Bambola

Bambola means ‘doll’ in Italian, but it also translates to ‘sweetheart’ and ‘darling’. This perfume is an ode to joyful days and playful sensuality.

Imagine a multi-layered carousel of powerful notes that find perfect balance. Carnal jasmine meets the innocence of rose. Super fruity davana counterbalances the dark richness of blackcurrant. The sharp freshness of fennel and lemongrass is softened by the sugary sweetness of vanilla. It’s a game of hide-and-seek in a bottle.

Chic, irreverent, carefree.

When crafting a sexy perfume, jasmine is essential. Here, I use jasmine absolute sourced from one of the last remaining Italian producer. They grow and process the fragrant flowers in Calabria, on the ‘Costa dei Gelsomini’ (the ‘Jasmine Coast’). Even today, jasmine flowers are handpicked early in the morning, when their indolic fragrance is the strongest.

The warm Mediterranean climate and fertile soil provide ideal conditions for cultivating Jasminum grandiflorum, and jasmine was a crucial economic activity in Calabria in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As industrialisation advanced and labour costs increased, production became economically unsustainable, and it basically disappeared in the 1970s.

The few litres still produced today are of such exceptional quality that they are booked by major fragrance houses a year in advance. I managed to secure a few grams just for you.

JASMINE ABSOLUTE (Jasminum grandiflorum) from the Riviera dei Gelsomini, Calabria

Along the sun-drenched coasts of Calabria, jasmine has written one of the most intense chapters in Italian olfactory history. Born in the 1930s, it conquered Grasse and the great French maisons, carrying with it the breath of an authentic, radiant land.

Behind its delicacy lies the strength of the gelsominaie: women who gathered the flowers at dawn with tireless hands, transforming their fragrance into a symbol of emancipation and courage. Each petal still holds the memory of that silent labor, which helped secure recognition of women’s work, bringing fairer wages and protections throughout Italy.

Today, its cultivation has almost entirely disappeared, but it still survives in a few small local realities. Rare and precious, Calabrian jasmine absolute stands out for its intense and assertive character, with smoky, green-sappy, and distinctly fruity notes.

Read more stories about our ingredients >

Ingredients: Alcohol Denat., Parfum, Calabrian Jasmine Absolute (Jasminum grandiflorum flower absolute), Davana Oil (Artemisia pallens herb oil), Blackcurrant Bud Absolute (Ribes nigrum bud absolute), Rose Oil (Rosa damascena flower oil), Vanilla Bean Absolute (Vanilla planifolia absolute), Sweet Fennel Oil (Foeniculum vulgare dulce seed oil), Lemongrass Oil (Cymbopogon flexuosus oil), Hexyl cinnamal, Coumarin, Citronellol, Geraniol, Citral, Linalool, Alpha-isomethyl ionone, Farnesol. Vegan

Read about our packaging here