By Emma Vallelunga
Photo by the author
Since 1946, Profumeria Invicta on Via Ricasoli between the Duomo and the Galleria dell’Accademia is a family-run business, home to hundreds of beauty products for Florentine hairdressers, fragrance fanatics and visiting tourists.
Beauty is everywhere in the city of Florence, but finding cosmetics is harder for the tourist who forgets their must-have scent or favorite lipstick at home and searches far and wide for a replacement during their vacation. Walking into Profumeria Invicta was exactly what I imagined an Italian beauty shop to be — mysterious, inviting and full of hidden treasures.
This tiny shop in the city center has grown from a simple hairdresser supply store to a one-stop shop for Italian makeup, hair care products, beauty products, nail polish, hair accessories, perfume, soaps, lotions, shaving creams and jewelry for both men and women.
What feels like hundreds of combs, clips, headbands and hair brushes line the shop’s shelves, and no two are alike. Searching through their stock for the right product can be a little overwhelming, as many bottles and boxes sit on top of each other. Behind the main counter, many hair-dyes and shampoos line the wall. In the store front-window display, many pieces of fine jewelry, hair-clips and accessories are on show for approval.
Invicta’s perfume selection contains both vintage and rare fragrances from around the world. In a review article from Fragrantica, perfume enthusiast Marlen Elliot Harrison said her trip to Florence was highlighted by the shop’s wide array of fragrances and seductive smells.
“Between moments of ‘Oh my god, Phileas!’ and ‘Wow! Vintage Patou!’ I was rediscovering a number of old friends and contemplating liquidating my retirement fund to bring them home with me,” wrote Harrison, a fragrance enthusiast. He added: “This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and the prices were actually affordable. I could have bought dozens of perfumes that day.”
Historically, this perfume shop’s story begins with owner Mario Nassi, who founded the story in 1946. As the shop grew in popularity by the 1950s, it then partnered with the INVICTA School for Hairdressers and Aesthetics in the ‘60s, putting the shop on the map for hairdressers, beauty suppliers or even hair products enthusiasts. Today, the shop is now run by the third-generation of Nassi’s family.