Floris
Founded 1730
Juan Famenias Floris, a barber and comb maker from Menorca, opened his shop at 89 Jermyn Street in 1730 and began selling perfumes inspired by the scents of his Mediterranean youth. The house is still family owned, now run by the eighth and ninth generations, and still trades from the same address. A small museum at the back of the shop shows royal warrants, letters and old bottles from nearly 300 years.
Hours and prices change, so check with the shop before you go.
Floris, a family perfumer on Jermyn Street since 1730
Floris was founded in London in 1730 by Juan Famenias Floris, who came from Menorca and started out as a barber and comb maker. He and his wife Elizabeth sold perfume, combs and shaving products at 89 Jermyn Street, and the house has stayed at that address ever since. Its first royal warrant was as comb makers to King George IV. The firm is still run by the family: perfumer Edward Bodenham is the ninth generation to lead it.
Behind the shop's blue doors, Bodenham and his team compose the scents for the main range and approve new ingredients. Until the late 1970s every Floris fragrance was made in the sub-basement at number 89, known as The Mine. The shop still has Spanish mahogany cabinets bought at the Great Exhibition of 1851. A small museum at the back, opened in 2017, shows royal warrants from 1820, family letters, old bottles and tools.
In London, the place to go is the house's own shop and museum at 89 Jermyn Street, SW1Y 6JH. You can also book a bespoke session there and spend a few hours with the team making a scent of your own. A 100 ml eau de toilette such as No. 89 costs £125 on the house's site. Try No. 89 first: it is named after the shop and was first made in its basement in 1951.
- No. 89Named after the shop's street number and introduced in 1951, a classic cologne of orange, bergamot, lavender and neroli.
- LimesOne of the oldest scents in the range, made by Juan Floris in the mid 18th century to cope with the summer heat of the City of London.
- White RoseMade by John Floris in the early 1800s; Florence Nightingale had bottles shipped out to her while nursing in the Crimean War.
- CefiroSpanish for a gentle breeze, launched in 2002 and inspired by a warm breeze in a Mediterranean courtyard.
Where to buy
- Own shop and museum, 89 Jermyn Street, London SW1Y 6JH
In our city guides
- Floris Bespoke Fragrance Customisation (Workshop, London)
- Floris, 89 Jermyn Street (Boutique, London)