Penhaligon's: a guide to the house and its perfumes

Penhaligon's is a London perfume house. The header of its own site reads British Perfumers, Established 1870, and its logo carries a royal warrant crest. The eight perfumes we list are in the Penhaligon's collection, and if houses like this are new to you, our introduction to niche perfume is a good place to begin.

What the house stands for

Penhaligon's groups its fragrances in collections, each with its own tone. Portraits are character-driven eaux de parfum: every perfume is a person in a cast of characters, and the bottle is topped with a gilded animal head. Trade Routes holds Halfeti, next to Empressa, Babylon, Cairo and AlUla. British Tales is the home of Luna, Endymion, Juniper Sling and Blenheim Bouquet, and a fourth collection is called Potions & Remedies. The brand's texts are written with a wink, as short character sketches and small stories. Other sources give slightly different founding dates, so we keep to the brand's own line.

What the perfumes have in common

Our eight span three concentrations: four Eaux de Parfum, three Eaux de Toilette and one Eau de Cologne, in 75 ml for the three Portraits and 100 ml for the rest. Our guide to concentrations explains how those differ. On its website the brand shows only three key notes per fragrance, not a full pyramid, and its descriptions sometimes name one or two more. We list exactly those. Where the brand's own data places the notes clearly, we give top, heart and base; where it does not, we give them as one list. The brand's site states no launch years and no perfumers, and neither does this guide.

The perfumes we list

Ordered by the number of Parfumo ratings in an August 2026 snapshot, from most to fewest. Fragrantica counts are missing from our research for Penhaligon's.

The Tragedy of Lord George

The noble patriarch of the Portraits cast, a paragon of masculine elegance who, the brand says, greets you with the smell of shaving soap and warming rum while hinting at secrets behind the tradition. The three key notes are Ambrox, rum and tonka bean, given here as one list, and the brand's summary calls it a rich, noble, deceptive woody perfume. A gilded stag's head tops the bottle. With about 1,500 ratings it is the most rated of the eight on Parfumo.

Halfeti

A love story in moonlight, from the Trade Routes collection, with a nod to the legendary black rose of the riverbank. Grapefruit, bergamot, Levantine spice, rose and an oud accord are the notes, tangled together in the brand's telling and given without levels. Its short summary speaks of a mysterious perfume, heady with rose, grapefruit and spice, and the brand lists it among its best sellers.

The Blazing Mister Sam

An American abroad, with all the cocky confidence you would expect. Hot and cold spices, black pepper and cardamom, mingle over dry patchouli and creamy cedar; the key notes are black pepper, cardamom and cedarwood, and patchouli comes from the description. This Portraits bottle wears a gilded bull's head.

Luna

The Moon Goddess's bath, as soothing as it is seductive. It is perfumed with orange, bergamot, a jasmine accord, soft rose and fir balsam, and the brand invites you to relax, sink in and surrender. An Eau de Toilette from British Tales.

Changing Constance

A Very Modern Woman, in the brand's capitals, with no regard for custom, who does exactly as she likes. Here the levels are clear: cool cardamom and hot pimento on top, a salted caramel accord in the heart and a tobacco accord in the base. A gilded antelope head tops the bottle.

Blenheim Bouquet

Dry and fresh, which the brand likens to good gin and to British humour, in an Eau de Toilette first created for the Duke of Marlborough. Lemon is the top note, lavender the heart and pine the base, and the description adds black pepper without placing it. It is one of the oldest fragrances of the house.

Juniper Sling

A gin lover's Eau de Toilette, says the brand: a juniper burst of freshness, teasing angelica and black pepper, warm spice and warm hearts. Juniper berry is the top note, black pepper the heart and vetiver the base. The text calls it a complex cocktail and suggests making it a double.

Endymion

Classical elegance fit for Zeus's most handsome son. The brand describes a sparkle of bergamot dancing off suede, coffee and geranium, and its key notes are lavandin, a coffee accord and cedarwood: six notes in all, none of them placed in a level. The brand sells it as an Eau de Cologne and calls it one for the ages.

Where to start

• A character in a bottle: the three Portraits, The Tragedy of Lord George for rum and tonka bean, The Blazing Mister Sam for pepper and cedarwood, Changing Constance for salted caramel and tobacco.
• Rose and oud: Halfeti.
• Fresh and dry: Blenheim Bouquet for lemon and pine, Juniper Sling for juniper and black pepper.
• Soft citrus and flowers: Luna.
• Bergamot, coffee and suede: Endymion.

From here, the brands page leads on to every other house we list.

Frequently asked questions

What are the Penhaligon's Portraits?

A collection of character-driven eaux de parfum. Each perfume is a person, and each bottle is topped with a gilded animal head: a stag for The Tragedy of Lord George, a bull for The Blazing Mister Sam, an antelope for Changing Constance.

Why do some Penhaligon's perfumes here have a pyramid and others a plain list?

The brand shows three key notes per fragrance. For Changing Constance, Blenheim Bouquet and Juniper Sling its data places them as top, heart and base; for the others the placement is unclear or missing, so we give one list.

Which concentrations does Penhaligon's use?

Among the eight we list there are four Eaux de Parfum, three Eaux de Toilette and one Eau de Cologne, Endymion. The three Portraits come in 75 ml, the others in 100 ml.