Melograno (1965)
by Santa Maria Novella

Someone may not like the way I speak, but I always try to go straight to the point. Many aspects that I understand but I don't like about the perfumery industry are based on "hooks". They always try to capture our attention with intriguing (inconsistent) description, bizarre effects (girls/boys catching feromones), weird ingredients (urine, tear gas etc.) or tradition. But first of all is our nose, our feelings, our sensations and that's what we should really follow. Santa maria Novella was founded in 1700 and based everything on tradition but unfortunately, sometimes, it's not enough. I'm not talking about Melograno, this is more of a general SMN review. A bunch of their perfumes have a great opening, some others not but IMO the real problem with their scents is the drydown. They all tend to smell old (litterally), rancid, obsolete. Sometimes tradition is a very good value, something to hand down from father to son, sometimes tradition should be a little bit revised.

6th March, 2011.

Mimi sent me a decant of Melograno to try. I hadn't read anything about it, and I sure wasn't expecting anything like this. I don't smell pomegranate, or not the pomegranate I would expect to smell, but perhaps it's in there as a bit of faint, tart fruitiness. In the first few seconds I thought it was a clean, soapy scent, something I'd enjoy wearing in the morning. Then this huge powder note billowed up like someone blowing stale powder in my face with a bellows...with that awful bandaid smell, as I call it, that I've gotten in a few fragrances and that I believe is probably good amber, and which I always hate at first, but like love later. I thought, "oh no, here we go again," and then I began to catch a whiff of heliotrope, which I adore. The huge bandaid powder bomb begins to drift away, and the almondy heliotrope comes into clearer focus, intensifies and sweetens, as the amber morphs, the whole fragrance warming and settling down like a cat curling up on your lap. I like it. The drydown reminds me a bit of Fleur Oriental by Miller Harris, which I enjoy in cool weather. If I can sample Melagrano in the morning before lunch without having to scrub it off, it's a good sign. Unisex for sure.

1st October, 2010.

There seems to be no pomegranate in this fragrance and I am not sure whether I should be happy with relief ( because I am not sure about pomegranate in perfume ! ) or displeased .
Immediately perufmey and soapy,turning slightly powdery. Very classical perfumeactually. Strong, long lasting.
This smells like a cross between Hermes' Caleche Soie de Parfum and Chanel No.5 . But more towards Caleche.
Good stuff.

18th May, 2010.

Melograno opens up with the most bizarre mix of candied fruit, sweet florals and aldehydes you could imagine. Or maybe, then again, you can't. I prefer distinctive fragrances, but these top notes leave me absolutely baffled.

Left to develop, it's still freakish: a clashing mess of sweet fruit and harsh aldehydes that make no apparent sense together. It also smells aggressively synthetic, whether its ingredients are or not.

I don't get it, and I sure don't want to wear it!

23rd December, 2009.

For so many years I have tried to imagine what a perfect fragrance would smell like. Hundreds of scents have stroked my nose, some of them were gentle and smooth, others were rough and sharp. Some were classic, other were odd and innovative. From florals to fougeres, from citruses to orientals, all of them had something to offer, but none of them had everything to offer.

I have now found an almost perfect fragrance... Melograno. This has one of the most divine mixes of lush flowers and fruits, with slightly smoky undertones (in my opinion, not the best choice to yoke with the floral/fruity character of the fragrance) perceivable throughout the entire development of the fragrance. The typical SMN odd, harsh notes, combined with a clean barbershop note, could label this fragrance as an "original classic". There are very few fragrances that can claim that label, and even fewer produce such a contradictory, but absolutely wonderful effect.

Melograno is not just to be worn, but to be enjoyed, savoured from the first strong, bold opening notes, through the intoxicating fruity-floral mid notes, ending up with the smooth and sophisticated dry-down.

6th September, 2009.

I agree with those who don't find any pomegranate/grenadine fruit here, also with those who find this to be a soapy scent. The image I get in my mind is a clear, powerfully-scented pink soap. It is a pleasant, clean smell and also quite rich. Not my sort of scent, but interesting.

16th May, 2009.