William Penhaligon was an alchemist and an iconoclast. A Wildean, Byronian rebel taking inspiration from unlikely places, mixing together magical vapours, making sumptuous scents.

Born in Penzance, he moved to London in the late 1860s and set up a barber shop next door to the decadent Hammam Turkish baths in Piccadilly. Witty, eccentric, and wildly creative his verve, energy and gift with scent was soon pulling gentlemen in their hordes. Aristocrats, politicians, army officers, courtiers and businessmen became his clients and he, in turn sent them out of his doors smoother, scented, anointed with oils.

In 1872 he fused his first fragrance, a crazy conception inspired, rather strangely, by the steam and sulphur of the Hammam. He named it Hammam Bouquet.

He secured his reputation by creating scents for the nobility. Blenheim Bouquet, created for the Duke of Marlborough in 1902, was to become a particular favourite of another distinguished icon of that family, Winston Churchill. Gentlemen's scents up to this time were usually rich and floral; Blenheim Bouquet was one of the first citrus scents created. As bright and zesty as a Mediterranean lemon grove it remains to date our best selling gentleman’s fragrance.

By the end of Queen Victoria's reign, William Penhaligon had been appointed Barber and Perfumer to the Royal Court. Since that time, Penhaligon's has been awarded Royal Warrants by Her Majesty Queen Alexandra in 1903, His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh in 1956 and, most recently, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales in 1988.

By the early 1970's, Penhaligon's catered largely to the cognoscenti whose families had used the Company's products for generations. A new era began with the opening of the flagship store in Covent Garden in 1975 and other shops have since been established in London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Windsor and Chester in the UK. Other stores include Madison Avenue in New York and Rue St Honore in Paris.

Though the past thirty we years have seen exciting developments, the diaries and formulae of William Penhaligon remain the keystone which ensures continuity, consistency and quality. We have gathered ingredients from all over the world to create products that are unique and exclusive and in the process have established our own enduring traditions. After 135 years, the signature Penhaligon's bottle signifies a genuine classic to our discerning and dedicated devotees.