Bois 1920: Florentine Artistic Perfumery Since 1920

Bois 1920 is an artistic perfume house founded in Florence in 1920 by the Galardi family. Rooted in Tuscan craftsmanship and driven by a pursuit of exceptional raw materials, the brand reinterprets Italy's olfactory tradition through a contemporary lens, expressed across more than sixty unisex eau de parfum of genuine character.

History and philosophy

The story of Bois 1920 begins in 1920, when Guido Galardi opened his small workshop in Florence — the Bottega Italiana Spigo — and began experimenting with his first olfactory formulas, harvesting lavender from the Florentine hills. The venture closed in 1925, yet the passion for perfumery lived on within the family: it was Guido's grandson Enzo Galardi who took up that legacy, entering the fragrance industry in the 1980s and formally founding the Bois 1920 brand in 2005, with the ambition of reinterpreting those original recipes through a contemporary sensibility.

The brand's name — an acronym of Bottega Italiana Spigo 1920 — encapsulates this dual nature: deep artisan roots alongside a genuine openness to the currents of international niche perfumery. In 2012 the house was selected as one of the five finest olfactory expressions at the FiFi Awards in New York, cementing its reputation well beyond Italy's borders.

The style

Bois 1920 fragrances are defined by a generous use of carefully sourced raw materials — exotic woods, resins, oriental spices and green Tuscan notes — woven into compositions that favour longevity and complexity. The creative work is developed in collaboration with perfumers including Arturetto Landi, among others, and is organised into distinct lines, each reflecting a different stylistic direction.

• Collezione Classica — the founding fragrances of the house, created in 2005, which establish the maison's olfactory vocabulary: spices, warm woods and oriental accords.
• Elite Collection — positioned at the top of the range, housed in angular flacons, with ambitious compositions and a high concentration of fragrance.
• Collezione Oro — a series built around rich and precious accords, centred on saffron, patchouli, sandalwood and amber notes.
• Cannabis Collection — two eau de parfum that explore cannabis as an olfactory raw material, with a distinctly unconventional spirit.
• Collezione Youth / Colorful — fresher, more accessible fragrances aimed at a young and contemporary audience.

Best-known products

Across a catalogue of more than sixty references, certain fragrances have stood out for their enduring appeal and prominence in niche perfumery conversation.

• Sushi Imperiale — a spicy oriental eau de parfum from 2005: a citrus opening of bergamot and mandarin, a heart of star anise, nutmeg and cinnamon, and a base of patchouli, sandalwood and Madagascar vanilla. Pronounced sillage and a unisex character.
• Real Patchouly — a direct, earthy interpretation of patchouli, balanced by cedar, sandalwood, thyme, tobacco and amber. One of the original 2005 catalogue references.
• Classic 1920 — a spicy oriental fragrance with an opening of apricot, nutmeg and bergamot; a heart of lavender, osmanthus and jasmine; and a base of sandalwood, vetiver and cedar. Unisex and seasonally versatile.
• Oro Nero — launched in 2017, a woody oriental built on an opening of saffron, clove and bergamot, a heart of patchouli and sandalwood, and a dry-down of leather, amber and vanilla.
• Oltremare — a fresh, marine eau de parfum with a lively citrus opening, a heart of tea and floral notes, and a base of sandalwood, ambergris, white musk and patchouli.