Bruno Acampora

Bruno Acampora founded his perfume house in Naples, and its own history page dates it to 1972. He came from a Neapolitan family of glove makers and worked in Italian high fashion. He first made perfumes for himself and a few friends, then sold them in his boutiques, among them Sagan on Capri. The first was Musc, which the house calls the first artistic niche perfume in Italy and still sells today.

The house began with Essenza Pura, a concentrated perfume oil, and from 1972 Musc was sold only in that form. Since 2010 the scents have also come as extrait de parfum and eau de parfum. The essences are made in the house's small laboratory by cold extraction, a traditional method, from raw materials chosen around the world. Flawless, a guide to Naples, describes bottles of metallised glass closed with cork and sealing wax. The company is still based in Naples.

The place to smell the range in Naples is the house's own Salotto Olfattivo at Via Filangieri 72, where the staff help you choose. A 5 ml pure essence costs €142 and a 10 ml bottle €199; larger 20 ml and 50 ml bottles cost more. Try Musc first: it is the scent the house began with, a golden oil of lavender, rose, jasmine, amber, vanilla and musk that opens up with the warmth of your skin.