SCENTED SUNDAY: Have You Selected Your 70 Perfumes Already?

Yes, you can count on me—here’s my recap of this year’s Esxence - The Art Perfumery Event in Milan: It was huge, it was overwhelming, it was harsh. But what comes next?

I Was Shocked

Hundreds of brands dressed to impress, building a settlement of wooden structures, papier-maché facades, and plastic decorations. Thousands of existing and newly born perfumes and beauty products, pitched by just as many people to an audience tenfold in size—lining up hundreds of meters outside the entrance. The cavernous hall, lodged in Milan’s aesthetic wasteland, had put on its best face, making room for the new flavors of the season, soon to be unleashed on the waiting masses. The air conditioning pipes bent under the weight of their duty, threatening to collapse the city’s power grid. But even the icy breath of the AC couldn’t match the chill of the security staff herding the crowd.

Inside, the circus unfolded. Booth after booth, a carnival of exhibitors lined up like shooting galleries—hit the right one, walk away with the prize. The game was simple: sniff, select, collect. Until, loaded with colorful bags, you were spat back out into the grey, CO2-drenched reality, exhaust-filled streets.

But I Know Better

If I didn’t know the brands, if I wasn’t familiar with the people behind them, I’d probably be rattled. Maybe I’d write some brutal takedown of a trade fair you simply can’t ignore in this industry. But I know better. I know the craft, the effort, the passion behind so many of these bottles. And let’s be honest—haven’t I always been drawn to chaos? To the wild, unpolished markets of every city, searching for something unexpected? I live for this kind of energy.

I had the pleasure of joining a panel discussion led by Sarah Colton and Sebastian Jara , exploring precisely this—how the industry, like an open bazaar, allows anyone to express themselves, test the waters, and push boundaries. A space where support and separation coexist, where imagination defines the limits.

Where Does It Go From Here?

Many are wondering: What’s next for Esxence? Bigger? More diverse? I believe so. But I also believe this diversity will start to organize itself. The industry will crystallize. We’ll see more clearly who is chasing defined marketing strategies and who is forging their own artistic path. And I believe Silvio Levi and his team at Esxence are well aware of this.

The market isn’t shrinking. The industry is still in its infancy, and quality is gaining ground. This quality won’t just blend in—it will stand apart, offering a counterpoint to the mainstream. In the best case, it will become the nucleus around which the commercial mass gravitates. At Esxence, I had private conversations with key players from regions where fragrance and its presentation are undergoing radical transformations—concepts that left me breathless. There’s something in the air, and it’s coming for us.

You’ll Be Surprised

But who is supposed to buy all this? Is this just growth through reach? For now, yes. But we are witnessing a cultural shift. And this is precisely why events like Esxence matter—they fuel inspiration. Perfume will no longer be a mere afterthought, a commercial commodity. It will integrate into our lives like clothing. We dress according to our mood. Our wardrobes hold infinite combinations of self-expression. Why should scent be any different?

I think that having only one or two perfumes in a person's collection is not enough. In fact, in some regions of the world, the average person owns 30 to 70 perfumes, and I believe this will become the norm in our societies as well. We will become more aware of quality fragrances. We’ll wear bold, intrusive scents at the beer festival, then switch to something subdued for dinner at that minimalist sushi joint. I dare say: We are addicted. Fragrance is stepping out of the shadows of perfumed detergents and into the foreground. We will reach for it deliberately, crafting our own olfactive identity. People will recognize us by scent, just as they do by our fashion choices.

THOMAS DE MONACO PARFUMS took a step back this spring—no new releases, just consolidation, gearing up for the next fairs in Paris at Paris Perfume Week (March) and Florence at Pitti Fragranze (September). But we hinted at what’s coming. Ultima Storia was the declared final chapter of my current collection. But sometimes, an apparent ending is merely the beginning of something new. And trust me, I’m just as eager as you are to see what comes next.

A huge thank you to my team—Kristina, Maya, Britta, Clara, and Darius—and to Clorinda and her CDT crew. A special nod to my distribution partners at Campomarzio70, who represented Thomas De Monaco Parfums at this energizing rendezvous. Thank you, I love you all!