Botanicae: Italian Artistic Botanical Perfumes

Botanicae Expressions is an artistic perfumery maison founded in Spain in 2012 by a group of travellers with deep experience of Middle Eastern fragrance traditions. The brand's defining characteristic is the translation of real geographical destinations into unisex, vegan and cruelty-free compositions, made accessible without any compromise on the quality of raw materials.

History and philosophy

Botanicae was born in 2012 out of a period of immersive study undertaken in direct contact with the olfactory traditions of the Middle East — the UAE, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Oman — where perfume is a cultural practice passed down through generations. After years of collaboration with historic regional houses, the founders returned to the Mediterranean and resolved to share those experiences through fragrance, taking a craft-led, sustainable approach entirely removed from the logic of mass-market marketing. The first collection was presented to the public in 2019.

The brand's philosophy rests on three pillars: accessibility to artistic perfumery, respect for the environment — through carefully selected ingredients, recycled and reusable packaging materials — and an ethical commitment to the communities involved in the production chain. All fragrances are unisex, vegan and cruelty-free.

The style

Botanicae's compositions move across a range of olfactory families — spicy orientals, woody chypres, fougères, gourmands — united by a single narrative thread: every fragrance is inspired by a specific place in the world and builds a recognisable sensory landscape around it. The nose behind the creations is Miroslav Petkov. Available concentrations range from eau de parfum and eau de toilette intense through to the Elixir, the most intense and long-lasting format.

• Botanicae Expressions collection: the main line in EDP and EDT Intense, with titles inspired by destinations spanning Africa to Northern Europe, Spain to Japan.
• Elixir collection: richer, more concentrated versions, designed for those seeking greater sillage and depth.
• Natural raw materials with a prevalence of woods (cedar, sandalwood, patchouli), spices (pink pepper, nutmeg, cumin), resins (frankincense, amber, benzoin) and white florals.
• Sustainable packaging: flacons wrapped in vegetable paper printed with a description of the inspiring destination, in keeping with the brand's narrative identity.

The best-known products

The Botanicae catalogue numbers over twenty-five fragrances. Among those that have garnered the most attention within the niche perfumery community:

• Matin a Mogador (2019) — A spicy oriental inspired by dawn in Essaouira: balanced spices, nutmeg, violet and vanilla over an amber and patchouli base.
• En Route (2019) — A unisex woody chypre with a top of bergamot, pink pepper and pineapple, a heart of leather and jasmine, and a base of oakmoss and ambergris.
• Tramonte (2022) — A woody oriental inspired by the coastline of Campania: yuzu, bergamot and nutmeg in the opening, frankincense and cedar at the heart, and a warm base of amber, vanilla and sandalwood.
• Highlands (2022) — An evocation of the Scottish Highlands: juniper and Earl Grey tea at the top, tuberose and cedar at the heart, with a base of hay, oakmoss, leather and musk.
• Ebano (Elixir) — A dark woody gourmand inspired by Africa: pink pepper and olibanum in the opening, a heart of cocoa and myrrh, and a base of vanilla, oak and styrax.