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Lorenzo Pazzaglia


Brand Portrait: Lorenzo Pazzaglia

A perfume story that began with carbonara

A perfume creator's love for fragrances can have a variety of starting points: unforgettable childhood or travel memories, lush flower gardens - or the wonderfully fragrant collection of vintage perfumes in his grandmother's bedside table.

For Lorenzo Pazzaglia, it was... his father's kitchen. The man who says of himself that he was "born in a kitchen" actually grew up in a lively restaurant. And in such a restaurant, of course, there are not only numerous culinary delights - the nose is also surrounded by tempting pleasures of various kinds every day.

In the restaurant „Il Poggio“ run by his family in the town of Cagli in Italy, a very Italian dish literally has its home: carbonara! The world-famous pasta dish is available in numerous variations at "Il Poggio": with mushrooms and truffles, for example, with vegetarian or vegan ingredients or with fish, bacon and squid ink. It's no wonder that one of Lorenzo Pazzaglia's perfumes is called "Carbonara" - and was also inspired by this dish.

But culinary extremes can also be found on the "Il Poggio" menu: the restaurant is widely known for its "Suicide Pizza", which has its macabre name for a reason. Before it is served, the restaurant guest not only has to sign a consent form, but also pass a test with a stick soaked in pure Carolina Reaper placenta. Carolina Reaper is considered the hottest type of chili in the world. Whoever finally manages to eat the suicide pizza will be rewarded with a T-shirt that officially identifies him as a "survivor" of the chili-fiery restaurant visit.

However, the ironic game with the hellishly hot spice pod has a serious background: Lorenzo Pazzaglia has been an enthusiastic collector and grower of chili for years. In specially equipped greenhouses, he grows around 120 different types of chili, some of whose seeds he has imported to Italy from the most remote areas of the world. And of course this special passion also flows into the kitchen of the "Il Poggio" restaurant, for which he has created some unique chili dishes.

A man with such extraordinary passions, always surrounded by the wonderful aromas of a restaurant kitchen that is anything but ordinary, was soon irresistibly attracted to the profession of noble fragrances. "I've always had a passion for perfumes," Lorenzo Pazzaglia remembers today.

After collecting perfumes for years, in 2014 he started experimenting with his own fragrance creations. After intensive self-study, he began a play with essential oils that has never lost its appeal for him to this day: "It was wonderful, I really enjoyed it - and I knew immediately that I wouldn't stop," Lorenzo Pazzaglia says, still visibly enthusiastic today: "The adrenaline I felt when I waited to smell the result after months of maceration was priceless!"

From chef to fragrance creator, from the restaurant kitchen to the perfume laboratory - can that work? Yes, and probably that works particularly well. At least the parallels between the two professions are obvious. After all, what is the composition of a perfume other than the creation of a delicious meal for the nose? What is a perfume if not an opulent three-course meal with top, middle and base notes? And isn't a perfumer also a fragrance chef who tries out a variety of ingredients... and always creates new creations?

In 2015, things really got going with the launch of his first perfume, Extreme Passion - a whirlwind of creamy, floral fruitiness. Since then, more than 20 perfume creations have followed, testifying to the creativity of a man who is just as passionate about his creations at the hot stove as he is in the cool seclusion of a perfume laboratory.

"I grew up surrounded by the smells of my father's kitchen," says Lorenzo Pazzaglia, reflecting on his unusual life so far. „I learnt to recognise them and took delight in cooking. I became a chef. I loved and craved, dreamt and fantasised about all the scents of this land. So I made up my mind to study them, to shape and create, releasing them around the world…“

Welcome (and “benvenuto!”) to the extravagant fragrance kitchen of Lorenzo Pazzaglia – who creates his niche perfumes with the same burning dedication and unconventional creativity as his chili specialties in the restaurant kitchen.

"Buon appetito"!