Brands in Britain combining floral motifs, fairy-tale themes, and folklore elements
Unveiling the Aroma of Springtime Britain
Sure, let's take a whiff and explore the scents that make British springtime a sensory delight. From the tender blooms of sweet violets, jonquil, Rose de Mai, and orris to the earthy aroma of rain-soaked soil, Ffern's latest fragrance, Spring 2025, captures the essence of this enchanting season. Ffern, a Somerset-based natural fragrance maker, has been shaking up the scent market since late 2018, inviting customers to follow nature's rhythm through a bottle of organic perfume.
Straight from the heart of Britain, Ffern offers more than just a scent. The brand's world includes seasonal organic teas, candles, specially commissioned films, artworks, and a monthly podcast, As the Season Turns. This sonic almanac keeps you in the loop about the British countryside, updating you on what's happening in the skies, stars, hedgerows, rivers, and seas each month, fostering a connection that ancient man would have known instinctively. The podcast boasts streaming figures of up to 70,000 per month.
Ffern is not alone in its pursuit of eco-conscious beauty. Celebrities such as Kate Moss are jumping on the bandwagon.Moss's beauty and wellness brand, Cosmoss, launched in 2022, showcasing the marine tang of bladderwrack algae through body washes and lotions made in Margate by the brand Formerly Known As Haeckels. Or if the Scottish Highlands are more your vibe, Perfumer H's new scent Rain Wood offers a aromatic woody fragrance to transport you.
Ffern's founders, Emily Cameron and her brother Owen Mears, grew up in Somerset, steeped in local folklore. Taking part in traditions such as wassailing (an Anglo-Saxon custom to bless orchards), May Day celebrations, and harvest festivals, the duo has embraced these rituals in their brand. Through their Folk Foundation, Ffern offers yearly endowments to people keeping these customs and crafts alive. The first recipients are Boss Morris, a Gloucestershire-based, all-female Morris dancing troupe, whose vibrant costumes bring a prog-rock edge to English traditionalism.
Similarly, Wildsmith Skin, inspired by trees and botanicals planted on Heckfield Place's estate 160 years ago, provides a connection to history and nature. Nearby, Daylesford's Bamford capitalizes on its 20-year-old signature geranium fragrance with four candles that evoke the verdant scent of spring.
Embracing the farm-to-table movement, luxury retailer Content curates British-made brands like Made of More, which uses hemp seed oil from its Lincolnshire farm, and Scotland's AS Apothecary, whose formulas rely on organically grown or wild-harvested botanicals and seaweeds from the Isle of Harris. With a focus on locality, reducing air miles, going organic, and being mindful, these brands strike the perfect balance of nature, science, and heritage.
The Future Laboratory and Together Group forecast that to stay competitive, beauty brands must go beyond aesthetics and embrace a 360-degree approach that balances measurable performance with personal, emotional, and cultural significance. Named "transformational luxury," consumers are turning to beauty and wellbeing brands for emotional well-being, seeking to feel better in addition to looking better.
Meanwhile, in Somerset, the beauty and home fragrance brand Commune, founded by Rémi Paringaux and Kate Neal, is inspired by the changing seasons and the rich cultural mysticism of the area. Using naturally fragranced products in striking aluminum bottles (an eco-friendly choice since aluminum can be recycled repeatedly without loss of quality), Commune offers scents that capture the essence of their locale, evoking a deeper connection to the land.
For those looking for a stronger connection to nature, Ffern's Emily Cameron suggests that there's an ancient desire within us to return to this connection, a drumbeat that marks the rhythms of the year. This desire to bond with nature may not be as silent as we think.
Insight: British brands like Ffern, Wildsmith Skin, Bamford, and Commune incorporate natural ingredients and may draw inspiration from local folklore, history, and the changing seasons. These eco-conscious brands focus on locality, reducing air miles in sourcing, going organic, being mindful of every step in the process, and promoting effective, natural products with a sense of provenance. They embody the principles of the farm-to-table movement, extending it to the skin care and beauty market. Additional brands worth exploring are Evolve Organic Beauty, Pai Skincare London, Conscious Skincare, and Blooma Beauty. These brands may not explicitly focus on local folklore but promote natural ingredients, ethical practices, and holistic wellness, making a stronger connection between consumers and nature.
- The Ffern brand, originating from Somerset, offers way more than just a fragrance, encompassing seasonal organic teas, candles, artworks, films, and a monthly podcast called 'As the Season Turns'.
- The organic perfume maker, Ffern, has been capturing the essence of springtime Britain since late 2018, with their latest scent, Spring 2025, representing the enchanting aromas of this season.
- Ffern's founders, Emily Cameron and her brother Owen Mears, have embraced local traditions like wassailing, May Day celebrations, and harvest festivals, even providing yearly endowments to keep these customs and crafts alive.
- Celebrities such as Kate Moss have joined the movement towards eco-conscious beauty, with her beauty and wellness brand, Cosmoss, offering products made with marine algae and other natural ingredients.
- Luxury retailer Content curates British-made brands like Made of More and AS Apothecary, focusing on locality, going organic, and reducing air miles, creating a balance of nature, science, and heritage.
- Brands like Wildsmith Skin, Bamford, and Commune draw inspiration from local folklore, history, and the changing seasons, offering products with natural ingredients that evoke a deeper connection to the land.
- The Future Laboratory and Together Group anticipate that for beauty brands to stay competitive, they must embrace a 360-degree approach, balancing performance with personal, emotional, and cultural significance, as consumers seek emotional well-being in addition to physical appearance.
- Commune, founded by Rémi Paringaux and Kate Neal, offers eco-friendly fragrances in aluminum bottles, inspired by the changing seasons and the local mysticism of Somerset.
- For those seeking a stronger connection to nature, Emily Cameron suggests that there is an ancient desire within us to reconnect, a rhythm that echoes the seasons and the year, indicating that this longing may not be as silent as we think.
