Custom fragrance development for a Ligurian niche perfumery brand
In 2022, Alice Viola approached Scentspiracy with a precise idea: to tell the story of Liguria — from Levante to Ponente — through a collection of niche fragrances. That brief became NAO Italian Essence, for which we developed, from the ground up, the two launch scents of the brand: Crêuza de Mä and Natûa. From olfactory concept to final formula to raw-material sourcing, every step was custom-built around the brand's territory and positioning.
Project at a glance
Client — NAO Italian Essence (Alice Viola)
Year — 2022
Location — Liguria, Italy, from Ventimiglia to Portofino
Scope — olfactory consulting, formula development, raw-material selection, industrialisation support
Deliverables — two launch fragrances: Crêuza de Mä and Natûa
Project type — bespoke development for a niche perfumery brand
The brief: bottling a coastline
NAO — from the Genoese word for ship — was born from Alice Viola's desire to carry the olfactory details of the Ligurian coast beyond the region: the sea breeze, the aromatic herbs, the brightness of citrus, the shaded undergrowth of cypresses. The brief we were given was at once simple and demanding: translate a real landscape into a coherent olfactory language, sitting between contemporary luxury and craft tradition.
For us, the challenge was twofold:
Render two distinct Ligurian micro-landscapes — the Hanbury Botanical Gardens near Ventimiglia and the coastline between Paraggi and Portofino — in a recognisable way, without falling back on the usual Mediterranean cliché.
Build two formulas that were technically solid and compliant, ready for the brand's first commercial launch.
OUr approcah
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We started from the actual places the client pointed us to, mapping dominant botanical species, the interplay between marine and green notes, and the way the breeze behaves on different exposures along the coast.
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From that mapping we distilled a tight palette of raw materials — lemon, myrtle, rosemary, juniper, cypress, magnolia, marine accords — chosen for narrative coherence as much as technical performance.
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Moving from palette to final formula is where our craft sits. Several balancing rounds were needed to hold citrus, aromatic herbs, woods and a salty-marine accord in equilibrium, without sacrificing either readability or longevity.
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Ingredient selection prioritised consistent quality and traceability, in line with the brand's ethos and with our habit of working at fine-fragrance grade across the supply chain.
The two fragrances
Crêuza de Mä — the path to the sea
Inspiration: Hanbury Botanical Gardens, Capo Mortola (Ventimiglia).
Crêuza de Mä is built around a very specific moment: a sea breeze slipping through a small opening in the garden walls, meeting the citrus-and-woody scent of the Ligurian vegetation. The fragrance stages that encounter as a sharp contrast — sparkling lemon and green aromatic herbs over a metallic, salty underlayer that evokes rock and water.
Olfactory family: citrus-aromatic, with a marine facet.
Expressive key: Ligurian freshness, salinity, light.
Natûa — the undergrowth above the sea
Inspiration: the stretch of coast between Paraggi and Portofino.
Natûa captures the exact point where a cypress undergrowth drops sharply onto the sea. The composition is an exercise in balance between myrtle, rosemary, juniper and lemon, with a magnolia note leading the bouquet and cypress providing woody depth.
Olfactory family: aromatic-woody, with a floral-citrus opening.
Expressive key: shade, deep green, warm wind.
Fulvio Ciccolo — perfumer, founder of Scentspiracy.
On Crêuza de Mä — The pivotal moment came on a walk through the Hanbury Gardens. A sea breeze pushed through a small window in the garden wall and hit me together with the smell of aromatic plants and the sharpness of lemons, so typical of this coast. The fragrance was born right there.
On Natûa — Arriving at the final formula meant meticulously balancing the botanical species we selected during our walk along the coast: a towering magnolia above the aromatic herbs; myrtle, rosemary, juniper, lemon; cypresses surrounding the area, casting shade on an undergrowth with an intense but pleasant scent. The wind off the sea carries both the floral and the woody notes of the local flora together.
Looking to develop a fragrance of your own?
If you're building a niche perfumery brand, or adding a bespoke scent to an existing line, we can take you from concept to finished product — formula, raw materials, and production guidance included.