Pitti Fragranze 2026: Perfume, People and an Overworked Nose

There are people who buy Ferraris. There are people who spend their money at gourmet restaurants. And then there is me: financially questionable, olfactorily immaculate and perfectly capable of smelling divine even while I sleep.

This seems like the right way to begin my diary from Pitti Fragranze 2026.

I attended the event as a creator, although I still feel slightly strange using that word to describe myself. This is not false modesty. Talking about perfume for hours comes so naturally to me that it sometimes feels less like creating content and more like allowing my brain to behave exactly as it wants. Apparently, if you put that behavior on a website and add photographs, links and an alarming number of SEO fields, it becomes a creative project.

Fair enough. I will take it.

I traveled to Florence with Angela, the manager of the perfumery where I buy almost everything in my collection. She shares my weakness for fragrance and skincare: two beautiful, efficient ways of reaching the end of every month with no money whatsoever. Do we regret it? Absolutely not. Financial responsibility may be admirable, but it has never made anyone smell this good.

A different rhythm from Esxence

After an unexpectedly smooth train ride, Florence welcomed us with clear skies and warm sunshine. A short walk later, we arrived at Stazione Leopolda, the former railway station that hosts Pitti Fragranze.

Comparisons with Esxence are inevitable, but the two events have noticeably different personalities. Pitti felt more intimate and contained, helped by the architecture of the venue, the softer lighting and a pace that seemed less frantic than the Milan fair. Stazione Leopolda still displays the traces of its past and a certain elegant decay – rather like me toward the end of a full day of perfume testing.

The stands were generally easy to navigate and the spaces felt livable rather than overcrowded. The only real drawback was the heat. After a while, the air inside became heavy enough to make me wonder whether the ventilation had quietly resigned. Perfume remained the main attraction, but survival was beginning to make a strong case for second place.

According to the official event information, the 24th edition of Pitti Fragranze took place in Florence from September 11 to 13, 2026. I attended on the first day, with one day available and an optimistic plan to smell everything. Naturally, that plan had no relationship with reality.

Starting with Élixir Privé

The first stand we visited was Élixir Privé, and it was a wonderful way to begin the day. I have already written a separate article about the brand because its contemporary vision, photogenic bottles and genuinely collectible boxes deserved more than a hurried paragraph in an event recap.

The fragrances were the real surprise. Lait d’Argile fascinated me with its milky accord and almond-like nuances; Oud Carbone offered a polished and sophisticated interpretation of oud, a note I still struggle to wear when it becomes too forceful; Moka Clash balanced coffee and cocoa with a soft, velvety texture; and Mango White delivered a juicy, exotic profile that felt edible without becoming predictable.

One stand visited, several new problems added to the wishlist. A highly efficient start.

Discoveries, conversations and an endangered bank account

After a quick reconnaissance mission through the cosmetics and skincare section, Angela and I returned to perfume. One of the most enjoyable aspects of Pitti was encountering brands I barely knew or had never smelled before. Some discoveries were genuinely exciting. Others were not for me, and that is perfectly fine. An event does not need to produce universal enthusiasm to be worthwhile.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Mattia Sorrentino of Sorrentino Perfumes. Hearing him discuss the fragrances made the encounter especially engaging. The collection was already on my wishlist; after Pitti, it moved into the considerably more dangerous priority area.

Francesca Dell’Oro’s new Filigrane also stood out. My first impression was of an exceptionally refined fragrance with an evolution that kept revealing new details on skin. This was a brief event test rather than a full wear, so I am not pretending to offer a review. What I can say is that it made me want to spend much more time with it.

Of course, I also stopped to see the team at Réserve en Afrique. It is always a pleasure to smell their work, and I remain entirely convinced that the whole collection will eventually be mine. They generously gave me a full bottle of Woodoo, my favorite from the house. Yes, another perfume entered my home. No, the situation is not under control.

Gourmand life, darker Capri and a narcissistic iris

At Meo Fusciuni’s stand, I tried Amara Vita, his interpretation of a gourmand fragrance. Even within a category that has become increasingly crowded, the composition immediately felt personal and unmistakably his. It was not gourmand as a shortcut to obvious sweetness, but something more evocative and layered. Again, this was an initial impression at the fair, not a complete assessment – but it was enough to make me want a proper test.

Meo Fusciuni also created Carthusia Nero, the latest chapter in the house’s Intenso collection. This was one of the day’s most unexpected encounters. The black bottle with gold details is already striking, but the fragrance itself explores a darker, more mysterious register that I would not instinctively associate with a house so closely connected to Capri.

That contrast is precisely what makes Nero compelling. It feels magnetic and intriguing, expanding Carthusia’s vocabulary toward deeper shadows while retaining the elegance I expect from the brand. Consider my curiosity officially activated.

Another especially pleasant meeting was with Alberto, the founder of La Serra Profumi. Being able to listen directly to the person behind a collection changes the experience: the bottles stop being isolated objects and become part of a wider idea.

This visit also caused significant wishlist damage. Every fragrance from the house entered its hottest section, with one technical exception: the new Narcissistic Iris, which Alberto generously gave me as a full bottle. It cannot be placed on the wishlist if it is already waiting to be worn at home. I believe this is what experts call responsible inventory management.

A conversation with Moe Khalaf

One of the true highlights of my day was the opportunity to sit down with Moe Khalaf, founder and Creative Officer of Kajal Perfumes.

I hesitate to call it an interview because I am not a journalist, nor do I pretend to be one. I love perfume, and I try to write about it as honestly and thoughtfully as I can in my small corner of the internet. The distinction matters to me. I do not need to borrow a professional title to recognize the value of being able to have a one-on-one conversation with one of the people behind a major contemporary fragrance house.

We discussed several subjects, but I am not going to spoil them here. That conversation deserves its own article.

Kajal also generously gave me a bottle of the new Kajal V. Whenever a brand sends or gives me a fragrance, part of me still assumes that someone has made an administrative error. This is not a performance of modesty. Perfume has always held a value for me that goes far beyond its retail price, so receiving a bottle directly from a brand feels genuinely significant.

I am also an unusual kind of creator, if that is indeed what I am. I do not dance in videos. I rarely show my face. I do not build content around displaying rows of extremely expensive bottles as proof of expertise. I started on Instagram because I wanted to share a passion. That platform encouraged me to learn photography and to create images that, hopefully, people enjoy looking at.

The website gave me something even more important: room.

Here I can discuss perfume without trying to compress every thought into a few seconds. I know the average attention span is allegedly fighting for its life, but writing has become the format that feels most natural to me. It has enriched me creatively and technically – partly because the editorial team consists of me, myself and I, and apparently all three of us are expected to understand photography, WordPress, SEO and publishing.

Vol d’Abaris and the fragrances still haunting me

Among the other fragrances that stayed in my mind was Vol d’Abaris, the new creation from Lorenzo Villoresi. Its honey-gold liquid was visually mesmerizing, but the fragrance itself was the real attraction: a small masterpiece based on my first encounter with it, and one I already know I want in my collection.

There were many more stands, conversations and blotters than I could reasonably include here. Trying to document everything would turn this diary into an exhibitor directory, and that is not what the day felt like. The most valuable part of Pitti was not collecting names. It was listening to people explain why they create, how they build a collection and what they want perfume to communicate.

What Pitti Fragranze 2026 gave me

My first visit to Esxence in 2025 reminded me how viscerally I love this industry. Returning to Milan in 2026 confirmed that feeling. Pitti Fragranze 2026 gave me something slightly different: the awareness that I can approach founders and brand representatives, have meaningful conversations with them and share why fragrance feels so special to me.

That does not mean I suddenly believe I have become an authority descending from the perfumed heavens. It simply means I am learning to trust the work I have been doing.

When we interact with something beautiful, we approach the world differently. Beauty changes our attitude before we have time to rationalize it. Perfume relaxes me, stimulates my curiosity and improves my mood. It also makes my wrinkles disappear magically, although this particular claim has not yet survived peer review.

One final pleasure was the aperitivo near the entrance. After hours of smelling, it gave the nose a brief rest and allowed the sense of taste to contribute something to the day. Every member of the sensory department deserves a turn.

Will I return next year?

Please. You already know the answer.

Editorial disclosure: This article is a first-person account of my visit to Pitti Fragranze 2026. The fragrance descriptions are initial impressions from the event, not full reviews based on extended wear. Réserve en Afrique gifted me a full bottle of Woodoo, La Serra Profumi gifted me a full bottle of Narcissistic Iris, and Kajal Perfumes gifted me a full bottle of Kajal V. No brand reviewed or approved this article, and all opinions are my own.

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