Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella has a unique way of bringing the past into dialogue with the present. With the I Giardini Medicei collection, the Florentine house doesn’t just evoke the Renaissance – it extends its spirit.
In the Medici era, gardens were more than just places for pleasure. They were living laboratories, where local plants and rare species mingled in a quest that was both aesthetic and scientific. It’s this plant memory that the collection reactivates today, through eight olfactory creations conceived as contemporary interpretations of the botanical world.
Among them, two fragrances stand out for their contrasting approach: L’Iris and Magnolia.
First of all, the iris is an obvious Florentine choice. A historic symbol of the city since the Middle Ages, it embodies a restrained, almost secretive elegance. Its particularity lies in its paradox: freshly harvested, its rhizome is odorless. Only after several years of drying does it reveal all its richness, giving rise to orris, a precious material nicknamed “blue gold” in perfumery.
The composition reflects this temporality.
The vibrant, green opening combines galbanum, Timur pepper and neroli. The floral heart – geranium, magnolia champaca, jasmine sambac – gradually builds to a more carnal density. Then comes the base, where orris unfolds with musk and ambergris, extending a signature that is both structured and deeply elegant.
A fragrance of patience, almost meditative, where the material takes the time to reveal itself.
Faced with this inner writing, Magnolia offers a more immediate, luminous reading.
Among the oldest flowering plants, magnolia grandiflora has an almost primitive dimension. Even before the advent of bees, it was pollinated by beetles – a singularity that reinforces its botanical aura. Its continuous flowering, season after season, makes it a constant, almost immutable presence.
The fragrance is organized around this vitality.
The heart blends magnolia grandiflora, champaca and jasmine sambac in a full, sunny floral accord. The base, built on amber and musk, brings enveloping warmth without ever weighing down the composition. The whole evokes a garden in full light, where nature expresses itself without restraint.
Two visions, then.
On one side, the iris – introspective, rooted, built over time. On the other, magnolia – open, radiant, immediate. Two ways of interpreting plants, two olfactory scripts that reflect the richness of Médicé’s heritage.
Conceived as Eau de Parfum, these creations are also available as bath gel and fluid body cream, extending their scent into a global approach to skincare. A coherent way of making perfume part of everyday life, beyond the simple gesture.
At heart, I Giardini Medicei isn’t just about flowers.
The collection recounts an idea of luxury: that of ancient knowledge, reinterpreted with precision, where each note becomes a memory.
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