Floris of London

Floris of London is a British perfume and personal-grooming house established in 1730 by Juan Famenias Floris at 89 Jermyn Street in London’s St James’s district. The business began as a barber shop and comb-maker, but Floris’s training in perfumery in Montpellier led it to develop and sell fragrances inspired in part by the Mediterranean environment of his native Menorca. The company has continued to trade from the original Jermyn Street premises, making it one of England’s oldest surviving fragrance retailers and one of the country’s most historically continuous luxury houses. The brand’s heritage combines fragrance creation, toiletries, grooming products and specialist services. Its range has included perfumes, eau de toilette, aftershave, soaps, bath products, shaving items, hair and body care, candles and other scented goods. The house is particularly associated with classic British fragrance design, restrained presentation and a long-running relationship with male grooming, while also offering fragrances and products for a broader clientele. Recognizable names in its portfolio include No. 89, JF and Santal, although the company’s wider catalogue extends across many generations of formulas and product categories. Royal patronage has been an important part of Floris’s public identity. The first Royal Warrant was granted in 1820, when J. Floris Ltd was appointed comb-maker to King George IV. The company has subsequently held warrants connected with perfumery and toilet preparations, including appointments associated with Queen Elizabeth II and the Prince of Wales. Floris states that its Jermyn Street archive preserves correspondence and purchasing records linked to notable customers, among them Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, Florence Nightingale and Mary Shelley. These associations form part of the house’s historical narrative, although individual customer references do not necessarily represent formal endorsements. Manufacturing remained at Jermyn Street until 1989, when rising demand led to the establishment of a new factory in Devon. The facility was opened by Diana, Princess of Wales. Floris later expanded its service offer with bespoke fragrance consultations, introduced in 2006, allowing customers to work with the house’s perfumery team on individualized creations. A second London shop opened on Ebury Street in Belgravia in 2012 and offered the full range together with bespoke perfumery; it subsequently closed in 2017. The original Jermyn Street site underwent its first major renovation in more than a century in 2017. The work included the creation of a museum area at the rear of the Grade II listed premises, enabling the company to display archival objects and document its long history. Floris has also been connected to popular culture: Ian Fleming, a regular customer, referred to Floris toiletries in the James Bond novels Moonraker and Diamonds Are Forever, and the brand appears in the film Scent of a Woman. The house has continued to operate as a family-owned business, with management described as spanning the eighth and ninth generations of the Floris family.

Juan Famenias Floris came to England from Menorca and established his business in 1730 at 89 Jermyn Street, in London’s fashionable St James’s area. His initial activities combined barbering and comb-making. Because he had studied perfumery in Montpellier, however, the enterprise soon developed beyond grooming services into the creation and sale of fragrances. Floris drew on memories of Menorca and Mediterranean aromas when developing products, establishing a creative identity that linked the house’s London address with a distinctly personal and international origin. The company’s continuity at Jermyn Street became central to its reputation. Floris retained the original building as its principal London home, and the store’s historic fittings became part of the brand story. A mahogany counter purchased from the Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace in 1851 remains associated with the premises. Over time, the business expanded its offer from combs and barbering into perfumes, toiletries and a broad selection of grooming products. Royal recognition began in 1820, shortly after George IV’s accession, when J. Floris Ltd received a Royal Warrant as “Smooth Pointed Comb-makers.” The warrant is displayed at the Jermyn Street store alongside later warrants. The house subsequently held appointments connected with perfumery and toilet preparations, including a warrant as perfumer to Queen Elizabeth II from 1971 and one as manufacturer of toilet preparations to the Prince of Wales from 1984. These appointments helped reinforce Floris’s positioning as a British luxury house with institutional and courtly associations. Floris’s archive also records purchases and correspondence from prominent customers. Winston Churchill was recorded as buying Special No. 127 Eau de Toilette and Stephanotis in 1934. Marilyn Monroe purchased Rose Geranium while staying in California in 1959, while Florence Nightingale wrote to the company in 1863 to thank Mr Floris for a fragrant floral gift. Mary Shelley is recorded as directing friends abroad to buy her preferred Floris combs and toothbrushes. Such archival material is used by the company to illustrate the breadth and longevity of its customer base. Production remained at the Jermyn Street site until 1989. As demand increased, Floris established a separate factory in Devon, opened by Diana, Princess of Wales. The change allowed the historic London premises to remain primarily a retail, consultation and heritage location while manufacturing moved to a purpose-built operation. In 2006, the company added a bespoke fragrance service based in the perfumery behind the Jermyn Street shop. This service extended the house’s traditional fragrance expertise into personalized composition and consultation. The company opened a second London store in Belgravia in 2012. Located at 147 Ebury Street, it carried the full Floris range and offered bespoke perfumery, but the shop later closed in 2017. That same year, the Jermyn Street premises received their first major renovation in more than 100 years. A museum space was created at the rear to present archive materials and objects connected with the business’s development. Floris has also retained a strong place in cultural and literary references. Ian Fleming was a regular customer, and references to Floris toiletries appear in the James Bond novels Moonraker and Diamonds Are Forever. The brand is also mentioned in the film Scent of a Woman. In 2018, Floris created a unisex bespoke fragrance for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The business remains family-owned and is described as being operated across the eighth and ninth generations of the founding family.

1. 2018Bespoke wedding fragrance

   Floris creates a unisex bespoke fragrance for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

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2. 2017Jermyn Street premises renovated

   The historic store is extensively renovated and gains a museum space for archival displays.

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3. 2012Second London shop opens

   Floris opens a full-range retail and bespoke perfumery location at 147 Ebury Street in Belgravia.

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4. 2006Bespoke perfumery service begins

   The house introduces a bespoke fragrance service at its Jermyn Street perfumery.

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5. 1989Manufacturing moves to Devon

   Floris opens a Devon factory and ends perfume production on the Jermyn Street premises.

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6. 1984Royal warrant for toilet preparations

   The company receives a Royal Warrant as manufacturer of toilet preparations to the Prince of Wales.

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7. 1971Royal warrant as perfumer

   Floris receives a Royal Warrant as perfumer to Queen Elizabeth II.

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8. 1851Historic store counter enters the business

   A mahogany counter associated with the Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace is purchased for the Jermyn Street store.

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9. 1820First Royal Warrant

   J. Floris Ltd receives its first Royal Warrant as smooth pointed comb-makers to King George IV.

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10. 1730Floris establishes the Jermyn Street business

    Juan Famenias Floris establishes a barber shop and comb-making business at 89 Jermyn Street after arriving in England from Menorca.

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High-end British heritage fragrance and grooming

• No. 89Fine fragrance

  No. 89 is one of Floris’s best-known named fragrances and is strongly associated with the house’s classic Jermyn Street identity. It represents the brand’s traditional fine-fragrance offering and its emphasis on polished, understated British presentation.

• JFFine fragrance

  JF is a signature Floris fragrance included among the house’s recognized core offerings. It sits within the brand’s heritage fragrance portfolio and reflects the company’s long-running focus on refined, classically styled scent rather than trend-led mass-market positioning.

• Santal Eau de ParfumFine fragrance

  Santal Eau de Parfum is a prominent fragrance in the Floris range. Its inclusion among the house’s flagship offerings illustrates the continued development of richer contemporary formats within a brand otherwise strongly identified with historic British perfumery.

• Special No. 127Fine fragrance

  Special No. 127 is a historically documented Floris fragrance purchased by Winston Churchill in 1934. It is part of the company’s archival and heritage narrative and demonstrates the longevity of its named fragrance catalogue.

• Bespoke PerfumeryPersonalized fragrance service2006

  Floris’s bespoke perfumery service invites customers to consult with the house’s fragrance specialists and develop individualized scents. Introduced in 2006, the service extends the company’s historic formulation expertise into a personalized luxury experience offered from its London perfumery.

• Grooming and toiletriesPersonal care

  Floris’s grooming and toiletries range includes products such as aftershave, soaps, bath products, shaving items, hair care and other scented personal-care goods. These categories connect the modern brand with its origins as a barber shop and comb-maker.

• 2018Duke and Duchess of Sussex bespoke wedding fragrance

  United Kingdom

  Floris created a unisex bespoke fragrance associated with the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, extending the house’s royal and bespoke-perfumery associations.

  Outcome. The creation reinforced Floris’s heritage positioning and public association with British royal occasions.

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• 2017Renovate the Jermyn Street flagshipStrategy

  The historic premises had not undergone a major renovation for more than a century.

  What changed. Floris renovated the Grade II listed Jermyn Street site and created a museum space for archive materials.

  Aftermath. The flagship gained an enhanced heritage and visitor experience while continuing to serve as the brand’s principal London address.

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• 2012Open a second London retail locationStrategy

  Floris expanded its physical London presence beyond its historic Jermyn Street store.

  What changed. The company opened a shop at 147 Ebury Street in Belgravia, carrying the full range and offering bespoke perfumery.

  Aftermath. The location later closed in 2017.

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• 2006Launch of bespoke perfumeryProduct launch

  Floris sought to build on its historic formulation expertise and offer a more individualized luxury fragrance experience.

  What changed. The company introduced a bespoke fragrance service at the perfumery behind its Jermyn Street premises.

  Aftermath. Bespoke creation became an additional high-touch service alongside the standard fragrance and grooming range.

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• 1989Move perfume manufacturing to DevonStrategy

  Growing consumer demand made continued production solely at the historic Jermyn Street site impractical.

  What changed. Floris established a new factory in Devon while retaining the Jermyn Street building as its principal historic retail and brand location.

  Aftermath. The move expanded manufacturing capacity and preserved the London premises as a flagship, heritage and service destination.

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• 2018Floris creates a bespoke fragrance for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex

  The house created a unisex bespoke fragrance connected with the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

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• 2017Floris closes its Ebury Street shop

  The Belgravia location that opened in 2012 subsequently closed.

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• 2017Floris renovates its historic Jermyn Street premises

  The original store underwent its first major renovation in more than a century, including the creation of an archive and museum display area.

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• 2012Floris opens a second London shop in Belgravia

  A second London retail location opened at 147 Ebury Street, offering the brand’s range and bespoke perfumery services.

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• 2006Floris introduces bespoke fragrance service

  The house launched a bespoke perfumery service at its Jermyn Street location, giving customers access to individualized fragrance consultations and creations.

  Product launch
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• 1989Floris opens a Devon manufacturing facility

  The company moved perfume production from its Jermyn Street premises to a new Devon factory to support increasing consumer demand.

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1. Floris of London
2. Floris of London official website