Santa Maria Novella

Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella is the Florentine apothecary founded by Dominican friars in 1221 and opened to the public in 1612 at Via della Scala 16, Florence — widely described as the oldest pharmacy in the world still operating on its original site. Its first fragrance, Acqua della Regina (also sold as Acqua di Colonia), was composed in 1533 for Caterina de' Medici before she left for France to marry the future Henri II.

Every Santa Maria Novella cologne is still made in Florence from the friars' herb garden tradition: alcohol infusions of Florence iris, rose, freesia, verbena, amber and musk, aged and bottled in the house's heavy glass flacons. The oldest bottles carry a gold foil label reading Acqua di Colonia — G. Ugo Stefani — S.M. Novella, Firenze, a reference to the Stefani family who managed the Officina from 1867. Modern bottles carry a parchment label reading Firenze 1221, while boxed exports show the specific scent name on a small label on the front of the box.

At TrendyGround we stock discontinued and vintage Santa Maria Novella eau de cologne in 100 ml — Fresia, Rosa, Rosa Novella, Angeli di Firenze, Verbena, Muschio, Muschio Oro and Ambra — including Japanese-market import bottles that have been stored sealed for decades.