Grossmith, an English perfume house originally established in 1835, has been relaunched by the great-grandson of the original founder working in collaboration with Roja Dove of the Haute Parfumerie at Harrods. Three of the original fragrances are now available:
Phul-Nana ~ "Hindi for 'lovely flower'. A fresh, sweet Floral composition with Aromatic Fougère overtones on a soft, warm, woody base. Originally created in 1891, this scent is a rare marriage of the herb garden with the flower garden, unusual in a feminine fragrance. It paved the way for the ‘oriental’ fragrances that were to follow." Fragrance notes include bergamot, orange, neroli, geranium, tuberose, ylang ylang, patchouli, benzoin, cedar, sandalwood, opoponax, tonka bean and vanilla.
Shem-el-Nessim ~ "Arabic for 'smelling the breeze'. The current trend for orris comes full circle with the rebirth of Shem-el-Nessim. This fragrance reprises the original orris formula, using Florentine iris, known for its rarity and expense, costing three times more than gold bullion. Originally created in 1906, this rich, luxurious creation typifies the L’Origan style with its warm, soft, powdery, floral aspect. A scent which personifies the Edwardian era in which femininity was fêted." The notes feature bergamot, neroli, geranium, jasmine, rose, ylang ylang, orris, musk, patchouli, cedar, sandalwood, heliotrope and vanilla.
Hasu-no-Hana ~ "The scent of the Japanese Lotus Lily. A bright, radiant Floral composition with pronounced Chypré and Oriental facets on a woody, dry, very sensual base. Originally created in 1888 this scent has a timeless quality which comes from its pioneering spirit. From the dawn of modern creative perfumery it is one of the scents that paved the way for modern fragrances." Notes include bergamot, bitter orange, rose, jasmine, ylang ylang, iris, patchouli, oakmoss, vetiver, cedar, sandalwood and tonka bean.
Grossmith Phul-Nana, Shem-el-Nessim and Hasu-no-Hana are available in 50 or 100 ml Eau de Parfum (see image at top, £95-185, a coffret of all three in 50 ml is £310) or in 10 or 100 ml Parfum (not shown, £110-425, a coffret of all 3 in 10 ml is £365), or in 85 ml Parfum in a limited edition Baccarat bottle etched with pure gold (second image from top). The bottle was reproduced from a 1919 Grossmith design, and is £5750. The range can be purchased in the UK at the Roja Dove Haute Parfumerie, at Fortnum & Mason, or online at Les Senteurs. (via press release)
Update: see reviews of Grossmith Phul-Nana, Shem-el-Nessim and Hasu-no-Hana.
Bottles are beautiful, even the standard ones (LE I would call flat out gorgeous). Of course, they’re all out of my price range.
Yep, gorgeous. The 10 ml Parfum (little versions of the bottle at top) is way cute.
All three sound nice…hope someone will sniff them and report back!
We’re on the job…but slow as always.
Wow. All three of these sound beautiful. I’d love to try them, but would likely fall in love with all of them and my ‘must buy’ list keeps growing…
Yep, know the feeling.
All three sound so lovely, and the bottles are just beautiful. So they are out of my price range – I’ll get over it. My heart is happy that more small companies are attempting to create beautiful, quality fragrances… At least we all have the opportunity to obtain a teeny tiny decant from somewhere…. Let’s hope they are as beautiful as they sound!
They did a great job with the packaging.
I adore bergamot, and all three perfumes feature the scent. I’m most curious about the first one “rare marriage of the herb garden with the flower garden”. How about….Italian parsley with rose?
Parsely + rose works for me!
shaken, not stirred…
OOOOooooo…that Hasu-no-hana one sounds gorgeous! Wouldn’t mind trying the others either. Maybe our sample stores will come thru, AFTER Christmas!
Hope these get to the US next year, yes!
These sound very interesting. Definitely hope to read more about them somewhere.
I think Octavian reviewed them already?
Beautiful bottles, lovely names, but ohhhhh those prices. Where IS that lottery win when I need it?
Hiding somewhere with my lottery win?
Interesting the appeal to perfume history in the promotion of these fragrances. But, thinking of Victorian and Edwardian style generally, I wonder if they would seem heavy and complicated compared to the spare, minimalist style to which have become accustomed today? I guess the formulas have been tweaked somewhat to appeal to modern taste.
Bottles are lovely, but this sort of style is what prompted Chanel to veer in the other direction!
I do think there’s a real (niche) place for retro right now though…they don’t need to appeal to nearly so many people as Chanel does.
Love that bottle in the background!
Yep.
Pre-20th century perfumes? Re-released for modern times with presumably little to no tinkering with the original formulae (beyond substituting synthetics for organic materials)? I am so needing to smell these and own these RIGHT NOW. Come on, lottery win… I know you’re coming soon…. 😉
Good luck with that!
Grosssmith was interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Saturday Live programme on Saturday 28th November between 9-10am. Not sure if it can still be heard on BBC’s iplayer service – for British-based folk, at least, but might be worth a try if you are interested.
Sorry, I mean Simon Brooke of Grossmith (with one less “s”)!
Here is a link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00p016d
Thanks!
i remember my mum using phul nana in the 60’s ive never forgotten the scent of it does anyone know if you can still buy it somewhwere
Read the article above — it mentions the stores where you can buy it.