Launch of Tova Ambre D'Oro created by Belmay

Launching a new scent is nothing new for Tova Borgnine. In her more than 25 years in the fragrance business, she’s unveiled five major scents and countless other beauty items. Sold via QVC, each has been a success and built upon her following.

But her latest, which will debut in November, also on QVC, is one of her most personal stories. Called Tova Ambre D’Oro, it reflects her love of Italy and is a markedly different scent than her best-known Signature. “I love Italy and have traveled there with Ernie [her husband, Ernest Borgnine] where his films are very popular. And my grandfather was from Italy. I wanted to capture the beauty of Italy in a fragrance,” said Borgnine over a recent lunch.

She especially wanted to convey the nuances of Italy from the food and wine, to the art and architecture. “She really wanted to come up with something that conveyed everlasting love. She had never lost her fondness for Italy and came to us to find what we could do with an Italian theme,” recalled Steve Raphel, president of Belmay Inc., the firm behind the juice. The emotional link is expected to help launch the scent — especially since there’s no way to smell the fragrance over the airwaves.

While many of Borgnine’s scents are light florals, Ambre D’Oro is more of a musky-floral with notes endemic to Italy such as Sicilian lemon and a key accord, peony peregrina. “It is a terrific story — using material indigenous to Italy,” Raphel added. When Belmay presented the various suggested scents, executives played Italian music and served Italian pastries to set the mood. The choice was unanimous and Ambre D’Oro was created.