Melbourne’s iconic retail establishment, The Royal Arcade, will now play home to one of the oldest and renowned apothecary-style beauty brands in the world, Santa Maria Novella. Dating back to 1614, this Florentine company has, since its inception, concocted award-winning, botanically-inspired beauty products that have transcended trends and fads.
Within the new Melbourne flagship (which is heavily inspired by the original Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella in Florence) you’ll find some of the best-selling and most loved Santa Maria Novella products that have literally existed for centuries. The distilled rose water (a tonic once used for cleansing during the Black Death, but now a refreshing before-bed toner) is a highlight from the collection, as is the Melograno in Scented Terracotta (a reproduction of the pomegranate fruit, handcrafted in terracotta and soaked in Santa Maria Novella’s Melograno fragrance).
You’ll also find an abundance of handmade soaps, scented candles, skincare cremes, shaving goods, perfumes and colognes and of course, Tuscan herbal potpourri.
Santa Maria Novella is engrained in a rich history that few brands can match. It is said that Catherine de Medici commissioned the brand at just the age of 14 to create her a unique, signature scent. The result is the signature perfume of the brand today, known as ‘Acqua della Regina’ or ‘Water of the Queen’, a citrus-based cologne water of Calabrian bergamot. This lemony scent isn’t just “Italy” in a bottle, but it is also widely considered to the world’s first “celebrity” fragrance.
The Florentine brand has grown organically since its inception, relying on the word-of-mouth accounts of its cult followers rather than paid advertising. As a result, Santa Maria Novella now has over 75 stores worldwide—including two stores in Sydney and now one in Melbourne.
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You can now shop the full collection of Santa Maria Novella products in-store or online via its dedicated Australian website.
Santa Maria Novella
The Royal Arcade
Shop 25, 331-339 Bourke St,
Melbourne
