Roberto Ugolini 17 Rosso

17 Rosso by Roberto Ugolini: an extrait with a Florentine house number

A number and a color—the name reveals little more at first. Anyone seeing 17 Rosso for the first time might think it’s a wine label rather than a perfume. Behind it lies an address: the workshop of Florentine bespoke shoemaker Roberto Ugolini. The fragrance bearing this name is a highly concentrated extrait de parfum with a long list of notes and a character that lies between cool freshness, rose, and warm resin.

This is about this one fragrance: what the name means, how it develops on the skin, who created it, and how best to discover it. We introduce you to the house itself and its other creations on the Roberto Ugolini page.

17 Rosso: what lies behind the number and color

Roberto Ugolini’s workshop is located on Via dei Michelozzi in Florence, and its house number is 17 R. In Florence, the R after a house number stands for “rosso,” meaning red, and identifies business and workshop addresses. Thus, 17 R became the name 17 Rosso. Anyone who finds the street will stand before a plain door between an osteria and a café; behind it, handmade shoes have been crafted for many years.

The fact that a fragrance is named after a workshop address says a lot about its ambition. The fragrance is not meant to sell a lifestyle, but rather to translate a place where fine materials and great patience are used. The connection to craftsmanship runs through the entire composition: saffron with its leathery tone, balsamic styrax resin, and dry woods evoke leather and a workbench without making the fragrance heavy or somber.

Roberto Ugolini 17 Rosso: the fragrance journey from mint to styrax

The opening of Roberto Ugolini 17 Rosso is astonishingly multifaceted. Mint brings coolness, saffron a leathery, slightly warm depth, and ylang-ylang an exotic, creamy blossom. White peach adds a sweet, juicy accent, while raspberry leaves counter it with their green note. Even in the first few minutes, the fragrance feels fresh and rich at the same time.

In the heart, the damask rose takes over, full and opulent, accompanied by pink pepper, which gives it fruity-spicy warmth. Peony makes the image more delicate, while nasturtium brings in a slightly sharp, peppery accent that moves the rose from classic to distinctive. The base combines styrax resin and ambrette seeds, which bring a soft, balsamic sweetness, with amyris, vetiver, and cedarwood for earthy, woody depth. Thus, the extrait ends warm and calm, with significantly more weight than at the beginning.

17 Rosso perfume as an extrait: what 30 percent fragrance oil means

Most perfumes on the market are eaux de parfum. 17 Rosso belongs to the strongest category: with a fragrance oil content of 30%, the perfume is declared an extrait de parfum. In everyday life, you will first notice this in the dosage. One to two sprays on the neck or wrist are enough to experience the entire development; more does not make the fragrance more beautiful, only denser.

A high concentration also changes the way a fragrance behaves. Extraits often sit closer to the skin and develop more slowly, but their base notes remain perceptible for a long time. Here you will notice this with styrax and woods, which are still present after hours when the mint has long since vanished. The exact duration varies from skin to skin and also depends on the weather. On wool, 17 Rosso perfume usually lasts longer than on bare skin.

17 Rosso Roberto Ugolini: two perfumers and an idea-giver

The fragrance was composed by perfumers Christian Calabrò and Maurizio Cerizza. The idea behind it goes back to Herbert Stricker, a connoisseur of haute parfumerie and friend of Roberto Ugolini, with whom the shoemaker’s fragrance line was created. The starting point was the workshop itself, which smells of leather and shoe polish.

In 17 Rosso Roberto Ugolini, this origin does not manifest as a leather fragrance in the narrow sense, but in the way the notes are crafted: dense, precise, without loud effects. Anyone who knows other creations from the house, such as the more classic men’s fragrance Marzocco, will recognize the common signature. This fragrance takes its own path, more floral, warmer, and with a concentration that gives it more depth. For you, this means: a perfume that reveals something new on the second and third wear.

Rosso 17 in everyday life: occasion, time of day, and who wears it

The fragrance plays its strength best in the evening: at dinner, at the theater, at a party—anywhere you want to leave a clear but not overpowering impression. Thanks to the cool mint in the opening and the delicate peony, Rosso 17 can also be worn during the day, then with a single spray. That is quite enough for the office. In the height of summer, it is best to wear it only after sunset, when the rose and resin do not have to work against the heat.

The extrait is explicitly designed as a unisex fragrance. Rose, peony, and ylang-ylang give it a floral side, while saffron, vetiver, and cedarwood give it a tart side. It is difficult to say beforehand which side will predominate on which skin. That is precisely why it is worth testing the fragrance on two or three days in different situations, once in the morning and once in the evening, before you commit.

Buying 17 Rosso: from the 2-ml sample to the 100-ml bottle

With an extrait with so many facets, a 17 Rosso sample is the sensible starting point. A 2-ml decant lasts for up to two weeks and shows you the opening, the rose heart, and the base. If you wear several fragrances in rotation, 5 or 10 ml will accompany you for several weeks. The 100-ml bottle is worth it as soon as you know that you will reach for this extrait again and again. If you would like to test several fragrances from the house side by side, check out the Discovery Set by Roberto Ugolini.

Whether sample or bottle: we offer every size with verified authenticity, so that you smell the original even when testing. At the checkout, the usual payment methods are available, as well as payment via cryptocurrency. Club members receive their club benefits at the time of purchase. For comparison with other houses, it is worth taking a look at our selection of all perfumes; there you will find fragrances from many brands to compare.

Order 17 Rosso in 2 ml first and take the fragrance with you to your next evening appointment. Smell your scarf the next morning: if you still like the mixture of rose, styrax, and wood then, the step to 5 ml, 10 ml, or the large bottle is clear.