2025 . 07 . 14
Antonio Alessandria is the consummate Sicilian gentleman with the style and elegance of a dandy and a non-wavering twinkle in his eye. At a young age he became enamored with fragrance, which in his opinion, is a form of art. He also believes there is a story behind every fragrance which can be revealed in an olfactory way. Impelled by his passion for perfumes, he followed a professional course of study then opened his own perfumery, Boudoir 36, in his native Catania, Sicily where he has built an unprecedented assortment of niche and artistic brands. Not content to remain a retailer, he developed his own line of fragrances which honor the culture and history of his homeland as well as his family and his memories. After a brief meeting at Pitti Fragranze in September 2022 I caught up with Antonio on Zoom for an exclusive interview which continues Essencional’s series focused on La Gente di Nicchia (the People of Niche).
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2025 . 07 . 14
The fragrance community descended on the South of France for a week of conferences, workshops, exhibitions, and tours during the first Grasse Perfume Week, the counterpart to Paris Perfume Week. The event, organized by Nez, the cultural movement, was sponsored by the city of Grasse, Robertet, the Fragrance Foundation France and others.
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2025 . 07 . 14
Industry veteran Vesa Kalho is set to steer the Fragrance Shop’s new niche concept, Fraegra. Currently under development, it marks the clear recognition of the growing importance of niche perfumery in the fragrance sector. Kalho recently participated at Esxence where he shared his expertise on how brands can appeal to retailers.
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2025 . 07 . 14
The prevalence of fruit notes is a trend that was spotted earlier this year at the 2025 edition of Esxence where mango, guava, passion fruit and even banana made the scene. In this article four perfumers and fragrance industry leaders comment on technical, historic and contemporary aspects of fruit notes in perfumery.
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2025 . 07 . 14
US beauty titan Ulta has just acquired Space NK, a chain of 83 beauty stores in the UK and Ireland. The deal gives Ulta an immediate foothold in the market while Space NK, a long-time supporter of niche brands, will benefit from the scale, brand relationships and resources of its new owner. Could the deal provide the previous owner, Manzanita Capital, with funds to acquire new brands?
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2025 . 07 . 09
Once again, your intrepid reporter hit the road to discover an immersive olfactory exhibit which presented new revelations about the polymath, Leonardo da Vinci. What is the link between this Renaissance Man and perfumery? Let’s find out.
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2025 . 07 . 07
With 128 exhibitors from 24 countries, SIMPPAR 2025 was a showcase of creativity and innovation. With nearly 350 perfumers from around the world—this year’s show confirmed SIMPPAR’s growing international significance.
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2025 . 07 . 07
As the luxury sector encounters its biggest downturn in years, brands are embracing innovation in packaging to address consumer concerns. Beauty and sustainability are still important and with the soon to be standard Digital Product Passport (DPP), technology will allow the outer pack to communicate transparency, sourcing and the brand story.
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2025 . 07 . 07
It’s music festival season so why not take an olfactory trip down memory lane to the first mega-events and the smells that accompanied them? From the patchouli fueled era of psychedelic rock to the quest for clean smelling scents to counteract days of partying, this escapist article pairs many niche perfumes with moments at Glastonbury.
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2025 . 07 . 07
If, after our series on Soviet Perfume, you are hungry for more history about fragrance in Russia, here’s an interesting article that covers the relationship between luxury goods company Fabergé and fragrance. The brand history spans a product cycle from Imperial jewel-encrusted eggs to Brut fragrance.
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