Italy’s 800-Year-Old Beauty Brand Santa Maria Novella Opens Its First Melbourne Store in Royal Arcade
Words by Georgina Safe · Updated on 22 Mar 2023 · Published on 16 Mar 2023
Not many beauty brands can claim to be over 800 years old and still command cult status with queues snaking around the block.
But Santa Maria Novella’s original apothecary in Florence, which purportedly once made treatments for the Black Death , continues to draw more than 2000 visitors from around the world every day.
After clamouring for the Italian brand’s bestselling soaps, fragrances, cleansers and body balms, many visitors go to the museum where they can learn the history of the pharmacy, which was founded in 1221 by monks taking care of “outcasts” living in Florence.
“When they arrived in Florence from Spain the monks brought with them scientific know-how of the medicinal properties of plants that dated back to antiquity, from the vast libraries that had been set up by the Church in Spain,” says Nick Smart, the founder and CEO of Agence de Parfum, which distributes Santa Maria Novella in Australia.
“Armed with this knowledge, the monks cured a Florentine nobleman in 1334 of the plague, and as a consequence, he donated vast sums of money to fund to build what is now the [Santa Maria Novella] church, the cloister and the famous Santa Maria Novella gardens where their raw materials are cultivated.”
That rich history is present in the exquisite religious frescos, ornate chandeliers, stained glass windows and intricate tessellated floors of the Florentine apothecary. So when Smart was looking for a site for a Melbourne flagship store, the bar was set high.
“We chose the Royal Arcade as there is a perfect synergy with brand origin and the fact that the 1800s Victorian Renaissance Revival style has a symbiotic affiliation with the brand DNA of Santa Maria Novella,” he says.
As Australia’s longest-standing arcade, it’s an apt setting for the company’s first store in Melbourne, which has been designed by Italian architect Filippo Burresi who, since 2005, has designed and managed the aesthetic of the historic flagship store in Via della Scalla in Florence.
With terracotta, wood accents and furnishings, and flooring and vintage wallpaper inspired by the Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella di Firenze (the original apothecary in Florence), the result is an aesthetic Smart describes as “modern Renaissance, with a distinctive Florentine flavour”.
Then, of course, there are the balms, potions, ointments and other sumptuous wares that line the shelves, as well as potpourri, scented wax tablets and fragrances including the classic Aqua Della Regina 1533 – Santa Maria Novella’s oldest fragrance, and one originally commissioned by Catherine de’ Medici for her future husband, King Henry III of France.
Guests can expect the full spectrum of Santa Maria Novella products, which have expanded to include everything from colognes, soaps, room fragrances, hair care, oral hygiene, face and body care, to liqueurs, leather goods, ceramics and a barber line.
All are offered with gentle pride by salespeople dressed discreetly in black, who are well versed in the history of the brand and happy to explain its philosophy of still using only natural raw materials of the highest quality, mostly grown on the hills around Florence, as well as providing skin consultations and discussing solutions with customers.
“The experience is 360 degrees, where texture, sensation and smell is all encompassing,” says Smart. “It’s a complete immersion into the brand, transporting our clients directly to Florence.”
Santa Maria Novella
Royal Arcade, Shop 25, 331/339 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Hours :
Mon to Thu 10am–5.30pm
Fri 10am–6pm
Sat 10am–5.30pm
Sun 10am–5pm
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