Gelsomino (2023)

My first experience with Santa Maria Novella, and I like it. As depicted in the image from the brand, this fragrance is a citrus forward, green interpretation of jasmine. The inspiration is a rare "Goa jasmine" that was brought to Italy by some Medici duke, and kept under guard in a greenhouse specially built for the plant. The citrus opening is particularly beautiful, with the bergamot and tangerine accented by the pink pepper. The heart features a clean morning jasmine, completely devoid of any sultriness. It's cleverly backed with a small dose of minty-rosy geranium. I also could have guessed at something like petitgrain, as a woody bergamot-esque note lingers on into the heart. I don't get the ylang. The base is a soapy but pleasant cedar and musk. Does not seem like it will have terrific longevity, though projection is quite nice. Completely, honestly unisex. On the other hand, it's not very unique, and it is expensive. Reminds me a lot of Do Son by Diptyque; Bergamote 22 by Le Labo. I like it a lot!!

I adore jasmine, it's basically my first love as far as perfume is concerned, so layering it over my other favorites smells (wood, bergamot, etc) is basically a no-brainer purchase for me. Something I don't normally like is citrus – I avoid it in food and even the smell of yuzu is an automatic no for me. And yet there's something really interesting happening with the citrus in Gelsomino... it actually reminds me more of a sharp jasmine-green tea, the sort that comes in tea bags and somehow gets even more bitter when you brew it. While I don't love to drink it, I always love the smell of it; delicate and complex, a little bitter and just riding at the precipice of musk. So in that way I feel like this is the sort of perfume reflects the broad strokes of who I am as a woman: a clear femininity, the promise of sweetness undercut with a touch of knowing cynicism, but no lingering bitterness. So yeah, it's straight forward, a little overly simple, but still beautiful.

Gelsomino is a symphony of jasmine, but not the kind that wraps you in heady, cloying indolic sweetness. No, this is a bright, tea-like jasmine, with woody nuances of that like sunlight filtering through the thick branches of an ancient tree, the petals blooming open to the morning air. The usual richness of jasmine is tempered, lifted, like it’s been kissed by a cool breeze, and what you’re left with is this shimmering, transparent beauty—fresh yet somehow weightless. SMN uses another challenging, rich floral here: Ylang ylang—which I more often than not struggle with. But alike the jasmine, it’s different, freed from the usual opulence, sparkling in a way that feels effortless. You can almost see the medley of delicate tropical petals sway in the wind, open to the sky, breathing in the world around them, never overpowering, never suffocating. Gelsomino is a jasmine centric freshie that sings, and this is a song carried by the wind—soft, free, and pure.

I get a lot of pleasure out of this beautiful fragrance. Used sparingly it will surround you with juicy flavors and florals like nothing else ever existed. There’s certainly Jasmin in here, however what touches me is the Ylang Ylang which is of the highest quality imaginable. I have dealt with finding out how Ylang Ylang is extracted any why there’s so many different outcomes. In here is the golden juice. This makes Gelsomino unbelievably uplifting and fresh. No funkiness going on here. Like the mild sunshine hitting the gardens Gelsomnio will caress you for hours. Bottle and packaging are out of this world. I took a picture and uploaded it to Fragram, it is something unseen, and I’ve seen a lot. If you like my thoughts, hit the like 👍 button. I really appreciate it.

Tried this today and really liked it. It's the jasmine from my childhood, the proper jasmine, not the one with the strong indolic note and not the one with the rubbery note. This is a celebration of the mediterranean jasmine that is the reason why people love jasmine. Clean, bright, fresh, and long lasting. It's a quintessential white flower that every white flower enthusiast should try, IMO. It's to jasmine what Do Son is to tuberose.