Penhaligon's began next to a Turkish bath. William Penhaligon was a Cornish barber who moved to London and worked at the London Hammam on Jermyn Street. He opened his own premises there in 1870.
The steam gave him his first idea. In 1872 he bottled Hammam Bouquet, a warm, slightly dirty blend built to echo the smell of the baths, all rose, jasmine and animal musk. It is still sold today. Penhaligon went on to become barber and perfumer to Queen Victoria's court, and the house was granted royal warrants.
For a British institution it stayed small for a long time. The modern Penhaligon's is known for two things: story-driven scents with a dark British humour, like the Portraits line, and its Trade Routes fragrances, which follow old spice and silk paths east.
Halfeti came out of that in 2015, made by the perfumer Christian Provenzano. It is named after a Turkish village on the Euphrates where a rare near-black rose grows. The scent is oud, rose, saffron and leather, plush and loud, and it became the brand's modern signature.
The romance has a footnote. Penhaligon's has been owned by the Spanish group Puig since 2015, the same year Halfeti launched. The Victorian barber story is genuine, which is rarer than it sounds in this trade. The company running it now is a modern beauty giant. Both things are true.
You can wear the Halfeti idea for far less. Our Mystic Oud is our take on Halfeti, and our Mystic Oud Leather follows Halfeti Leather, both UK-made at 35% concentration. Browse the full Penhaligon's collection.
