L'Erbolario

There is a shop in Lodi — a small Lombardy city in the Po Valley, south of Milan, known more for its dairy farms than its cosmetics industry — where the shelves are illustrated with the kind of botanical drawings you find in Renaissance herbariums. Delicate line art of chamomile, iris, argan, olive, hemp. The drawings are not decoration. They are a statement of ingredients. And the shop is L'Erbolario, Italy's largest natural beauty retailer, founded in 1978 by Franco Bergamaschi and his wife Daniela Villa in a tiny erboristeria on Corso Archinti.

The erboristeria tradition

The erboristeria — the Italian herbalist shop — is an institution with medieval roots. Before pharmaceutical companies industrialised medicine, the erboristeria was where Italians went for plant-based remedies: tinctures, salves, infusions, and botanical preparations made by trained herbalists. The tradition never entirely disappeared. Even as pharmacies modernised and supermarkets commoditised personal care, the erboristeria survived as a niche for consumers who wanted plant-derived products made with artisanal care.

Franco Bergamaschi was a herbalist. Daniela Villa was a biologist and cosmetologist. Together, they understood both the botanical tradition and the modern cosmetic science needed to translate it into reliable, stable, effective products. Their founding thesis was straightforward: take the plant-based knowledge that Italian herbalists had accumulated over centuries and formulate it into proper cosmetics — tested, standardised, consistent — that any woman could use with confidence. Not homeopathy. Not folk remedies. Botanical cosmetics with scientific formulation.

From Lodi to 4,800 stores

The growth from a single shop to 4,800 retail locations across Italy is one of Italian beauty's most remarkable stories. L'Erbolario expanded through a franchise model that replicated the original erboristeria experience: each store maintains the botanical illustration aesthetic, the herbalist-shop atmosphere, and the trained staff who can guide consumers through the vast product range. With over 600 products spanning face care, body care, hair care, and fragrance, L'Erbolario offers a complete personal care universe rooted in botanical ingredients.

The production facility — built in 1994 in San Grato, within the South Adda River Park — reflects the brand's environmental commitment. Surrounded by the kind of agricultural landscape that supplies some of its botanical raw materials, the facility manufactures everything in-house. L'Erbolario became a Benefit Company (Società Benefit) in 2021, legally committing to social and environmental purposes alongside profit. The family retains ownership — now in its second generation, with Luigi Bergamaschi continuing his parents' vision.