BEHIND THE BRAND

A British bath and body brand drawing on the botanical heritage of the British Isles marked its tenth anniversary in 2022, having built a collection around locally grown extracts and a strong belief in the emotive power of fragrance.

A decade of British fragrance

The brand produces fine-fragrance bath and body products inspired by the cultural and botanical heritage of the British Isles. Its range is sustainable, vegan-friendly and cruelty-free, and made entirely in the UK using natural extracts from celebrated local crops: rhubarb from Yorkshire, samphire from Ireland, barley from Scotland and beetroot from Wales.

Fragrance sits at the heart of the business. The team works with a family-run fragrance house whose three perfumers translate ideas and images into scents with distinctive top, heart and base notes that linger on the skin for hours after use. The aim is to use scent to lift mood, trigger memories and evoke a sense of place.

The tenth anniversary was marked by revisiting the history and development of the brand and by honouring the provenance and suppliers behind its extracts. Those growers, the brand notes, have added layers to its story while acting as guardians of British heritage through the quality and sustainability of what they produce.

Origins

The idea took shape a decade ago, driven by a desire to create a genuinely British brand: products made in the UK with quintessentially British ingredients sourced from small, local producers, each with a story worth telling.

The design work began in 2011, the year of the royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton, when the country was preparing for celebrations and an extra day’s holiday. Researching history books for inspiration, the founder was struck by the richness of London and Britain more widely — its architecture old and new, its green parks, the Union Jacks along The Mall, carriages dating back hundreds of years, soldiers on horseback, traditional marches and uniforms, and the outfits worn by members of the Royal Family. For the founder, it was a perfect blend of old ideas made to look contemporary, and it became the starting point for the brand’s design.

Milestones and advice

Among the proudest moments: winning the Walpole Brands of Tomorrow Award in 2016, and being named in 2022 as one of the 50 Most Influential People in British Luxury by Walpole.

Asked what advice they would give their younger self at the start of the journey, the founder is succinct: believe, and it will happen.

What’s next

On personal favourites from the collection, the founder names Willow Song — but admits a new fragrance called The Greenhouse, due to launch in September, could be taking the lead.