Esxence 2026 16th Edition Ermano at the entrance of the Esxence venue

For its sixteenth edition, Esxence—The Art Perfumery Event moved from early spring to June 3–6, almost on summer’s threshold, when launches risk disappearing into the holidays. Yet it was the largest to date: more than 20,000 square meters, over 400 brands—108 debuting—more than 40 countries, and over 20,000 visitors.

Paradoxically, it felt less crowded. Wider aisles left room to move, smell and speak; even on the sold-out public day, I never felt trapped in the scrum of bodies and huge tote bags— a relief while I was on duty at the Osmothèque booth, opposite a busy bar. The clearer layout also made the salon easier to navigate. Near the entrance, finally a proper bookstore gathered titles by Michael Edwards, Nez, la Revue Olfactive, Maurizio Cavezzali, and others. At an event devoted to artistic perfumery, the written culture of smell should never be an afterthought.

Esxence 2026 16th Edition venue – credits Esxence

This year’s theme, ‘Sensing the World’, reflected its central tensions: perfume as spectacle versus intimate experience. The halls hosted some of the most palatial booths ever seen. Yet the outstanding launches were spotted in small booths. After years of “smellmaxing”, stratospheric concentrations, and trails designed to conquer a room, also sillage bombs may finally be losing appeal. In times saturated with aggression, perfume seems to answer a desire for closeness, restraint and serenity.

That leads to “Slow Perfumery,” the subject of a main panel and — like “quiet luxury” — a term already at risk of becoming fashionable shorthand. My thoughts went to Masque Milano founder Alessandro Brun, who was already discussing the concept a decade ago. To me, it means independence, limited distribution, transparent creative processes, credited perfumers, and genuine work toward quality—not marketing fiction pasted onto library accords.

With more than 400 brands, I probably smelled only twenty percent and undoubtedly missed gifted creators. Yet that sense of biting off more than one can chew also holds hope. Every year, on the fourth day, I pause near the entrance, where popular molecules and copycat accords mingle into an accidental collective perfume. Beyond that cloud of bestseller echoes, a rare bird may still be singing a different melody. The only conference I attended was the Osmothèque presentation opening the final day. Passing through the audience with blotters dipped in treasures from its Caveau— home to more than 6,000 historical perfumes—I was delighted to see present and former students from the Italian Perfumery Institute, where I teach History and Civilization of Perfume.

My discoveries follow the order in which I encountered them across the MiCo map.

 Neith extrait de parfum at Esxence 2026 16th Edition photo Neela Vermeire

Neela Vermeire is always my sunrise at Esxence. I discovered her collection soon after its debut fifteen years ago, becoming its first Italian reviewer and an early supporter worldwide. Our connection has since grown beyond perfumery, and beginning the salon with her smile is uplifting, while smelling her creations sets the bar for everything that follows.

With Neela Vermeire Creations Neith extrait de parfum, it rose higher than ever. Inspired by Neela’s journey through cancer and remission, the fragrance embodies the ancient Egyptian warrior and self-creating goddess: radiance through darkness. Black pepper sharpens the aldehydic gleam of myrrh, as unctuous oud cuts through cypriol’s leathery smoke. Then the warrior lays down her weapons and the floral heart emerges—winey Turkish <rose and glorious carnations steeped in labdanum and incense. In the lineage of the 1980s grand spicy-floral ambers—Chanel Coco among them—Neith reinterprets that resinous glow in a contemporary key: a triumphant rebirth. @neelavermeirecreations

Isabelle Larignon Dafneïs beautifully illustrated packaging at Esxence 2026 16th Edition

Inspired by the shock Isabelle Larignon experienced before Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne at Rome’s Galleria Borghese, her latest creation Dafneïs pays tribute to the artist, Italy, and a woman’s rage and transformation. I first entered Isabelle’s poetic universe through former ÇaFleureBon writer Emmanuelle Varron, who instantly fell for Milky Dragon. Meeting Isabelle later in Milan, I discovered shared passions ranging from perfumery and art to opera, which she once pursued as a soprano spinto. I could instantly relate to Dafneïs for sculpture is the art that affects me most physically: its three-dimensionality enters your space inducing an intimate vertigo. Isabelle translates that sensation through a vegetal iris accord reconstructed from the headspace of living flowers. Translucent, fruity, woody and gently earthy, it floats beside orange blossom petals like flour and marble dust, while immortelle, and mineral woods evoke budding leaves and flowing lymph beneath an immaculate haze. @isalarignon_parfums

Parfumeurs du Monde Osmanthus Noir Esxence 2026 16th Edition

Returning to Parfumeurs du Monde feels special. The house debuted at Esxence in 2016, when E-I-C Michelyn Camen and I were among the first to discover and acclaim Thierry Bernard’s visionary project: 100% natural compositions, conscious sourcing and support for local communities, years before such values became industry talking points. A decade later, the collection has grown superbly as perfumers from different generations have joined its creative circle.

What better anniversary gift than Marc-Antoine Corticchiato’s Osmanthus Noir? Dark, dense, and carnal, it is an osmanthus flower left to ripen in oil and night. I imagined sun-scorched volcanic rocks, terraced olive groves and osmanthus trees in bloom, then a pause in their shade to bite into a ripe apricot: mouthwatering pulp poised between emerald and obsidian. @parfumeurs_du_monde @parfumdempire

Ermano & Nick Gilbert of Olfiction Limited with Demo Accords at Esxence 2026 16^th Edition

A week before Esxence, I bumped into perfumer Pia Long at SIMPPAR in Grasse. She told me she would not be in Milan, but her partner Nick Gilbert would arrive with copies of her book Demo Accords and some fragrant surprises. Our exchanges over time about the idea of “clean” smells made the book’s Clean accord especially meaningful: glossy green-apple shampoo that took me back to Italy’s Shampoo Campus, whose fluorescent scent clung to freshly washed hair for days. Naturally, I left with both the book and accord kit.

After revisiting Eau de Boujee—and introducing a friend to the awesome Infleurno—Nick unveiled the Olfiction Lab Series, six playful fragrances in affordable 15 ml vials. I found Libido and Salmiakki specially intriguing. Libido stages a torrid affair with the printed word: ink, paper, glue, worn leather and woods in the back, as a handsome gentleman crosses his legs behind a newspaper in an old library. Salmiakki turns Finnish salted licorice treats into a mouthwatering gourmand of anise, black pepper, and myrrh-dipped immortelle—oddly delicious, and proof the genre still holds unexplored territory. @olfictionlimited @perfumer.pia @nickrgilbert

Laboratorio Olfattivo Fioriture – In_Carnation

With Fioriture, Jean-Claude Ellena turns from the Mediterranean citrus groves of Viaggio in Italia to three pillars of classical perfumery: jasmine, rose and carnation, rendered with laser-like precision. Peach-tinted Jasminade, caressed by a coastal breeze of orange blossom, feels destined to be the crowd-pleaser. Rose Me Twice, crisp, acidulated with subtle tea herbalcy, is a demeanor youthful rose. The revelation is In_Carnation though. An artichoke-tinged green rose effect introduces the warm piquancy of clove, backed by a vanillic cloud with roasted and leathery hints. Far from nostalgic, it is a brilliantly stylized clavelito—a word that makes me picture a small paintbrush, its bristles spreading like carnation petals. The powdery, musky, sweet drydown hovers like a purple haze, officially declaring dianthus’ comeback. @laboratorioolfattivo

Esxence 2026 16th Edition Sofia and Fabiola Bardelli, founders of In Astra

Although launched in 2025, Vanant was new to me. Inspired by Altair, the brightest star in the constellation Aquila, it is the first In Astra fragrance not composed by founder Sofia Bardelli, who entrusted it Bertrand Duchaufour. Tart blackcurrant leads into aldehydic ruffles of black carnation and velvety rose, while myrrh and smoky birch tar swirl with the debauchery of Russian leather. Alongside Neith and In_Carnation, it confirmed carnation’s return, stripped of retro powder and revived through contemporary materials lending depth, texture and drama. @inastrafragrances

 Voice from the Sky Esxence 2026 16th Edition

One of my greatest discoveries was Voice from the Sky, founded in 2019 by second-generation Chinese perfumer Tianle Feng, whose name means “music from the sky”. Although I missed him, his wife guided me through the collection, speaking how their family served as an inspiration with a tenderness one could almost smell. Raised in his father’s laboratory and trained at ISIPCA, Tianle seamlessly fuses the complexity, and balance of French perfumery with Chinese tradition issued from cuisine, medicine, poetry and personal memories.

My personal favorite, Let Me Out, is an immaculate wild rose after the rain. Bittersweet greenery and moist, cool spices surround pale petals, while fermented, woolly reassuring warmth rises underneath like a body held close. Talking to the Moon, likely the line’s bestseller, is more nocturnal: cold incense breeze blows over a solitary cup of Maotai—the savory, nutty Chinese spirit—beneath the moon. Slowly, it softens into apricot-skin, supple woods and an ink-like ghost, leaving the sweet melancholy of an ancient poem remembered alone at night.  @voicefromthesky

Manos Gerakinis Pure Honeysuckle Esxence 2026 16th Edition

Passing by Manos Gerakinis’s booth, I stopped by to revisit some favorites such as the creamy Immortelle and the Mediterranean leather of Sillage X. Then it came the breathtaking J review Pure Honeysuckle, created with Greek perfumer Ioanna Tanionou as an exclusive release for Turkey, also available online. Honeysuckle has become so rare nowadays in perfumery that just reading the note gives me heart eyes; go figure finding a beautiful one. It opens crisp and dewy like a morning flower, sharpened by blackcurrant’s astringent bite. Tuberose and gardenia lend creamy flesh, sprinkled with coconut water, while vetiver provides earthy moisture underneath. Wild honey adds sweetness and animalic flicker, as though bees were still drawing nectar from it at dusk—a welcome sign that neglected florals may finally be returning. @manosgerakinisparfums

 Lempicka Paris booth Esxence 2026 16th Edition

Few debuts made me as impatient as Lempicka Paris, the luxury line extending Lolita Lempicka’s universe. I have loved the 1997 eponymous scent since its launch, when its liquorice sweetness offered a startling answer to the first gourmand wave. I was already drooling before the booth: Raphael-like skies, white Art Deco frames, gilded swirls, ivy leaves and the enchanted apple—fairytale, poetic, unmistakably Lolita. The six fragrances expand the house’s DNA with precious materials. Bich elevates Oh Ma Biche‘s white-peach Bellini with velvety osmanthus; Velours Noir deepens the original’s anise-violet-liquorice soul beneath cosmetic, dragée-like orris powder. The same haute-parfumerie confection shapes entirely new compositions, such as Anne Flipo’s Fleur d’Agrume: orange blossom and floury carrot seed convey a Grasse fougassette to later melt into a musky glow. Even the apple-slice flacons are cute and chic. That the house remains family-owned—not another entry in a multinational luxury portfolio—makes this prestige collection feel genuine. Trop chic. @lempicka.paris

Sandalwood was everywhere, whether protagonist or creamy support beneath gourmands, ambers and fruit florals. One of the most original grown-up gourmands came from Sensatio Paris, founded by brothers David and Sasha Perrin, the latter a chef at the Monte-Carlo Beach Resort. Clément Marx’s Beurre de Santal evokes butter with disarming accuracy. Growing up in the countryside, I learned the smell of freshly milked cow’s milk and hand-molded butter. Here, sandalwood’s roasted creaminess becomes golden bread spread with a thick yellow layer of butter. Neither sugar-coated nor overly vanillic, it remains textured, savory and recognizably woody, enriched by Robertet’s valued sandalwood from Nepal. @sensatioparis

 Hospitality at the State of Mind booth

On the third day, after a morning at the Osmothèque booth, I was craving coffee when director Anne-Cécile Pouant invited me to join her for one at the State of Mind booth. Founder Catherine Laskine-Balandina welcomed us with a cuppa and little treats before unveiling two forthcoming creations inspired by Prohibition, the Roaring Twenties, Art Deco, and Russian Constructivism. She then served us Flapper’s Iced Tea, her mango twist on the Long Island Iced Tea. Its alcoholic freshness amplified the exhilarating opening of Karine Dubreuil-Sereni’s Flapper’s Freedom: icy aldehydes sparkle over ripe mango, shimmering like makeup before settling into a tailored fruity chypre. Sheik’s Delight is warmer and more dreamlike, recalling silent-screen exoticism later reimagined in Fellini’s The White Sheik. Gin-bright spices and supple leather dissolve into a cloud of blond tobacco and coumarinic sweetness. Together, they confirmed the return of alcoholic notes as symbols of pleasure, freedom, and reinvention in uncertain times. @stateofmind.fr

Artur Grigoryan and his mom at the AVII booth 

At the AVII booth, Armenian founder Artur Grigoryan and his mother welcomed visitors with smiles, fragrant blotters and patient answers—a heartwarming display amid Esxence’s most blinged-out booths. Based in Barcelona, Artur built the house around a conviction I wish more brands shared: well-made perfumes shine on their own; they do not need smoke and mirrors. This translates into four debut fragrances by perfumer Céline Guivarch pairing quality juices with consciously restrained packaging. My favorite, Mushin, feels like warm rice steam drifting through a quiet tearoom, where maté and magnolia settle over creamy sandalwood, soft musk, and the sun-dried sweetness of immortelle. It blends fashionable materials, but in a unique way. In a salon crowded with loud perfumes echoing market bestsellers—and a world deafened by bombast and hatred, Mushin offers stillness and inner balance. @aviiperfume

I know Mattia Sorrentino’s path well. He entered perfumery as one of my students in the Evaluator & Marketing Strategist course at the Italian Perfumery Institute, then went on to study composition with master perfumer Maurizio Cerizza. I first smelled his collection a few weeks ago at Fondazione Sozzani, so seeing his booth busy made me proud: his line embodies discipline, passion, and a determination to put creativity back at the core of perfumery. His delightful Dolce Foresta draws me into a woodland both majestic and embracing. Guaiac wood carries the warmth of vanilla with hints of worn leather, while vetiver suggests damp roots sinking into the soil. Incense oozes like sap from the bark, while fir balsam adds pine-nut sweetness, turning the drydown into a serene embrace. You’d better keep an eye on this young perfumer as he develops his house: it already possesses something no design agency can fabricate—soul. @sorrentinoperfumes

Ermano with Jean-Charles Sommerard of Maie Piou

Perfumery’s enfant terrible Jean-Charles Sommerard introduced Copper with even his nails lacquered in the metal’s shine. Inspired by his grandfather Félix and the family’s early stills, the collection treats copper as warmth, energy and transmission. My favorite was Clémentine Humeau’s Apricot Uppercut, an eccentric gourmand staged as an olfactory duel. White truffle lands the first blow; tart apricot and osmanthus follow with pulpy, leathery contrast; saffron, sandalwood, and Tolu balsam complete the knockout. It resembles a Michelin-starred dessert created by a chef with a witty sense of humor. @maiepiou

Off Esxence: Olfactory Signals – Anatole Lebreton, Veritas Parfums, Maison Spoturno, Frassaï & SIUNO

Esxence closed on Saturday, but Milan’s olfactory week continued through parties, off-events, and private rendezvous. I first ran into perfumer Anatole Lebreton, whom I had also seen the previous week in Grasse. After exchanging impressions on the newest raw materials discovered at SIMPPAR, he pulled a vial of cognac-colored juice from his pocket: Tabaquero his latest release, which I had not yet smelled. Its name refers to the Latin American healer who uses tobacco to relieve the pains of body and mind. A splash of rum bathes the bold fenugreek centerpiece, enhancing its fermented-cereal and smoky facets, which mingle into a full-bodied tobacco aura. Amber and licorice crackle through swirls of balsams and full-throttle vanilla. Intoxicating. @anatole_lebreton

The Veritas Parfums line

Most private meetings took place nearby, at the NH Collection Milano CityLife, where my friend Laurence Arrigo introduced me to Veritas Parfums. Conceived in the Netherlands, crafted in Italy, and composed by French perfumer Arnaud Fourré, the house draws on still-life painting and chiaroscuro. As several people commented on my social-media photo dump, the amphora-shaped flacons and crowned caps recall the early 2000s, though their fading colors elevate and modernize the look. More importantly, the exquisite perfumes translate the concept coherently, unfolding like richly colored canvases. My favorite, Carpe Diem, is a joyful fruitchouli: thirst-quenching citrus notes give way to ripe mango and blackcurrant, while resins deepen the opulent patchouli base, kept playful, radiant, and versatile by the luscious fruit. @veritas. parfums

Véronique Spoturno of Maison Spoturno showing the Spoturno 1921 scented Poudre de Beauté

Dulcis in fundo, I reunited over an aperitivo with the wonderful Véronique Spoturno, whom I had last seen in Milan in 2023, when Maison Spoturno was still taking shape. Her sensitivity, perseverance, and uncompromising pursuit of excellence have transformed that vision into a remarkable house developed with master perfumer Christopher Sheldrake—whom destiny still owes me the pleasure of meeting. Over a good spritz, we talked about mutual connections, future projects, the Italian market, and the collection whose debut prompted me to order a discovery set and whose beauty soon won me over. At its heart is Spoturno 1921, a sumptuous symphonic floral amber honoring her great-grandfather François Spoturno dit Coty, whose legacy helped shape modern perfumery at its finest. Véronique went even further, reviving that heritage with a lavish matching Poudre de Beauté. She proudly slid open its flawless box and dusted my hand with richly scented powder as fine as silk—a refined, intimate gesture I would gladly rediscover after every cool shower this summer. @maison. spoturno

 Frassaï in Olfactory Signals at Corso Como 10

On Sunday, I headed to 10 Corso Como for Olfactory Signals, a quieter coda after four intense days. Among the familiar faces was Frassaï founder Natalia Outeda, presenting two new creations by Givaudan perfumer Marypierre Julien. A Sign of Dawn feels like dew on opaque, slightly downy fig leaves, their milky sap softened by carrot seed’s powdery fruitiness, foreshadowing the sweet pulp beneath. Fraise de Nuit begins with freshly picked strawberries, grows jammy at heart, then darkens into a mellow vetiver—a vetiver rugged enough for die-hard lovers, yet equally seductive to those drawn to its husky voice in a sweeter register. @frassai

SIUNO founder Amanda Marotti-Thompson welcomed me with a hug and introduced Alenu, created with natural perfumer Andrej Babicky. It evokes a lush Mediterranean garden ruled by mastic—the soul-scent of its vegetation: green, aromatic, almost incense-like, yet bearing pistachio and coumarinic warmth. After wearing it, I promptly renamed Andrej “Mr. Mastic Fantastic.” @siunofragrances @hereticgarden

Best of Show

What was the best of Esxence 2026 16^th Edition? After the colorful fireworks and thunderous booms of a spectacle that left the ear ringing, it was the con dolcezza melody of slow perfumery that restored the senses.

Carnation is back, stripped of nostalgia; floral bouquets are regaining the stage, while sillage monsters begin to fade from fashion—and perhaps from our sensibility. Gourmand perfumery is growing up, replacing cloying sweetness with steamed, roasted, fermented, tart, and savory sensations. The increasing presence of Asian creators has fostered this evolution, bringing not simply unfamiliar ingredients, but new imagery shaped by rituals, medicine, familiar foods, restraint, and emotional space.

Esxence was larger and more spectacular than ever. Yet its most memorable perfumes did not shout. They drew us closer—rare birds whose melodies could still be heard beneath the noise.

“Hallo Michelyn, I missed you and look forward to see you in Milano in 2027”

Disclosure: some perfumes and samples were gifted

Ermano Picco, Editor.

photo credits are by Ermano Picco © unless otherwise noted

That’s a wrap of our 2026 coverage. Please revisit our Esxence 2026 event reports: Kristina’s Part 1 here  Oli’s Part 2 and Tamara here

I miss you too Ermano-Michelyn

See you 24th to 27th February, 2027!

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