New beauty brands are announced almost daily with a fancy newsletter (we just heard that there are two launches per day in France alone), so we can’t help wondering where authenticity, relevance and quality begin and end. Unless you are Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella with roots going back to 1221 in Florence making it the oldest pharmacy in the world.

Santa Maria Novella (SMN) was started by Dominican friars who founded the convent of the same name and began to cultivate a garden that contributed to centuries of knowledge in natural herbal remedies. From the Acqua di Rose (distilled rose water), very popular during the Black Death when it was used both to sanitize rooms and for personal care taken with wine or in form of pills, to the oldest fragrance from the house and one of the best sellers to this day, the Acqua della Regina specially created for Catherine de Medici. Today SMN is well known for its potpourri, scented candles, soaps, pomades, and eau de cologne.

SMN has undergone a number of changes post covid. First, it was fully acquired by investment holding Italmobiliare in 2021 and one year before the new CEO and nose, the Roman Gian Luca Perris who stepped down from his own company Perris Monte Carlo Maison, to join what he calls a dream house.

Under the reign of Perris, SMN has been working on its global expansion as well as diversifying its offer. Months ago, it launched an entire collection of beauty products derived from Acqua di Rose. Also, last year, the Italian house ventured into creating its first eau de parfum, named L’Iris after the emblem of Florence, which immediately became a best seller.

So it’s no surprise that Perris felt motivated to extend its eau de parfum line by launching three new fragrances inspired in the Medici gardens: (1) Bizzarria, a very rare citrus fruit rediscovered in 1980 among the botanical secrets of Villa Medicea di Castello; (2) Magnolia, one of the most primitive plants that decorate the façade of the same Villa, and (3) Gelsomino, a peculiar jasmine variety that arrived in Florence as a gift and that Granduca Cosimo III de’ Medici kept hidden in his gardens.

We sat down with Perris on the second floor of the historic store on via della Scala, 16 in Florence to learn a bit more about him and perfume. This is what he told us:

ACHTUNG: The perfume as a memory: What is the first fragrance that you remember?

Gian Luca Perris: Quelques Fleurs from the House of Houbigant, my mother’s favorite eau de parfum. My mother and her love for perfumery was my very first introduction to this world.

A: If you could travel in time, what moment in history would you like to smell?

GLP: The original muguet in Diorissimo de Dior created by Edmond Roudnitska in 1956 lost in the archives. Evidently [the muguet] is not the same we have today.

A: Your first perfume?

GLP: JAZZ by Yves Saint Laurent was my signature scent when I was a teenager. I no longer have a signature fragrance. I like to play different style-different moment.

A: What fragrance are your wearing today and why?

GLP: Bizzarria for its perfect match with the season.

A: Your first experience with Santa Maria Novella?

GLP: I read about it during one of my trips to the city—I used to come here for Pitti—around 25 years ago. I decided to visit their so praised store. Back in the days there was no Google Maps, nothing. I was going up and down looking for this magnificent place. The façade did not tell much but as soon as I entered, I thought it was heaven.

A: Each of the new eaux de parfum in one word:

GLP: Bizzarria: Energy. L’Iris: Elegance. Magnolia: Sensuality. Gelsomino: Elegance and sensuality.

A: Which one of the four eaux de parfum from Santa Maria Novella would Dante Alighieri pick?

GLP: L’Iris because he was very Florentine and because of it atemporal elegance.

A: Santa Maria Novella’s main competitors?

GLP: I do not think there is any other beauty brand with 800 years existence! In terms of market share, yes, we have, but in terms of storytelling and inspiration we are very unique.

A: Celebrities creating their beauty label…

GLP: Mind your business. I love people that remain relevant to their knowledge.

A: Made in Italy?

GLP: Made in Florence.

A: What are you wearing today (fashion)?

GLP: A suite from a little couturier here in Florence using Italian fabric. We still have a good network of artisans doing an amazing job.

A: Your favorite restaurant in Florence?

GLP: Cantinetta Antinori.

A: Their best plate:

GLP: Polpette al pomodoro.

A: Your favorite regional wine?

GLP: Tignanello.

A: Analogy between perfume and wine?

GLP: We do a very similar work. There is just a different way of driving expression.

A: Difference between eau de parfum and eau de cologne?

GLP: The formulation is quite different. Eau de cologne is a more classical way of perfumery with less concentration compared to eau de parfum. Eau de cologne has a more direct style.

A: Golden rule when you wear a perfume?

GLP: Be yourself. Wear what you want in that moment. Use your nose to choose your fragrance, not the marketing campaign. Build a little personal “wardrobe”. A perfume is an accessory that tells something about your mood in a particular moment.

A: Signature scent [to wear the same perfume]: Yes or no?

GLP: Are you the same person every day?