Proraso

Proraso is an Italian grooming brand created by Ludovico Martelli in 1908 in Florence, Italy, and it remains under the ownership of the family company Ludovico Martelli S.r.l. today.[1][2][5] The brand initially focused on barber products and became closely associated with traditional Italian wet shaving.

A key turning point came in 1948, when Ludovico’s son Piero Martelli developed a menthol and eucalyptus pre-shave cream within the family company, which quickly gained wide adoption among barbers and helped define Proraso’s identity in classic shaving care.[1][2] Over time, the range expanded into multiple color-coded lines addressing different beard types and skin needs, as well as a professional "Single Blade" line for barbers that includes aftershaves and colognes.[1][2]

In the fragrance space, Proraso offers a compact lineup of around five eau de colognes, including Azur Lime, Cypress & Vetyver and Wood & Spice, which grew out of its barber-oriented aftershave and grooming collections.[3][4][6][7][9] These scents are typically sold alongside the matching shaving and beard products, reinforcing a barbershop-focused positioning rather than a conventional fine-fragrance portfolio.

Today, Proraso is widely used in barbershops in Italy and abroad and is often recommended by wet-shaving enthusiasts for accessible pricing, barbershop-style scent profiles and functional performance.[1][5][10] Its fragrances are generally regarded as pleasant, straightforward extensions of its grooming lines rather than complex niche compositions, fitting its role as a practical mass-market grooming brand with Italian barbershop roots.[3][4][6][10]