk.

This more contrasting construction gives Rosa Novella a particularly refined personality, ideal for those who like floral fragrances with more character.

Rosa, the floral delicacy of Santa Maria Novella

With Rosa, the house returns to a purer interpretation of the flower. The fragrance immediately evokes freshly picked petals, still powdered with dew.

Notes of bergamot and neroli bring light, while violet and jasmine soften the floral heart. The base, built around musk, patchouli and vanilla, leaves a tender, delicately enveloping trail on the skin.

Available as Eau de Cologne, solid soap and scented candle, Rosa transforms everyday gestures into a true sensory interlude.

Acqua di Rose, a skincare ritual inherited from Florentine archives

Beyond fragrance, Santa Maria Novella also perpetuates a long-standing tradition of botanical skincare. Mentioned in the company’s archives as far back as 1381, Acqua di Rose draws on the virtues of Rosa damascena to accompany the skin on a daily basis.

The line includes six formulas dedicated to cleansing, moisturizing and radiance: Eau de Rose, eau micellaire, gel cleanser, serum, cream and cream gel.

The approach remains true to the spirit of Officina: delicate textures, formulas conceived as ancient pharmacy preparations, and that feeling of sophisticated simplicity that characterizes the great Italian houses.

More than six centuries of history around the same flower

Through these collections, Santa Maria Novella reminds us that the rose has endured through the ages without ever losing its evocative power. Fresh, velvety, sunny or mysterious, it remains an infinite source of inspiration for perfumery and skincare, and in the bottles from the Florentine house, it retains something rare: a silent elegance, far removed from the effects of fashion.

Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica Santa Maria Novella in Paris:
6 Rue des Francs Bourgeois – 01 57 40 60 95
24 Rue de Sèvres – 09 67 32 26 24
318 Rue Saint-Honoré – 01 40 13 91 37

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