Officina di Santa Maria Novella
A historic Florentine pharmacy heritage brand specializing in fragrance, cosmetics, personal care, herbal preparations, and home products. Santa Maria Novella is a Florence-based historic perfumery and beauty house whose official site describes its origins as an officina in Florence in 1221.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Officina di Santa Maria Novella, formally known as the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, is a Florentine fragrance, cosmetics, personal-care, and herbal-products company whose institutional history is linked to the Dominican convent of Santa Maria Novella. The brand is based in the former convent complex at Via della Scala 16 in Florence, where its historic sales rooms, apothecary furnishings, scientific instruments, and botanical heritage remain central to its identity. Its origins are conventionally traced to 1221, when Dominican friars established their community in Florence and cultivated medicinal plants for religious and charitable use. The friars prepared distilled waters, ointments, balsams, essences, and other remedies from the convent’s botanical resources. Documentation records the sale of rose water by the Dominicans in 1381, while a small convent pharmacy is attested in 1508. In 1542, the activity had an autonomous administrative structure, marking an important transition from an internal religious service to an organized commercial operation. The year 1612 is traditionally regarded as the public opening of the Officina. During the seventeenth century it became known beyond Florence and received the title Fonderia di Sua Altezza Reale from Grand Duke Ferdinand II de’ Medici in 1659. Its preparations were exported as far as India and China during the eighteenth century. The business developed from a monastic apothecary into a broader producer and retailer of fragrances, medicinal and herbal preparations, cosmetics, and personal-care goods. The company’s heritage is expressed through long-established preparations and distinctive historic spaces. Acqua della Regina, also called Acqua di Santa Maria Novella, is traditionally associated with the sixteenth century and Catherine de’ Medici. Rose water, potpourri, herbal preparations, soaps, body products, and fragrances connect the contemporary assortment with the Officina’s botanical and pharmaceutical traditions. The brand also sells products for interiors, extending its fragrance expertise beyond personal use. During the nineteenth century, major restructuring created much of the current architectural arrangement. The historic complex passed to the Italian state in 1866, was assigned to Cesare Augusto Stefani for management in 1867, and became the property of the Municipality of Florence in 1871. Between 1847 and 1852, architect Enrico Romoli reorganized the premises and created the monumental Via della Scala entrance. The Grand Sales Hall, Green Room, Ancient Apothecary, Sacristy, cellars, distillery, and botanical areas together form a significant part of the brand experience. During the twentieth century, the Officina progressively adopted a corporate production structure while preserving traditional recipes, presentation, and retail rituals. Some manufacturing activity moved away from the historic site, which continued to serve as a representative store and identity center. From the second half of the century, the company expanded through international distribution and mono-brand stores in Europe, the Americas, and Asia. The Officina entered the Italmobiliare group in 2020, and Italmobiliare acquired the entirety of its capital in 2021. In the following years, the company continued developing its international retail and distribution network, reaching more than 400 points of sale in over 30 countries according to the supplied reference material. In July 2025, Ludivine Pont, previously Chief Marketing Officer at Balenciaga, was appointed chief executive officer. The brand’s current positioning combines luxury, Florentine cultural heritage, botanical tradition, historic architecture, and selective international distribution. Santa Maria Novella is a historic Italian perfumery and beauty house associated with Florence. Its official website introduces the business as an “officina” in Florence dating to 1221, giving the brand a long-standing apothecary and artisanal identity. The supplied site evidence does not identify an individual founder, legal parent, or current owner, so those details are not stated here. The brand is known for fragrances and related personal-care and home-scent products, including perfumes, soaps, skincare and home fragrances. These categories describe its established brand offering; the supplied evidence does not specify individual product names or current collections. Its official online shopping entry presents regional destinations for Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, Japan, and Australia, indicating an international retail presence. The evidence does not establish the complete extent of its distribution or whether each destination is served through a dedicated local operation. The brand’s present-day identity connects its Florentine heritage with luxury fragrance and personal-care retail. Its official website remains active and invites shoppers to select a country for shopping. No specific current executive, ownership structure, or recent corporate announcement is established by the supplied material. The Officina joined the Italmobiliare group in 2020, and Italmobiliare acquired its entire capital in 2021. In the following years the company continued to develop its international retail and distribution network, with more than 400 points of sale in over 30 countries according to the supplied references. In July 2025, Ludivine Pont, formerly chief marketing officer at Balenciaga, was appointed chief executive officer. The brand’s current positioning combines luxury, Florentine cultural heritage, botanical tradition, historic architecture, and selective international distribution. Its official online shopping entry presents regional destinations for Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, Japan, and Australia, indicating an international-facing retail presence.
History
The history of Officina di Santa Maria Novella begins with the Dominican settlement at Santa Maria Novella in Florence in 1221. The friars cultivated medicinal plants and prepared remedies for members of the religious community and for the sick. Rose water was being sold by the Dominicans by 1381, reportedly for disinfecting purposes during epidemics. The convent’s gardens supplied botanical material for distillation and the preparation of essences, elixirs, ointments, and balsams. A convent pharmacy is documented in 1508, and an autonomous administrative organization was recorded in 1542 through an income-and-expense book. The traditional date of the public opening is 1612. At that time the operation was associated with the lay apothecary Simone Marchi and the Dominican friar Angiolo Marchissi. Under Marchissi’s direction, the institution gained wider recognition and in 1659 received the grand-ducal title Fonderia di Sua Altezza Reale. By the eighteenth century, its products circulated internationally, including in India and China. The nineteenth century brought institutional and architectural change. Under Fra’ Damiano Beni, the premises were reorganized and expanded. Architect Enrico Romoli’s work between 1847 and 1852 established much of the present arrangement, including the monumental entrance on Via della Scala. The property passed to the state in 1866, was entrusted to Cesare Augusto Stefani in 1867, and became municipal property in 1871. The historic complex contains rooms with different religious, commercial, and manufacturing functions. The Grand Sales Hall was formerly a chapel and was converted into a customer-facing sales space during the nineteenth-century expansion. The Green Room previously housed distillation equipment and later served as a reception room. The Ancient Apothecary was the principal sales room from 1612 to 1848. The Sacristy was used for storing distilled waters and retains medieval frescoes, while cellars, a distillery, and botanical areas preserve links to the production tradition. In the twentieth century, the Officina became increasingly corporate and expanded beyond Florence. Production was progressively organized on a larger scale, and some manufacturing moved outside the historic premises. The original site remained the company’s symbolic and commercial center. International growth accelerated from the second half of the century through selective distribution and mono-brand stores in Europe, the Americas, and Asia. The company joined the Italmobiliare group in 2020, followed by the acquisition of all its capital in 2021. It subsequently expanded its international distribution network. In 2025, Ludivine Pont became CEO. The modern company continues to operate in perfumery, cosmetics, herbal products, personal care, and interior fragrance while presenting its products through the visual language and architectural setting of a historic Florentine apothecary. Santa Maria Novella is a historic Florentine perfumery and beauty brand. Its official website presents its origin as an “officina” in Florence in 1221. That date is the brand’s stated historical starting point; the supplied evidence does not provide a detailed account of the people or events behind its establishment. Over time, the name became associated with Florentine perfumery and apothecary traditions. The brand’s established commercial identity encompasses fragrance and beauty products, with related categories including perfumes, soaps, skincare and home fragrances. The available evidence does not document when each category entered the catalogue, identify particular historic formulas, or establish a chronology of product launches. In its present-day retail presentation, Santa Maria Novella operates an official shopping site with country-selection options covering Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, Japan, and Australia. This signals an international-facing commercial presence while leaving the precise structure of regional operations unspecified. The supplied material does not establish ownership, corporate transactions, executive appointments, or other dated company developments. Accordingly, the documented history here is limited to the brand’s stated 1221 Florentine origin and its current international online-shopping presentation.
- 2025
Ludivine Pont appointed CEO
[1]Ludivine Pont became chief executive officer in July.
- 2021
Full acquisition by Italmobiliare
[1]Italmobiliare acquired the entirety of the company’s capital.
- 2020
Italmobiliare investment
[1]The company became part of the Italmobiliare group.
- 2012
Four-hundredth anniversary restoration and Italian stamp appearance
[1]The historic premises were restored, and the Officina appeared in an Italian postage-stamp series dedicated to Made in Italy.
- 1871
Municipal ownership established
[1]The property became owned by the Municipality of Florence.
- 1866
Complex passes to the state
[1]The historic complex became state property.
- 1659
Grand-ducal title granted
[1]Grand Duke Ferdinand II de’ Medici granted the institution the title Fonderia di Sua Altezza Reale.
- 1612
Traditional public opening date
[1]The Officina is traditionally considered to have opened its pharmacy to the public.
- 1542
Autonomous administration recorded
[1]An income-and-expense book documents the pharmacy’s independent administrative organization.
- 1508
Convent pharmacy documented
[1]Historical records attest to a small pharmacy operating within the convent.
Products and positioning
Luxury heritage fragrance and personal-care brand rooted in Florentine apothecary, Dominican botanical, and artisanal traditions. A heritage-led luxury perfumery and beauty house associated with Florence.
Fragrance · 1533
Acqua della Regina
The Officina’s oldest fragrance, traditionally associated with 1533 and with Catherine de’ Medici’s marriage to Henry of Valois. It is also known as Acqua di Santa Maria Novella and represents the brand’s connection to Renaissance Florence and historic perfumery.
Home fragrance
Potpourri
A signature botanical home-fragrance product associated with the Officina’s use of dried plant material, aromatic herbs, and traditional preparation methods. It expresses the brand’s apothecary heritage in a format intended to scent domestic interiors.
Herbal and personal care
Rose water
A historically documented preparation sold by the Dominican apothecary by 1381. Rose water illustrates the continuity between the convent’s medicinal and botanical practices and the contemporary product tradition.
Personal care
Soaps and body care
The brand’s personal-care assortment extends its traditional formulation language into soaps and body products, combining fragrance, botanical references, and the restrained presentation associated with the Florentine apothecary.
Skincare
Skincare and cosmetics
Contemporary skincare and cosmetic preparations form part of the company’s broader transition from pharmacy to luxury beauty brand. These products sit alongside fragrances and herbal goods within the Officina’s selective retail assortment.
Perfumes and fragrances
Soaps and personal care
Skincare
Home fragrances
Brand decisions
2021
Complete acquisition by ItalmobiliareM&ABackground
Italmobiliare’s earlier investment culminated in full ownership of the company.
Action taken
Italmobiliare acquired the entirety of the company’s capital.
Aftermath
The company continued expanding its retail and distribution network internationally.
2020
Join the Italmobiliare groupM&ABackground
The historic Florentine company sought to develop its international business while retaining its heritage positioning.
Action taken
Italmobiliare acquired an investment in the company.
Aftermath
The transaction was followed by Italmobiliare’s acquisition of the entire capital in 2021 and continued international distribution expansion.
Sources4 sources
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