A perfumista’s guide to Penhaligon’s

Mention the name Penhaligon’s to an avowed perfumista and chances are their top-of-mind fragrance will be Bluebell, the brand’s cult classic.

It was Bluebell that spurred me to investigate the storied British perfume house at Adora, Penhaligon’s exclusive distributor in the Philippines, but though the luminescent blue juice in its crystal bottle looked knockout gorgeous, the green, earthy scent meant to conjure up “a bluebell wood after rain” just wasn’t me.

As a foodie with decidedly more gourmand tastes in fragrance, I was more drawn to Penhaligon’s Amaranthine, a more recent creation by master perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour. One of the notes was condensed milk, and yet the perfume was supposed to be “a corrupted floral oriental for those private moments when everything is anticipation,” loaded with aphrodisiac flowers like jasmine. Desire in a bottle, plus condensed milk? Now you’re talking.

Not veddy British, innit, all this chat about corruption, desire and anticipation? But that’s precisely what makes Penhaligon’s so special.

Fragrance houses with long histories as “royal perfumer to this king” or “toiletry supplier to that queen” are all very well, but who wants to smell like an old monarch from the Middle Ages?

While Penhaligon’s does have that royal reputation (appointed to manufacture “toilet requisites” for both The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh), this storied perfume house — one of the few genuine perfume houses left in the modern world — is anything but old, traditional, or boring. In the last few years alone they’ve produced scents inspired by Savile Row, London Dry Gin and a candle that smells like a gentleman’s club. Rather than conventional advertising, they’ve scented London taxis, held a press event in a car park and embraced social media with aplomb.

In fashion terms, Penhaligon’s would be the Alexander McQueen or Vivienne Westwood of the fragrance world — British eccentrics whose brilliance in eccentricity has happily infected the whole world.

McQueen in this case would be William Penhaligon, a witty, wildly creative, Victorian-era Englishman from Cornwall who moved to London in the 1870s, opened a barbershop and starting creating fine fragrances for discerning gentlemen. Always inspired by the unusual, his first fragrance, Hammam Bouquet, was inspired by the aromatic steam of a neighboring Turkish bath — pretty daring idea for 1872.

But that’s how it is at Penhaligon’s. While other fragrance companies have ingredient-based stories, each of Penhaligon’s 34 fragrances starts with a real story or an idea, like a bluebell wood after a spring rain shower or the atmosphere of a tailor’s workroom on Savile Row.

The beautiful signature bottles are another story: based on William’s original design of clear glass with a ribbon-wrapped stopper, each bottle is hand-blown, then cut on a diamond wheel to achieve the sparkling facets of high-quality crystal. On your vanity table they’d look — not like modern, innovative fragrances — but great vintage finds.

Until today, the scents are still made in England with the finest raw ingredients — from hand-squeezed bergamot to jasmine at twice the price of gold.

Over the 135 years since Penhaligon’s barbershop first opened on London’s Jermyn Street, the house continues to reinvent itself, working with master perfumers who can bring their ideas to 3D olfactory life, and carrying on the legacy of making innovative perfumes for modern fragrance dandies like myself.

Here, a glance at Penhaligon’s bestsellers and classics-to-be at Adora:

Juniper Sling

Inspiration: London Dry Gin

The story: This cocktail is an homage to the Bright Young Things of London’s Roaring Twenties.

Perfumer: Olivier Cresp

Notes: Juniper, angelica, orange brandy, black pepper, cardamom, soft leather, brown sugar and black cherry

What it smells like: A crisp cocktail shot of gin softened by a gourmand base of brown sugar, black cherry and amber, which turns it into a sensual skin scent.

Peoneve

Inspiration: An English garden in summertime redolent with the velvety scent of the peony flower.

Perfumer: Olivier Cresp, who captured the peony note via Nature Print technology, which enables the perfumer to immortalize a single flower.

Notes: Violet leaf, peony, Bulgarian rose, Hedione, vetiver, musk, cashmere wood

What it smells like: A garden in bloom, bursting with lush green foliage and heady with the scent of blossoming flowers.

Artemisia

Inspiration: Named in honor of Artemisia Gentileschi, the controversial and celebrated painter of the Renaissance. Long neglected as a serious artist, her work was often attributed to other male artists. Reclaimed as a feminist icon in recent years, she is now rightly seen as a serious and groundbreaking artist. She also spent some time in England at the court of King Charles I. Her most famous work is the chiaroscuro masterpiece “Judith Beheading Holfernes.” 

The story: The feminine partner to Endymion, Artemisia is Penhaligon’s bestselling women’s fragrance in the UK and the US.

Notes: Nectarine and green foliage, green apple, lily of the valley, jasmine tea, violet and vanilla, oakmoss, sandalwood, musk, amber and vanilla

What it smells like: A fruity-floral with a powdery drydown, caramel-soft, sweet, powdery and silky. A tumble of green apples and nectarines is washed with jasmine tea and sprinkled with a luxurious medley of flower petals. All of this softly unfolds while surrounded with layers of honeyed vanilla and warm spices. Ends with a touch of amber and a hint of musk.

Endymion

Inspiration: The male partner to Artemisia, in ancient myth Endymion was a mortal who was so loved by the goddess of the moon that she put him to sleep forever so that she alone could visit him every night.

The story: This is the house’s bestseller for men in the Middle East.

Notes: Bergamot, mandarin, lavender and sage geranium and coffee absolute, vetiver, nutmeg, black pepper, cardamom, musk, leather, sandalwood, incense, frankincense and myrrh

What it smells like: A sexy, modern fusion of citrus, spices and leather. A fragrance of contrasts, Endymion is both light and dark, sweet and sharp, but above all sensual, like walking in a moonlit garden thinking thoughts of velvet seduction.

Quercus

Inspiration: Named after the Latin word for “oak,” this is strong and traditional, the symbol of Englishness.

The story: This can be worn by anyone who wants to feel invigorated.

Notes: Lemon, lime, mandarin, bergamot, jasmine, lily of the valley, cardamom, oakmoss, sandalwood, galbanum, musk, amber

What it smells like: A cologne for everyday, this opens with a light burst of citrus and basil, supported by a heart of jasmine, cardamom and muguet that is sweet, spiced and supremely delicate. An elegant, strong and uplifting cologne.

Blenheim Bouquet

Inspiration: Blenheim Palace, the seat of one of England’s most respected bloodlines.

The story: Penhaligon’s bestselling men’s fragrance in the UK and the US was first launched in 1902, taking a brave new direction: bright citrus as opposed to the heavy florals that were popular at the time.

Notes: Lemon, lime and lavender, pine, musk and black pepper

What it smells like: Clean, fresh, discreet, and timeless. This classic fragrance is aristocratic and restrained, an elegant subtle citrus with the sherbet fizz of gin and tonic. Fresh warm citrus and lavender notes are dusted with pepper and dried down into bracingly cool conifers and woods.

Gardenia

Inspiration: A soliflore originally created in 1976.

The story: Part of the Anthology Collection, this Seventies floral has been reinterpreted for the 21st century.

Notes: Violet, rhubarb, bergamot, hyacinth, magnolia, green leaves, gardenia, rose, ylang-ylang, orange blossom, tuberose, jasmine, clove, cinnamon, lily of the valley, benzoin, sandalwood, musk, vanilla

What it smells like: A translucent watercolor painted in soft washes of tuberose, jasmine, gardenia, ylang-ylang, spice and vanilla, Gardenia is a radiant, magnolia-tinted portrait of one of nature’s most sensual blooms.

* * *

Penhaligon’s is available only at Adora, 2/F and 3/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City, tel. no. 217-4030. E-mail info@adora.ph.