My London Perfume Shopping Guide
Pick your postcode or tap the map links for my scented concierge adventure
London is the most phenomenal perfume playground and I’m here with my tour guide cap on to show you and your nose how to navigate this majestic city full of tiny boutiques and mammoth department stores.
I love weaving a scent safari into a holiday and finding a few perfumeries to peruse. It allows you to rest your other senses that have been overwhelmed by touristy things, and simply enjoy the gentle act of smelling blotters and discovering new brands with an open mind and no pressure. If you find a fragrance or candle you love? Joy! What a brilliant and treasured self-gift memento; something you’ll really cherish and appreciate after the sting of handing out all the carefully chosen souvenirs you’ve bought for other people and wish you’d kept one tiny thing for yourself.
A scented pit-stop can register a sensorial treat deep into your core memory too. My skin still tingles when I think of stepping into the calm, temple-cool, quiet Santa Maria Novella apothecary in Florence on a boiling hot June day during my honeymoon 18 years ago. I can still hear the tinkling of the bell as I pushed open the door to the Serge Lutens boutique in Palais Royale in Paris - then feeling my eyes pop out of my skull as I drank in the marvels and mysteries inside, such as the hand-painted insects dancing along the skirting board and the intricately carved Moroccan wood ceilings. It was there that I found one of my forever scents, Louve - think bitter almond oil drizzled over creamy panna cotta - because I had time, a halcyon glow and that glorious it’s holiday money so it doesn’t count mantra.
If you’re plotting a trip to London, I have put together a list of excellent perfume-y destinations that will, hopefully, feel like scented sanctuaries when escaping the hectic streets and tube stations.
To make it as helpful as possible whilst out and about*, the Google Maps link below takes you to a shared map with little pins of all the addresses. Save it, share it, enjoy it.. think of it like a concierge treasure map of the loveliest fragrance locations. You can either shape your excursions around a specific area, or choose a definite ‘must-visit’ and see what else happens to be within walking distance. I may or may not have slipped in a few of my favourite restaurants, iconic resting places [ahem, Claridge’s], and handy Uber Taxi Boat piers in case you need a petite perfume pause.
Before I add the link, I’ve popped a pay-wall here because this has been a labour of love for paying subscribers. It’s really easy to upgrade though, it’s only a fiver a month, and it means you can access all of my past work too.