Reviews of Melograno (1965)
by Santa Maria Novella

I tried wearing the cologne, probably because it reminded me of My Sin (in the top 10, despite its demise ) but that's where it ended. I tried and tried to like it but we just couldn't make it work. Confess I have not smelled a real pomegranate so I can't speak to that. I am a chypre person though, which is probably what attracted me to it. That and the recommnedation of a shopkeeper in Boston who regularly travels to Florence to replenish her SMN stock. I think I'd like the soap or hand creme. Or to put in drawers. On second thought, no drawers.

This is a very odd fragrance indeed. It has elements of classic barbershop, mixed with all sorts of stuff that is supposed to include pomegranate. I suppose there is pomegranate, it certainly is like pomegranate, because it's sour and seedy. One could possibly find SMN Melograno "refreshing" -- tart and refreshing. Unfortunately, I find the tart turns to our and as time goes by the sweet/sour elements become a muddle that never resolves into anything very satisfying. I can imagine wearing this and people around me making that exaggerated sniffy sound with their noses, wondering what the heck that smell is. I don't want to be the cause of all that. Might be good to wear liberally if you have unexpected company and you had hoped for a quiet weekend alone.

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!