MILAN — Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella is heading to the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
The historic Florentine apothecary is to open a boutique at The Pierre hotel next week, marking its fifth store in the U.S.
The unit will be the brand’s first store in the market to embrace the design concept evoking the atmosphere of the original shop in Florence’s Via della Scala. Doubling as a museum, the seminal store epitomizes a unique customer experience with its Renaissance frescoed ceilings, bronzed angels and aromas lingering in the air from potpourri made with local herbs.
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While 14th-century frescoes by Giotto’s workshop are not that easy to replicate, the new 500-square-foot unit also features dark wood fixtures, rich marble counters and inlaid marble flooring, with elegant chandeliers finishing off the space. The store is set to carry a selection of the more than 600 products the company has in its portfolio, which encompasses skin care, soaps, pomades, colognes, candles, ambient fragrances and liqueurs, all delivered in its signature, old-school packaging that has contributed to the brand’s charm and success over the years.
Santa Maria Novella’s other stores in the U.S. include units in New York City’s SoHo, Miami’s Bal Harbour and Brickell City Center, as well as in Los Angeles.
Earlier this month, a branded counter opened in New York’s Saks Fifth Avenue, too, as the retailer is the exclusive partner for the brand’s department store expansion in the market.
Santa Maria Novella’s brick-and-mortar push Stateside has accelerated over the past couple of years, following investment company Italmobiliare’s takeover of the company in 2021. As reported, the investment group intended to support the further development of what is considered a gem of the Italian beauty industry by enhancing its distribution network and brand awareness internationally.
Product-wise, a new course was initiated that same year with some products tweaked to meet current sustainability demands and the company opening up to newness by promoting its heritage. The approach culminated in 2022 with the introduction of “L’Iris,” the first eau de parfum the brand launched in 800 years of history.
The company was founded by Dominican friars after they arrived in Florence in 1221 and settled in the Santa Maria Novella location, cultivating herbs to prepare medicines for their monastery’s infirmary. After manufacturing successful recipes such as aromatic waters and a bergamot-based fragrance for the queen of France Catherine de’ Medici in 1533 — which is still a bestseller — the apothecary opened to the public, officially launching as a commercial activity in 1612.
Before Italmobiliare, in 1989 the company fell under the control of mechanical engineer Eugenio Alphandery, who bought it for 800 million Italian lira, about 413,000 euros.