By Camilla Sarra. Cover image: Still from video by Istituto Marangoni Firenze student for Aquaflor Accord of Bharat event.
Pitti Fragranze 2026 is back in Florence, returning to Stazione Leopolda from 11 to 13 September (a short walk from Florence’s historic centre). The Pitti Immagine event is one of the key international showcases dedicated to artistic perfumery and indie skincare. More than 260 brands are taking part this year, with around 75% coming from outside Italy. The fair brings established perfume houses together with independent brands, while some of the most interesting names working with scent today join the programme. And Fragranze now goes well beyond finding your next perfume. Some events explore the connection with fashion; others look at hospitality. Korean skincare gets its own spotlight, while AI enters the beauty conversation. There are even experiences where scent becomes something you can taste or hear. So where should you start? These are the 7 Pitti Fragranze events worth adding to your calendar.
1 // Taste & Smell by MARIEJEANNE
Can you understand a perfume by tasting it? MARIEJEANNE turns fragrance discovery into something you can actually eat with Taste & Smell, an experience pairing artisanal ice cream flavours with the signature ingredients found in the brand’s fragrances. It’s a playful way to discover what happens when taste meets smell, even if you’re not already a perfume expert.
11 September | 11:00–14:00
Outdoor Courtyard, Stazione Leopolda
2 // Niccolò Pasqualetti moves from fashion to fragrance
What happens when a young fashion designer creates his first perfume collection? Niccolò Pasqualetti, Special Guest at Pitti Fragranze 2026, presents his fragrance debut in Florence before the collection officially launches in October. Created with Italian maître parfumeur Cristiano Canali of MANE, the project includes three fragrances. Pasqualetti brings into scent the same research around identity found in his fashion, moving beyond conventional “unisex” or “genderless” labels. The bottles and packaging have also been produced by Italian companies. The presentation is moderated by Paola M. Gariboldi.
11 September | 11:30
UniCredit Fragranze Arena, Stazione Leopolda
3 // Accord of Bharat: experience India through scent and sound
In the evening, Fragranze moves beyond the Leopolda. Aquaflor, in collaboration with Istituto Marangoni Firenze, presents Accord of Bharat: A Symphony of Fragrances and Sound from India, an immersive journey through two dimensions of India. The experience begins with the warmth of everyday rituals and gradually moves towards moments of spiritual reflection. Scent guides the journey. Sound accompanies it, while images shape the multisensory installation created with students from the Art and Fragrances courses at Istituto Marangoni Firenze, together with Fashion Business students.
11 September | 19:30–22:00
Aquaflor, Borgo Santa Croce 18, Florence
4 // Code Korea: discover what’s next in K-Beauty
Korean skincare has already changed the global beauty conversation. So what comes next? Code Korea@Fragranzebrings a dedicated selection of Korean beauty innovation to Stazione Leopolda in collaboration with the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA). The talk Beauty and AI: The Future Is Now brings K-Beauty into conversation with artificial intelligence and looks towards the next developments in the sector. Speakers include Chester Jungseok Roh, CEO of KYYB, one of Korea’s innovative skincare brands, and Susanna Macchia, Senior Beauty Editor at D – la Repubblica.
12 September | 12:30
UniCredit Fragranze Arena, Stazione Leopolda
5 // The Scent of Hospitality: can you remember a place by its smell?
Think about the smell of a hotel you loved. Could you recognise it years later? The Scent of Hospitality explores how fragrance is becoming part of the way hotels build their identity and how scent can shape the memory of a stay. It’s an especially current topic. On TikTok, people are searching for ways to recreate the “smell of a luxury hotel” at home, while fragrance is becoming increasingly connected to the emotions we associate with particular places. Ambra Martone, co-founder of LabSolue and Creative Director of Magna Pars Hotel, joins Sophie Labbé, Principal Perfumer at dsm-firmenich. Also taking part is Ilaria Legato, brand and olfactory designer and author of Io sono Naso. The conversation is moderated by Francesca Delogu and Silvia Manzoni and curated by Istituto Marangoni.
12 September | 17:00
UniCredit Fragranze Arena, Stazione Leopolda
6 // Istituto dell’Odore: what if we could save a smell before it disappears?
Which smell would you save if you knew you might never experience it again? Meo Fusciuni and Federica Castellani present Istituto dell’Odore, a new project built around the idea of preserving collective olfactory memories. Here, the role of the perfumer begins to change too. The project imagines an archive of smells we have lost or that continue to live in our memory, with the perfumer becoming an archivist who creates today to preserve something for tomorrow. The project is presented for the first time at Pitti Fragranze. The talk is moderated by Isella Marzocchi.
13 September | 12:30
UniCredit Fragranze Arena, Stazione Leopolda
7 // MEZEL: why can watermelon be chicer than rose?
Who decided that rose is sophisticated and watermelon isn’t? MEZEL starts from that question with Why Watermelon Can Be More Chic Than Rose, challenging traditional ideas about what makes an ingredient feel refined. Sophia Gyé-Jacquot, founder of MEZEL, explores how orris can transform an unexpected ingredient like watermelon into something desirable. The question at the heart of the talk is simple: what if being chic has less to do with the ingredient itself than with the way a perfumer interprets it?
13 September | 14:00
UniCredit Fragranze Arena, Stazione Leopolda
