Nasomatto
Founded 2007 · Amsterdam, Netherlands · Alessandro Gualtieri
Nasomatto — "mad nose" in Italian — is Alessandro Gualtieri's house, and its premise is that a perfume ought to provoke a state of mind. Black Afgano is its big name: resinous, green and dark to the point of discomfort.
History
Gualtieri, an Italian trained in the trade with spells at major laboratories, founded Nasomatto in Amsterdam in 2007 with a very short catalogue and one rule: release a perfume only when he believes it produces a specific effect on the wearer. The bottles are cubic, with a differently carved wooden top for each reference. Black Afgano, with resins, oud and a dense green many read as cannabis, is the one that holds the house up. Gualtieri later founded Orto Parisi, on an even more extreme premise.
Iconic models
Black Afgano
Resins, oud and a very dark green. The house's best seller and most argued-over.
Pardon
Tonka bean and wood; the most wearable in the catalogue.
Baraonda
Cognac and leather, with the air of an old bar.
Worth knowing
Every Nasomatto bottle carries a differently carved wooden top depending on the perfume, and the house releases references only when its author reckons they produce a specific effect. The catalogue has not grown in years.
