From Renaissance Art-repping pharmacies in Florence to sleek Seoul skincare boutiques, these cosmetic Bettys are every inch as pretty as their signature prods will make you.
Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, Florence
This divine pharmacy situated in a former chapel has been sweetening Florentine sniffers since 1612, when Dominican friars crafted medicinal tinctures using ingreds grown in the monastery gardens. Luckily for us, four centuries later many of the soaps, creams and colourful fragrances are still made according to traditional recipes. The main rooms with ornately carved cabinets, chandeliers, and gold leaf-adorned vaulted ceilings are sure showstoppers, but don’t miss the smaller library, with frescoes dating back to the early Renaissance, when the space was the sacristy of a church. Heavenly!
Via della Scala, 16, Florence. +39 055 216276, smnovella.it
Ai Monasteri, Rome
Perhaps not quite as lovely as its aforementioned northern rival, but Rome’s darkly dapper Ai Monasteri is still a top spot for monk-made, time-honoured herbal concoctions. The arched, gothic shelves are lined with all manner of peculiarly pleasing potions from tobacco-scented shower foam, wrinkle-fighting royal jelly cream and almond beard soap to kiddie cologne and… love elixirs? Oh, brother!
Corso Rinascimento, 72, Pantheon, Rome. +39 06 6880 2783, aimonasteri.it
Herboristeria del Rei, Barcelona
Festooned with oil paintings, this dusty, creaky, glass-roofed herbalist – complete with bust-topped leech fountain – is one of the oldest shops in Barcelona, where Queen Isabella II would often drop by in the C.19th for scented oils and skin treatments. Today, under the guidance of dab hand herbalist Trinitat Sabatés, it remains a local favourite for dried medicinal plants, dietary tonics, natural cosmetics and artisan foodie finds.
Vidre 1, Raval, Barcelona. +34 9 3318 0512, herboristeriadelrei.com
Beauty Library, Tokyo
Biblio beauties beeline to this minimalist, bright white boutique of face n’ body lotions and potions of the lovely and organic variety. Just as in a real library, study is encouraged here – each product comes with helpful digital descriptions and ingredient info courtesy of scannable QR codes, and there are comfy cubbies to do your reading and testing in. There’s an in-house salad and smoothie bar too, for that all-important post-research refuel.
3-12-12 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo. +81 3 6805 1453, beautylibrary.jp
Lyanature Co., Seoul
While Seoul’s beauty style sometimes centers around a scalpel, this yummy mummy-fave is all about non-invasive, all-natural options. Fronted by flowers and greenery, this cute white cube contains simply packaged botanical skincare goods that are free from chemical nasties and icky fragrances; plus a nifty upstairs reading room and chill deck.
63-38 Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. +82 10 6868 3225, lyanatureshop.com
Karmakamet, Bangkok
From humble origins as a simple essential oils store within the Chatuchak market, Karmakamet has bloomed into a series of scent-sational apothecary-style stores. The Central World locale is a brown bottle-lined boîte of oriental perfumes, perfectly packaged soaps n’ scrubs, incense, candles and blended teas.
3/F, Central World, 999/9 Rama I Rd, Bangkok. +66 2272 5281, karmakamet.co.th
MiN, New York
This handsome lair of dark wood, washed brick and leather Chesterfields embodies the quintessential New York look, but the sumptuous range of his n’ her scents and grooming gear are far more worldly, with picks plucked via independent master crafters hailing from as far afield as Grasse, Michigan and Oman. Book a Bespoke Fragrance Flight to find your signature sniff.
117 Crosby St, Nolita, New York. +1 212 206 6366, min.com
Aesop, Melbourne
Melb’s beloved body care brand is almost as well known for its wow store decors as its heady botanical loot. And while we love the stringy, cocoon-like Singapore branch and boxy San Francisco shopper, our fave will always be their hometown hub on Flinders Lane, with spot-lit sculptural walls crafted from some 1550 cardboard sheets. Just beaut!
1c/268 Flinders Lane, CBD, Melbourne. +61 3 9663 0862, aesop.com
