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
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