ACQUA TOFANA | Limited Edition Belladonna Essence Eau de Parfum

There can be no ode to women and their predilection for poison without mention of Acqua Tofana —a historical baneful brew reportedly created by (or passed down matrilineally to) Giulia Tofana in 17th century Palermo, Italy, and thought to have been responsible for the death of over 600 men (as well as for the frenzy which seized Europe at the face of slow-killing poisons).

Though Tofana and her poison ring of faithful customers' true legacy may have been stained by historical inaccuracies and the hysteria of the epoch, the tale of her deadly phials and how they were commercially sold as a secret antidote to the violence faced by the women of Italy at the hands of their tyrannical spouses is a sensational one which plays on the feeling of powerlessness in the face of the cruelty of man and women's universal desire to defend themselves against it — themes which remain poignant today, and are surely responsible for the resurgent popularity of Acqua Tofana's notorious history.

Acqua Tofana's exact formula is unknown, but is thought to have contained arsenic, lead, and potentially belladonna, Spanish Fly, and - curiously - the spittle of a mad man. The resulting concoction, whose deadliness was dissimulated by the ornate bottles that held it, is said to have been indetectable in colour, odour, and taste. This eau de parfum is, therefore, a parfum de fantaisie -- a fantastical interpretation of the infamous elixir whose name is synonymous with slow poison today. Belladonna essence is an energetic, diluted cold-water extraction, and poses no threat of physical harm.

Notes: bitter almond · orange blossom · tobacco · tuberose · cherry stone · jasmine sambac · black currant · deadly nightshade accord 

Aspects: a pungent bouquet of sharp currants, powdered blooms, and heady florals entangled in green vines, serrated leaves, and dusted in narcotic pollen. 
 
Ingredients: Alcohol (Ethanol, Pure), Natural Fragrance/Parfum (Essential Oils, Absolutes, CO2s, Plant Extracts, and Natural Isolates),  Essence of Atropa Belladonna Essence

*An essence is a highly-diluted, cold-water energetic extraction meant to aid in communing with the plant matter on a spiritual, energetic, and animistic way. Essences do not pose a threat of physical harm. 

15 ml Eau de Parfum in a black glass bottle with a spray cap.

NATURAL · BOTANICAL · UNISEX
BLENDED AND BOTTLED IN-HOUSE IN SMALL BATCHES
This fragrance is featured in our 2023 amatory box, The Garden of Veneficia, and is a limited release.