Perfume Masterclass in Florence: Make your Own Personal Fragrance

Florence smells like a story, and you make it. This 2-hour perfume masterclass puts you inside Antica Spezieria Erboristeria San Simone, then walks you through choosing scent ingredients and bottling a signature fragrance you can actually wear. I especially love the historic workshop setting and the hands-on moment where you create a custom blend and leave with a full 30ml bottle. One thing to consider is that the experience can feel more like guided mixing than a deep, long lecture on perfume theory, and English instruction may vary by group.

The class is built for small groups (max 15) and runs in English with a break for complimentary coffee or tea. The mood is part science, part old-world apothecary, with rare essences, glassware, and the feel of Renaissance Florence where scents were treated like practical alchemy. If you’re the type who likes to learn by doing, you’ll probably have a great time.

Key Highlights You Should Know

• 1700s apothecary workshop at Antica Spezieria Erboristeria San Simone
• Create a personalized fragrance and bottle it into a 30ml take-home bottle
• Coffee or tea break included
• Signed completion certificate
• Small group size (maximum 15)
• Hands-on selection from scent vials, then staff blends your final formula

Entering the 1700s Apothecary on Via Ghibellina

This is not a generic craft class. Your start point is Via Ghibellina 190, and once you’re inside the Antica Spezieria Erboristeria San Simone space, the whole experience shifts from souvenir shopping to something more hands-on and grounded. The setting is the big hook, because you’re surrounded by the kind of glassware and apothecary tools that make scent feel tangible.

You get the “workshop” vibe right away: the atmosphere is described like an old apothecary and alchemist room, with ampules, rare essences, and shelves of ingredients. That matters because perfume making can feel abstract, but in a room like this, the process clicks faster. You’re not just learning, you’re performing a small ritual.

What You Do First: Welcome, History, and Choosing Your Notes

The class begins with a welcome and a visit to the shop plus the artisanal laboratory. Then you get an introduction to the history of perfumery in Florence and guidance on how to choose ingredients to build a fragrance that feels balanced. The goal is not just to pick scents you like, but to learn the basics of how they work together.

A practical detail: the “choosing” part is done at your table. Many participants describe selecting from a limited set of scent options using dropper vials, then letting the staff combine the drops into your final mix. That means you get real input into what goes into your bottle, but you are not running a full solo lab experiment.

There’s also a learning layer that shows up in the explanations, with staff guiding you through how the scent structure works (people mention base, heart, and top notes). Even if you don’t leave with a chemistry textbook, you’ll likely leave understanding why some combinations smell airy at first and then deeper later.

The Mixing Moment: Creating Your Personalized Fragrance

After the introduction, you build your fragrance from a kit of essences. You’ll sample scents, decide what fits your taste, and then staff determine the number of drops based on what you picked. That approach is important for value, because it reduces the trial-and-error chaos that can happen in DIY workshops where every person is on their own.

One helpful thing to know: you may have the option to add a scent you specifically want, sometimes at an upcharge. In real terms, that can be a win if you’re chasing one signature note. If you’re budget-minded, still take your time during selection so you’re happy with the blend using what’s included.

The class ends with you bottling your own perfume. This part is usually the most satisfying, because you can finally switch from smelling to owning the result. You leave with an actual product in your hand, not just a worksheet.

Coffee or Tea Break, Then Finalizing Your Bottle

Most sessions include a break for complimentary coffee or tea or water. This is more than a nice touch, it’s also a useful pause. When you’re smelling a lot of different ingredients back-to-back, your nose can get tired, and a short reset helps you judge what you chose more clearly.

When the group is ready, the staff rounds up the process so each person’s blend gets made and bottled. Several participants point out the pacing: you select at the table, then there is a wait while staff mix for your group. If you’re the kind of person who gets restless when you’re not actively doing something, plan to stay patient during this part.

The Certificate and Take-Home 30ml Bottle

You take home a 30ml bottle of your custom scent plus a certificate of completion signed by the master perfumer. That’s a meaningful souvenir because it’s tied to what you actually made. In other words, it’s not a label that could have been printed for anyone.

The other advantage is practical: a personalized fragrance is easier to reorder later than generic perfumes with no recipe or documentation. People mention loving that they can reorder, and the certificate supports that. If you’re thinking about perfume as a gift, this is one of the better “class souvenirs” because it feels like an actual product, not just a sample set.

Also, 30ml is a lot for a workshop bottle. You can wear it for months if you spritz lightly, and you can bring it back to life later in the trip when you remember the scent notes you selected.

Timing, Group Size, and How the Workshop Runs

This experience lasts about 2 hours. Group size is capped at 15, which helps keep the experience from turning into an assembly line. Still, the class structure is table-based, so you’ll spend time sampling, choosing, and then waiting for staff to mix and bottle everyone’s final formula.

There’s also a detail to take seriously: the class starts at the be there time, which is typically 10 minutes before the listed start time. If you show up late, your selection process may feel rushed. I’d plan to arrive early, especially if you’re walking through central Florence and want to calm your pace.

Language is listed as English, but some people have noticed the explanation in English can feel brief compared to what Italian speakers may receive. If you’re hoping for a thorough, lecture-style history, set your expectations to “guided and practical” rather than “deep academic seminar.”

What Makes Antica Spezieria Erboristeria San Simone Special

This stop is the real reason to book, even beyond the finished perfume. The shop and laboratory atmosphere is described as historic and evocative, and that makes the act of fragrance making feel tied to Florence rather than exported from a generic workshop template.

You also get the story thread of Florentine perfumery with Renaissance roots. Even when people felt the history portion was shorter than expected, the venue itself gives you that “why Florence” context. And the workshop tools and rare essences help you connect the concept of perfume to real ingredients you can smell.

If you like old-school craft spaces, you’ll probably enjoy simply looking around before the class begins. Taking in the display and lab vibe makes the final bottle feel more earned.

Price and Value: Is $84.69 Fair for a 2-hour Class?

At $84.69 per person, this is not a budget activity. But it’s also not overpriced for what you receive: you’re paying for access to a small-group workshop, the use of rare essences and bottles, staff expertise to calculate drops and blend the final formula, and the take-home product plus certificate.

The biggest value question is how much of the experience you want to be “hands-on.” If you enjoy picking notes and building something tangible, you’ll feel like the price makes sense quickly. If you’re mainly chasing a lot of theory and lots of different samples beyond a small set of vials, you might feel constrained.

A few participants specifically wished they had access to a wider variety of essential oils. That doesn’t make the class bad, it just means your custom perfume will come from the selection set they provide. If you’re extremely picky about niche notes, plan to choose carefully from what’s offered.

Who This Perfume Masterclass Is Best For

This is a strong fit if you want a fun, sensory activity with a real souvenir at the end. It also works well across different ages, since several participants included kids and did it as a mother-daughter activity. The tone described by participants is warm and encouraging, which matters in a class where you might not know anything about fragrance before arriving.

Couples can enjoy it too, since you’ll each build your own signature scent. Solo travelers often like that it’s easy to participate without needing group dynamics. If you like making gifts or finding a scent that feels personal rather than mass-market, you’ll likely get a lot out of it.

If you need a long, structured history lecture, you might prefer something more museum-like. This is a workshop first, lesson second.

Practical Tips Before You Go

Here are a few no-drama tips to help you get the best result from your bottle.

Pick notes calmly. Smell fatigue is real. Use the break if you need it so your final choices still reflect what you genuinely want.

Decide what you want to do with your perfume. If you want it for everyday wear, lean toward notes that feel wearable and not too sharp. If you want something more dramatic, you can select more intense ingredients, but remember perfume changes as it rests.

Ask about substitutions or add-ons early. If there’s a specific scent you want to include, it’s easier to handle any upcharge discussion before your blend is finalized.

Bring patience for pacing. You’ll do the choosing, then staff handle the mixing and bottling for the group.

Should You Book This Florence Perfume Workshop?

I’d book this if you want a small-group, hands-on Florence activity that ends with a real 30ml bottle of something you helped create. The historic apothecary setting is a major part of the appeal, and the signed certificate makes it feel like more than a quick craft stop.

Skip it or temper expectations if you’re mainly looking for extensive perfume theory, or if you expect access to a huge library of essential oils beyond the selection set. It’s a guided experience built around blending your choices, not a free-for-all sampling hall.

If your goal is a signature scent, made in Florence, with a process you can actually enjoy in 2 hours, this is a solid pick.