BOLOGNA, Italy — The Accademia del Profumo hosted its 23rd annual fragrance awards here at the Europauditorium inside Palazzo Congressi on March 9. The ceremony took on a Broadway flavor as dancers and singers from the Bernstein School of Musical Theater performed at regular intervals, to the tune of songs such as Rogers and Hammerstein’s “There is Nothing Like a Dame,” Queen’s “Somebody to Love” and Italian hit “Caruso,” in honor of the country’s beloved singer Lucio Dalla, who died unexpectedly March 1.
A jury comprising approximately 40,000 consumers — who voted in 350 Italian perfumeries, in department stores Coin and La Rinscente, as well as on Facebook — awarded the best women’s fragrance of 2011 prize to Valentino’s Valentina and the best men’s fragrance prize to Gucci Guilty for Him. For the second time, the awards ceremony streamed live on the Accademia del Profumo’s Web site, on screens placed in the city’s Piazza Maggiore and inside the Bologna airport.
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A technical jury composed of academy executives, three Italian beauty editors and three perfumery representatives sent DSquared2 Potion for Man home with an award for best men’s olfactive creation and Bottega Veneta with a prize for best women’s olfactive creation. The same jury recognized Versace Yellow Diamond as best women’s fragrance made in Italy and Ferragamo Attimo Pour Homme as best men’s fragrance made in Italy. In the niche category, the jury awarded Tom Ford’s Violet Blonde with a prize for best women’s fragrance and Il Profumo Santal Rouge with a prize for best men’s fragrance. The new award for best women’s fragrance from an Italian brand went to Bottega Veneta, while Ferragamo’s Attimo Pour Homme took home best men’s fragrance from an Italian brand.
A VIP jury composed of entertainment personalities, athletes and artists voted on best packaging, and prizes went to Valentino’s Valentina for women’s and Bang Bang Marc Jacobs for men’s. The jury also voted for best press advertisement and best commercial: Prada Candy took home prizes for both, as did Armani Code Sport for men.
Consumers were also able to vote this year for Best Web fragrance by clicking “like” on a special Facebook page. Bulgari Mon Jasmin Noir and Collistar Acqua Attiva Assoluta picked up a prize each in the new category.