List of products by brand SANTA MARIA NOVELLA
Santa Maria Novella (full name - Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella) is an Italian brand of perfumes, cosmetics and household goods, founded on the basis of the Florentine pharmacy of the same name. The latter is considered the oldest in Italy; the flagship store has been located in the building of the former church of Santa Maria Novella since 1612. It is reported that already in 1381, the monks of the Dominican monastery, who arrived in Florence in the 13th century, produced rose water, and in 1533 they created perfume for Catherine de Medici (Acqua della Regina). The next product, which remains in the brand's assortment to this day, was Acqua Antisterica solution: the formula for an aromatic sedative was developed by pharmacist Angiolo Marchissi in 1614. In 1659, the pharmacy received the title and patronage of the Medici family. One of the main heroes of the 18th century in the history of the brand was the monk Cosimo Bucelli, who created many new recipes (including the famous Alkermes liqueur) and wrote the book I Segreti della Fonderia di Sua Altezza Reale (The Secrets of the Pharmacy of His Royal Majesty). During the Napoleonic Wars, the work of SMN was facilitated by the patronage of the priest Tommaso Valori: he bought it from the French authorities and returned it to the monastery. After his death, the management and restoration of the pharmacy's interiors passed to the abbot Damiano Beni, and in the second half of the 19th century - to his descendants, the Stefani family. Throughout the 1900s, the brand strengthened its position and released a number of fragrances that can be found in the assortment today, including Colonia Russa, Tuberosa, Zagara, as well as the classic Melograno cologne with notes of pomegranate, iris and moss. In 1989, Eugenio Alphanderi became a co-owner of Santa Maria Novella; since 2012, he has been the president of the Associazione Diviene Unione Imprese Storiche Italiane (an association of historical Italian manufacturers that have existed without interruption for over 300 years). Together with Alphanderi, the brand significantly expanded its geography: the brand's stores appeared in many countries around the world (there are now more than sixty of them, and in 2014, one of them opened in Moscow). At the same time, SMN released a number of successful fragrances (Tabacco Toscano, inspired by cigars from Lucca, leather Nostalgia and others) and expanded the classic lines with modern products for face and body care. At the same time, the brand's products began to appear in films (Hannibal, Casino Royale, Portrait of a Lady). Along with the expansion of distribution, the brand released several colognes dedicated to partner countries: these included the iris-pine Citta di Kyoto and Alba di Seoul. Some of the latest perfume works were Lana ("Wool"), it was released in collaboration with the Scottish cashmere clothing brand Ballantyne, and the new 2020 Rosa Novella. Also at the beginning of 2020, it became known that 20% of the brand's shares were acquired by the Italian investment holding Italmobiliare (the deal amounted to 40 million euros).
