Today it’s perfume history storytime. In 1533, a fragrance called Acqua della Regina was created at Florence’s Santa Maria Novella monastery. Now, nearly 500 years later, that same perfume is still available, from the same apothecary on the same Florentine street. 

The world of fragrance has a lot of origin stories but few are as incredible as this one. In fact, if it wasn’t historical fact, it would be barely believable—it involves an orphan raised by monks, a teenage bride, murders committed by perfumed gloves (allegedly), and the real reason France became the fragrance capital of the world. 

Here are five facts about the world’s oldest continuously-available perfume that you probably didn’t know (we certainly didn’t). 

1. The Oldest Perfume: Acqua della Regina and a Teenage Queen

Catherine de Medici was a teenager when she left Florence to marry Henry, Duke of Orleans, the future king of France. She was young, entering a foreign court with uncertain alliances—yet she was astute enough to bring a personal perfumer in her entourage. She commissioned Acqua Della Regina, and with its bright Italian citrus, neroli, lavender, and rosemary, it brought a welcome splash of Tuscan sunshine to the power play of the French court. At 14, Catherine understood the power of scent better than many adults ever will.

2. The Perfumer Behind Acqua della Regina: Orphan, Alchemist, Poisoner

Renato Bianco was an orphan, raised by Dominican friars at the Santa Maria Novella monastery in Florence. He started out as a humble stable boy. But by the age of twelve, he’d been taken under the wing of an old alchemist friar who taught him the art of herbal distillation. Turns out he was a natural. 

So much so that the young Catherine de Medici made him her personal perfumer. He travelled with her to France, reinventing himself as René le Florentin, and opening a perfume shop on one of Paris’s most fashionable streets. But by now he’s not only renowned as a perfumer: according to one account, he was the man ‘employed by Catherine de Medicis, in removing those opponents, against whom she did not choose to use the dagger or the sword.’ Then there’s this 19th-century painting depicting him selling poisoned gloves to Jeanne III of Navarre. As to whether she ended up dying of poisoning or natural causes….the jury’s still out. 

3. How Acqua della Regina Shaped Modern Perfume

Before Acqua della Regina, most fragrances were made with an oil or vinegar base. While the very first alcohol-based perfume was Hungary Water, commissioned by the Queen of Hungary around 1200, it was the Italian alchemists— including the monks of Santa Maria Novella and Renato Bianco—that refined and popularised the technique. This isn’t just a fragrance with a history (and a dramatic backstory), it’s also the technical blueprint for the entire history of modern perfume.

4. How This Perfume Made France the Fragrance Capital

René le Florentin (as he styled himself) opened a shop on the Pont Saint-Michel, one of Paris’s most elegant streets, and the French elite fell hard for his creations. The demand for flowers and herbs that his business generated helped establish Grasse as the fragrance captial as the world. So one of the most famous chapters in perfume history comes down to this: an Italian orphan and a teenage queen who brought her favourite scent across the border. Italy would like its credit back.

5. The Oldest Perfume Still Sold Today

The chapel that houses Santa Maria Novella’s boutique today was built in 1334 after the friars healed a wealthy Florentine merchant. And Acqua della Regina has been in continuous production since 1533. You can walk into that same building where it was first made and buy a bottle of what is more or less the same fragrance. (Olivia Olfactory told us it was the ‘most beautiful’ fragrance shop she’d ever visited, and we can easily believe it.)

Just to put that timeline in perspective—in 1533, the English King Henry VIII had just married Anne Boleyn, his infamous second wife, and the United States was about 250 years away from being founded. It’s perfume history, sure. But at this point, it’s also straight-up history.

^{Courtesy of the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novell}

If you’re curious how perfume has evolved since then, explore our guide to the best perfumes on Scentbird.

Acqua della Regina FAQs

Q1: What is the oldest perfume still available today?

Acqua della Regina by Santa Maria Novella is considered the oldest continuously produced perfume, first created in 1533.

Q2: Who created Acqua della Regina?

Acqua della Regina was created by Renato Bianco, a Florentine perfumer who later became known as René le Florentin in France.

Q3: Why is Acqua della Regina important in perfume history?

It helped popularize alcohol-based perfume, shaping the foundation of modern perfumery as we know it today.

Q4: How did France become the center of perfume?

Catherine de Medici brought her Italian perfumer to France, influencing perfume culture and helping establish Grasse as a fragrance hub.

Q5: Where can you buy Acqua della Regina today?

It is still sold at the Santa Maria Novella apothecary in Florence, where it was originally created.