Our Perfume Organ
At Narici, we're proud to create our own fragrances. Ale, our founder, is also the nose behind every scent. This gives us the freedom to project the Italian natural ingredients into unexpected, uncharted olfactory territories.
The technical side of perfume-making isn’t something most brands talk about — because they feel you’d lose some of the magic. The truth is, most don’t even know exactly what’s in their perfumes because they are developed externally. After all, there are more astronauts in the world than perfumers.
Everything starts in our lab, with our perfume organ: a wall of hanging cabinets stocked with over 500 raw materials. About half are safe synthetics; the other half are naturals
— including essential oils (via steam distillation), absolutes (via solvent extraction), and resinoids (the sticky, rich stuff).
We're not shy about using synthetics — also known as aromachemicals. We always use them in safe doses, and we even list some of them on our labels. The balance between
naturals and synthetics is at the heart of modern perfumery: a blend of pleasure, performance, and safety.
How a new perfume is created
Inspiration
The spark for a new perfume can come from anywhere — a conversation, a whiff of something in the air, a word, a colour combination, a new raw material, or a visit to a supplier.
Organ play
This is when the idea starts to take shape. Different aroma materials are chosen and weighed drop by drop on a precision scale in the lab. Small vials of perfume ‘juice’ are created by the perfumer. It’s playtime — there are some rules, but not too many.
Maceration
A perfume blend takes time to develop and mature — anywhere from a week to a month. If aldehydes or indole (hello, jasmine!) are involved, the scent can shift dramatically over time. You never quite know what it’ll smell like in the end.
Evaluation
Samples are tested on smelling strips (a porous, neutral-pH paper), in alcohol, or directly in the product base. The perfumer always makes an initial assessment to guide the next round of tweaks.
Feedback
Feedback from a diverse panel is essential. Fragrances behave differently on different skin types, evoke unique emotions, and trigger personal scent memories — all of which help refine the formula and shape how it’s communicated to the public.
Elevator Test
Ale’s final test: once he’s happy with a formula, he wears it in the elevator. If no one comments — or even notices — it doesn’t make the cut. Simple as that.