

Daniele Maullu Nero e Rosso Shaving Soap by Ariana & Evans
Nero e Rosso opens with black leather, tobacco, and oud.
Dark. Smoky. Rich.
Exactly what you'd expect.
Then something unexpected begins to emerge.
A subtle strawberry note appears beneath the darker accords. Not sweet. Not candied. Not gourmand. Just enough to create tension. It softens the rough edges of the leather and smoke while adding a quiet brightness that keeps the fragrance moving.
Osmanthus plays an important role here as well. Often described as having facets of apricot, suede, and leather, it helps bridge the gap between the darker notes and the fruit accord, creating something that feels seamless rather than contrasting.
As Nero e Rosso settles, roasted cocoa begins to surface. Dry and slightly bitter, it adds warmth without sweetness. The leather becomes smoother. The tobacco grows richer. The woods become more pronounced.
Birch tar and Virginia cedar anchor the entire composition, leaving behind a dark, smoky trail that feels both familiar and unexpected.
The strawberry is what changes everything.
Without it, Nero e Rosso would be another leather, tobacco, and oud fragrance.
With it, it becomes something else entirely.
Fragrance Notes
Black Leather
Black Tobacco
Oud
Strawberry
Osmanthus
Birch Tar
Roasted Cocoa
Virginia Cedar
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A Little Behind the Curtain
The strawberry note in Nero e Rosso didn't come from a pre-made fragrance oil.
We built it ourselves.
The accord is made from Strawberry Glycidate (Aldehyde C-16), Ethyl Butyrate, Raspberry Ketone, natural Strawberry Essence, and a touch of Ethyl Maltol. Sounds more like something you'd find in a chemistry lab than a shaving soap. That's because perfumery often is.
The goal wasn't to make Nero e Rosso smell like strawberries. Quite the opposite.
The strawberry exists to create contrast. It sits beneath the leather, tobacco, oud, smoke, and woods, occasionally peeking through just enough to make you stop and wonder what you're smelling. Sometimes it's obvious. Sometimes it hides. But it's always there, weaving through the darker notes and giving the fragrance its signature character.
Without it, Nero e Rosso would be another leather, tobacco, and oud fragrance.
With it, it becomes something else entirely.
DARKNESS WITH A CRIMSON TWIST.
Legacy Ingredients: Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Water, Beef Tallow, Shea Butter, Shorea Butter, Castor Oil, Kokum Butter, Emu Oil, Mango Seed Butter, Palm Fruit, Fragrance, Murumuru Butter, Cupuacu Butter, Illippe Butter, Goats Milk, Silk Amino Acids, Aloe, Sodium Lactate, Tussah Silk, Saccharomyces Ferment
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This is by far the best shaving soap I've ever used. The smell is amazing and the lather is superb! The fragrance is a beautiful complex of scents that I couldn't even begin to describe. This is my favorite. I would urge any and every wet shaver to try Nero e Rosso.
Love it! Keep making more.
Nero e Rosso defies easy categorization. The opening suggests a dark leather-tobacco-oud composition and yes, that foundation is very much present. But this is only the beginning of the story.
The shave soap opens rounder and slightly softer than expected. The aftershave, by contrast, announces itself immediately: black leather, dark tobacco, smoky depth. Classic and confident. Yet as the lather builds and hits the skin, the composition begins to reveal its true character.
Beneath the dark foundation lies an unexpected note: strawberry.
Not sweet. Not fruity in any conventional sense. Rather, a subtle red facet that surfaces and retreats throughout the shave — adding tension, depth, and a quiet sense of mystery. You sense it before you can name it. Osmanthus plays a crucial bridging role here, its leathery, slightly fruited, velvety facets connecting the dark accords to the strawberry note with remarkable elegance. Nothing feels forced. Everything interlocks seamlessly.
As the shave progresses, roasted cocoa, birch tar, and Virginia cedar come forward. The cocoa adds dry warmth without sweetness. The birch tar gives the composition its smoky backbone. The cedar provides structure and refinement.
What sets Nero e Rosso apart from similar fragrances is its dynamism. Where many leather-tobacco scents run linear, this one evolves continuously throughout the shave — dark and smoky one moment, illuminated by that elusive red fruit facet the next.
Without the strawberry, Nero e Rosso would be an excellent leather-tobacco-oud fragrance. With it, it becomes something entirely its own.
A word on the base: the Legacy base is, alongside Ultima 2, simply the finest lathering base Ariana & Evans has ever produced. The lather it generates is extraordinary,dense, cushioning, and effortlessly consistent. It elevates the entire shaving experience and makes an already outstanding fragrance even harder to put down.
A truly outstanding collaboration between Ariana & Evans and Daniele Maullu. Darkness with a red accent, delivered in what may well be the best base on the market.
Magnificent 🤩
Everything about this release is premium, including the packaging, soap base, and fragrance. It commands a premium price, but is well worth it in my opinion. If you like leather, tobacco, and woody scents, this one is amazing.