How should you choose a fragrance? Edward Bodenham, Perfume Director at Floris London, one of the oldest and most respected British perfume houses in the world, has the answer

By Lekha Menon

On most days, Edward Bodenham and his team can be found at 89 Jermyn Street in the perfumery behind the founding shop where Floris London has created all their fragrances for over 300 years. It was in this same perfumery that Edward learnt his craft as a boy from his grandfather.

It is indeed a formidable legacy he has to live up to. British Family Perfumers Since 1730, Floris is renowned as the oldest independent family perfumer in the world and the only appointed perfumer to Her Majesty The Queen.

As the ninth generation perfumer, Edward keeps the family flag flying high. He grew up regularly visiting the perfumery to help blend fragrances with his grandfather and father, before later studying as an apprentice to his relatives and to the Floris in-house perfumer.

After stints, with major houses like Lancôme, Rochas, Paco Rabanne, and Calvin Klein, Edward joined the family business, where for 25 years, he has helped create fragrances for a new generation of Floris customers.

In this exclusive interview with Global Spa, Edward shares his journey and the joy of being part of such an impressive legacy. And brides-to-be, he has some important tips to select the right fragrance for your important day! So read on…

What are the challenges and the joys of having to live up to an incredible legacy in perfumery?

The challenge arises when we sometimes have to decide to discontinue some of the fragrances we personally love so much but perhaps the customers don’t buy them often anymore or they don’t have much appeal. We sort of have a meeting with the team of Floris, and then think we can’t discontinue because of its connection to my grandfathers and the nostalgic memories.

The joy is having the nostalgic emotive connection to so many of the fragrances. I really love these fragrances, and working with them is a real joy too. Knowing that they were the creations of my ancestors, it makes me proud to work on new fragrances to sit alongside creations they composed over the years.

Can you take us through the creative process of developing a fragrance?

It varies. Basically it develops around the top and heart notes of what we would like the fragrance to be. For instance, whether you want to start your day with a green top note or citrus top note or light floral or marine, and how you want that fragrance to be at the end the day.

We also consider having that fragrance on the skin and what base notes to decide on. The process takes lots of time, yet it is the inspiration that makes you recreate the idea of how you want it to be.

How should a person choose the right perfume for themselves?

I usually recommend trying it on their skin and then getting to know the fragrance. So have a wander around and do something with the fragrance on and see how it develops over time. You then get to see how the fragrance works with your own body chemistry.

Sometimes, you like the smell of the fragrance but when you wear it on your skin, it doesn’t work. A good way is to put the fragrance on your clothing because your clothing won’t change, so it will keep true to how it’s developed over time. It’s the same with your hair, it is very porous, so it just holds fragrances well.

What are your favourites in your current collection?

Floris Jermyn Street is one of my favourites, it is one of the newer fragrances and was quite an exciting one to work on. We tried to pick out references within Jermyn Street and St. James in London to incorporate into the fragrance, but it’s great to wear in the winter and the summer because it not only has fresh citrus notes but also musk notes that hold on to your skin for the whole day.

Can you share some tips on selecting the right fragrance for a bride on her special day?

Here is a tip for brides: If you want the perfume to last all day, pick a substantial fragrance with the base notes that stays on your skin. Some brides like to have a unisex fragrance and then even the partner can wear the same one.

The wedding is your big day so if you want to wear a fragrance that is bold and overpowering, then this is your chance to do that. Some brides, I have spoken to say that on their special day, they would like to wear a really heavy, lingering fragrance because they want to leave that trail of their perfume. They are the bride after all!

In your opinion how many perfumes should you have in one’s wardrobe?

I recommend having one for the winter and one for the summer and then an evening fragrance and a daytime fragrance. I recommend 3 or 4.

‘The wedding is your big day so if you want to wear a fragrance that is bold and overpowering, then this is your chance to do that’