An Exhibition of Extraordinary Italian Scents 2026

One World Trade Center (formerly the Freedom Tower)

“This initiative offers a collective portrait of contemporary, luxury, Italian artistic perfumery, mapping the key players, ateliers, and emerging trends that are shaping the sector’s evolution. It brings together the people, places, and ideas defining its future, each contributing to a vision of scent as an art form,”- Maurizio Cavezzali, Co-Founder of Esxence

AURA The Art Perfumery Showcase: The Italian Trade Agency and Esxence event banner

 Located on the 102nd floor of ASPIRE within the One World Observatory, the New York skyline provided a breathtaking backdrop for AURA, the newly rebranded Italian artistic perfumery showcase. Following its inaugural edition last year, the exclusive event made its return on October 22nd, combining the global prestige of Milan’s Esxence with the strategic power of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA). Together, they transformed the glass-walled space into a multi-sensory gallery, bringing 30 hand-selected niche fragrance brands to the heart of Manhattan to map the olfactory landscape of Italy. From Mediterranean coasts to historic cities, the showcase became a vibrant testament to the “Made in Italy” ethos, blending regional ingredients with advanced scent technology.

Esxence’s president and co-founder Maurizio Cavezzali and Alessio Nanni, Head of Fashion and Beauty Division, ITA New York courtesy of AURA

“AURA gives America early access to some of the most original voices in Italian artistic perfumery today. Many of these independent houses are not yet widely available in the U.S. By connecting their vision with fragrance buyers, distributors, editors, and industry leaders, we are creating real opportunities in Italy’s No. 1-ranked fragrance market, the U.S.” says Erica Di Giovancarlo, Italian Trade Commissioner and executive director of the U.S. network.

The expansion this year to 30 brands (up from 20 last year) marks a significant milestone for AURA as it solidifies its role as a premier marketplace and fragrance watchtower. The event masterfully linked a connection between independent Italian fragrances brands and the American fragrance community. The invitation-only 2026 AURA event brought together qualified U.S. buyers, distributors, retailers, journalists, content creators, and Italian fragrance professionals over two sessions of brand discovery and industry dialogue. The first session, held in the afternoon, was the one I attended this year. It was more of a networking- and business-focused affair. This dedicated B2B block dispensed with the typical distractions of panels and heavy entertainment, offering a relaxed and focused environment where attendees were able to engage deeply with perfumers and sample new creations. The session was held from 2:30 PM to 6:30 PM. In comparison to last year’s evening session, where the energy shifted into a lively evening cocktail reception celebrating these Italian niche fragrance brands and the sector’s success, which ran from 6:30 until 9:30 PM, this was a more focused affair.

ASPIRE event space at AURA

The seamless execution of the event reflects the high standards of its two driving forces. The ITA continues its modern mission of helping small and medium-sized Italian enterprises scale globally, while Esxence, now in its 17th edition globally, cements its reputation as the ultimate incubator for niche scent culture. Longtime media partner ÇaFleureBon, led by Editor-in-Chief Michelyn Camen, was on the ground to chronicle the experience. Having covered the evolution of artistic perfumery with Esxence since 2011, ÇaFleureBon’s continued presence highlights how AURA has successfully raised the bar, creating an essential annual bridge for independent fragrance innovation in America.

Agarthi’s Founder Barbara Loddo and her husband Roberto Vismara

A number of the brands showing are ones I have a deep appreciation for many for example JUSBOX, Nobile 1942, Abaton, and WA:IT. It’s great to see them continue to excel. And it was wonderful to be introduced to so many new brands that are not yet available in the American market, such as Argarthi, Coreterno, Gianluca Gariboldi, Parco 1923, to name a few. AURA was not about new fragrance releases, but rather a collective showcase of Italian brands as a strong and bold presence.

ASPIRE event space

AURA’s participating brands: Abaton, Accendis, Acqua dell’Elba, Acqua di Giulietta, Acqua di Portofino, Acqua di Sardegna, Agarthi, Carthusia I Profumi di Capri, Casamorati, Coreterno, Devertere, Farmacia SS. Annunziata 1561, Gianluca Gariboldi, Giardini di Toscana, In Astra, Ischia Ritual, JUSBOX, L’Eau Maliz, Les Folies Du Parfum, Lila Franklin, Malva 1979, Nobile1942, Ozmé, Parco1923, Rito, Rocco D’Orazio, Sikelia Parfums, WA:IT, Xerjoff, and Zavyla.

WA: IT display at AURA

The evening’s two sponsors set a high standard for future events. The Italian Trade Agency (ITA) is the governmental agency supporting the business development of Italian companies abroad and promoting the attraction of foreign investment into Italy. Through a motivated and modern organization and a worldwide network of offices, ITA provides information, assistance, consulting, promotion, and training to Italian businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, helping them connect with international markets.

Founded in Milan, Esxence – The Art Perfumery Event is a global reference point for artistic and niche perfumery. Bringing together the world’s most innovative perfume brands, creators, distributors, buyers, media, and fragrance professionals, Esxence fosters cultural dialogue, business development, and the continued evolution of the art of scent.

Coreterno display at AURA

In closing, it should be noted that this year’s event arrives at a defining moment of economic strength for Italian perfumery on the global stage. Italy’s niche fragrance market is valued at $450 million, which is one-third of the country’s entire fine fragrance sector. This domestic success is mirrored by explosive international trade data; overall Italian fragrance exports reached approximately $3.17 billion in 2025, marking a 6.4% increase over the previous year and building upon a staggering 26.3% export surge in 2024. The United States remains the crown jewel of these international markets, securing the top spot in 2024 by bringing in $503 million in exports, which accounts for nearly 18% of Italy’s global perfume distribution.

–Hernando Courtright, Senior Event Contributor and Brand Ambassador

All photos by Hernando for ÇaFleureBon unless otherwise specified

AURA Gift Bag courtesy of AURA

Thanks to the generosity of the event sponsors, we have an official gift bag with an assortment of outstanding Italian perfumes for one registered reader in the CON USA. The giveaway is for registered readers only, so be sure to register if you have not done so. To be eligible, please let us know what you thought of Hernando’s detailed report and which brand or perfume you would be excited to try. The draw closes on 11/6/2026.

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