Pangea

The rhizome has no smell at all when it is fresh.

Orris root has to be cured before it gives anything up, sometimes up to three years. The Etruscans were among the first to master it, trading their potions across the Mediterranean around 1000 BC, and the iris it comes from is the symbol of Florence. Finding the finest artisanal Tuscan orris took years, a secret well kept in those hills.

The name belongs to the first continent on Earth, about 335 million years ago, an ancient symbol of union. Married here to porcini and truffle absolutes, the orris turns earthy and strange. Royal black Ojari incense resinoid and aged Siam benzoin run through it.

Extra Virgo's fragrances are formulated by H.H. Alex Postiglione, Prince Ne Min Gy of Limbin, grandson of Princess Yadana Nat Mai, Goddess of the Nine Jewels and heir to the last king of Burma. Postiglione was born in Florence and studied art history there, and spent a life cultivating a passion for plants and anthropology. All of the house's fragrances are made at the Castle of Montecucchi in Florence, chief among the family sanctuaries around the world where materials are grown and sourced.

Each one runs between seventy and eighty percent natural material, ages at least three months before blending, and cures another month before it is bottled by hand. The signature flacon is Italian crystal under a black Carrara marble cap. Continuing the family legacy passed on by Princess Yadana Nat Mai, Postiglione is involved with humanitarian and environmental projects aiding Myanmar, its natural biosphere and its people.