New British niche brand Union will debut in July with four fragrances: Holy Thistle; Quince, Mint & Moss; Celtic Fire and Gothic Bluebird Bluebell.
The botany of Britain has been celebrated in both art and literature for centuries, however the glorious scents of our flora have been sadly neglected by the perfume industry, leaving their beauty unsung. Union is a new perfume collection that celebrates these fragrances, gathered from the four corners of the British Isles...Union’s creative perfumer, Anastasia Brozler, has scoured the countryside for the most beautiful ingredients, gaining access to some of the country’s oldest private estates in her relentless search for the finest single notes that Britain has to offer. The resulting four fragrances are of singular and outstanding beauty – unique and yet strangely familiar to both residents and visitors familiar with the magnificence of these sceptred isles.
Holy Thistle ~ "Cnicus Benedictus or ‘the Holy Thistle’ has been been cultivated for its medicinal qualities for centuries, but here it’s fresh, green aroma has been sourced to the Kinrara Estate on the banks of the river Spey in the Highlands , captured and combined with a halo of misty, icy Bay from Pembrokeshire, Bracken from the borders, and Highland Pine Resin. Simply divine!"
Quince, Mint & Moss ~ "The quince was first planted in Britain by Edward I at the Tower of London in 1275 and has been teasing our palates with it’s tangy, perfumed sweetness ever since. Our quinces hail from Somerset, and sit at the heart of this fragrance, exuding a vibrant, fresh nose that lifts the spirits. Garden Mint at the top, is an undervalued and equally exuberant, luxuriantly green, scent that explodes from the bottle, accompanied by icy–cool juniper berry’s from the forests of Caledonia and spicy lime leaves. The emerging quince notes are encased in a herb crust with wild thyme from Snowdonia and sage from Gloucestershire. At the base, mountain ash extract from Sterling and soft Irish moss provide a verdant cushion. Mouth-watering."
Celtic Fire ~ "The fens of County Derry provide the rich and smoky peat that is the inspiration for this smouldering, olfactory conflagration. This scent speaks eloquently of primordial, untamed terrain with oak extract from ancient forests, fir balsam and pine needles from the wilds of Aberdeenshire and combined, at the centre, with a surprise hit of Marmite™, the yeasty, salty British icon that is still made in Burton on Trent, Staffordshire! Glowing birch tar from Inverness-shire and the gentle sunshine-sweetness of bog myrtle from Fife complete this ode to wode! Positively tribal."
Gothic Bluebird Bluebell ~ "The dark oak forest opens onto a sun dappled clearing, revealing a castellated, Victorian folly, surrounded by a sea of fragrant bluebells – this Arcadian idyll conjures the essence of Gothic Bluebell. The wonderful buildings of the British Isles have provided the inspiration of the bluebell oil for this project and here its simple, potent beauty has been blended with narcissus absolute and that of a close sister, the hyacinth (the Latin for bluebell ‘Hyacinthoides Non-scripta’ means literally ‘like a hyacinth’) both garnered from the Scilly Isles. These rest delicately upon a soft, forest floor of deep green violet leaf from Devon and ground ivy from the enchanted woodlands of Dorset. Dark and Dreamy!"
Union Holy Thistle; Quince, Mint & Moss; Celtic Fire and Gothic Bluebird Bluebell will be available at Selfridges in the UK in July, £125 each for 100 ml. They are expected to launch at Henri Bendel in the fall.
(via press release)
Update: see a review of Union Celtic Fire.
Pretty cool bottle.
I wouldn’t mind trying the Holy Thistle or the Quince, Mint & Moss. Celtic Fire sounds perfect for a cold, late fall evening by the fire.
Will have to talk to my contact in London…. or will HAVE TO plan a trip to NY this fall !
Celtic Fire is really appealing to me…hope somebody tries these & reports back.
I would love to try them all, especially Quince, Mint & Moss and Gothid Bluebird. I usually avoid Oxford Street like the plague, but I will have to bear it if I am to sample them!
Let us know!
Be brave for our sake! LOL
As a longtime Britophile, I definitely want to try these! Will keep an eye out for an opportunity to get samples on this side of the pond.
One of the decant services will get them eventually, I’m sure.
Looks like a day trip to London is in order! I hope Gothic Bluebell and Celtic Fire are as good as they sound because I am not at all fond of the Oxford Street crowds. Maybe a spa treatment after to soothe my jangled nerves?
Get out of Oxford Street as quickly as you can and get a relaxing massage at Urban Retreat or a facial at Linda Meredith! You must treat yourself after an assault on the senses that is Oxford Street.
Oh yes, Urban Retreat is a great idea! I haven’t tried Linda Merwdith though I hear and read wonderful things- have you been?
‘Assault on the senses’ is a perfect way to put it- I only live near Reading but the crowds put me off any prolonged exposure to the shipping streets especially with the Olympics coming up. ((Shudder))
That would be ‘shopping’ streets , of course- not ‘shipping’!
Yes, Linda is wonderful. If you can get an appointment with Linda herself, it’s well worth it. She’s got magic fingers!
Gothic Bluebell sounds amazing! (That bottle is unappealing though. Looks masculine and sporty.)
Ok, so I am going to come across as the curmudgeonly one today. I will of course give these a fair chance if and when I encounter them, but they sound like a lot of marketing bravado to me and they had better be good for £125 a bottle. Having said that, it is good to see a few more lines emerging from the UK in recent months.
The title says “Gothic Bluebird”, which I really like even if it’s a typo. Nothing could be more contrary than a bluebird (symbol of happiness) in goth feathers.
Precisely where I was coming from! Make me giggle to think of an angsty bluebird!
It was supposed to be Bluebell — my (huge) mistake!
Huh. Those descriptions have actually managed to pique my interest and there have been very few perfumes this year that have managed that feat. £125 though?
I hope “Henri Bendel” includes the US branches – I would love to smell these, they all sound interesting! Also, love that bottle design. Putting these on my “to watch for” list!
I’m intrigued. I’d like to try all of these. I want Gothic Bluebird just for the name.
I repeatedly read that one as “Gothic Bluebeard” and me tired brains went off on a scent the fairytale tangent. That said, these all sound good, particularly the quince, as I grew up in a (rather mossy) brick house with both quince bushes and what was apparently an entirely unkillable (it’s true, we tried! We tried hard! Even the deer can’t eat it down to nothing…) garden mint.
Hrm. Scent the fairytale migh actually be a fun activity. I’ve already got an idea for Bluebeard.
Er…that should say “an entrely unkillable variety of garden mint.”
*sigh* Entrely.
Oh whatever the hell, I’m going to sleep.
8) No worries!
Ha…but it should have been Gothic Bluebell. Bad day yesterday!
Just in case anyone’s interested, I’ve got samples of all four and may feature them on my blog at some point over the course of the next few weeks.