Perfumer H: Best of British Summer

Walking into a Perfumer H store is to journey into the mind of its founder, British perfumer Lyn Harris. Beautiful handblown glass bottles and candle holders (by south London glassblower Michael Ruh) are portals to creations inspired by Harris’s olfact senses in any given time or place. Be it a walk in her local Regent’s Park or collecting moss on the Cornish coast, these are nostalgic British moments bottled up. The iconic ‘Ink’ fragrance, for instance, reflects the smell of ink on parchment paper by blending the dry, woody notes of vetiver and cedarwood. A pantry of complimenting teas, herbs, pickles and jams enhance the experience.

New for the summer is ‘Dandelion,’ “a wildflower that runs with the sun,” says Lyn, inspired by a childhood spent outdoors and sunny memories blowing the seeds from the tops of dandelion stalks. “Spring is the first sight of its yellow petals amongst the morning grass: optimistic and untamed.” The fragrance has top notes of sweet Sicilian lemon, Tunisian orange flower and Italian mandarin, with a note of plum, while a vetiver base is punctuated by wild herbs, French lavender, basil and Italian mint leaf.

Growing up between the rural landscapes of Yorkshire and Scotland, where Harris would crush rose petals with her sister to make perfume, she travelled to Paris and Robertet Grasse to become classically trained in the art. After time spent working with others, Harris launched her eponymous brand in 2015, with a working laboratory located under the Marylebone shop. Seven multi-sensory stores have launched internationally since, including in Mayfair, where an exhibition space hosts the works of artists as well as in-store workshops on the craft of perfumery and candle making.