Acqua Di Parma

Acqua di Parma began in 1916 as a small factory in the old town of Parma, where its first fragrance, Colonia, was created to scent gentlemen's handkerchiefs. Its lightness stood out at a time when heavier perfumes ruled, and Colonia became a marker of Italian style, worn by figures from Cary Grant and David Niven to Audrey Hepburn. After years of struggle, the house was revived in the early 1990s by three Italians, Diego Della Valle, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, and Paolo Borgomanero, who set out to preserve it. In 2003 it came fully under the luxury group LVMH, securing its future.

The house style remains rooted in that original idea of luminous freshness. Citrus leads, with bergamot, lemon, Calabrian bergamot, and orange opening bright and clean over woods, aromatics, and fresh spice that give the freshness a refined backbone. Colonia is the place to begin, the scent that started everything, with Colonia Assoluta and Colonia Intensa offering deeper, more concentrated readings, and Essenza a richer take still. A century on, this is Italian elegance distilled into citrus.