Acqua Di Parma Perfumes

The rich history of this perfume house goes back to 1916, to Parma – a city famous for its violets, and a town rooted in cultural tradition. At that time, most of the fragrances men wore came from Germany: strong, intense, complex. The idea behind the creation of the original Colonia from Acqua di Parma was to offer something crisp, subtle, utterly refreshing. Refined and elegant, sophisticated and wearable, it became an instant – and now timeless – classic.

The 1930s saw the start of an age for Acqua di Parma as golden as its signature yellow ‘hatbox’ packaging, which takes its inspiration from ‘Parma Yellow’, the colour that’s graced the facades of that city’s most elegant buildings, since the 18th Century.

The fragrance was worn by stylish men, movie stars and those who understood luxury. (And borrowed, we suspect – as now – by many of the women in their lives.) The chic hand-made Art Deco bottle, then, graced many a smart bathroom shelf – and by the 1960s, it was a ‘best-kept secret’ shared by those-in-the-know. Rich in Sicilian citrus (bergamot, lemon, bitter and sweet oranges), this sparkling creation unfolds to a heart of lavender and Bulgarian rose, on warm, woody base notes – a formula that’s never changed, to this day.

Today the Acqua di Parma range includes both men, women and unisex fragrances.