Step inside Penhaligon’s new Regent Street store. (Already a roaring success.)
The striking lion table by Hamish Mackie, which greets visitors to the refurbished Regent Street boutique
Having undergone a magnificent makeover, the Penhaligon’s flagship is true a temple of delights. Spritz, sniff – and as Jo Fairley writes, our recommendation is to stay awhile…
Cleverly, fragrances are now grouped by family – to help you take a short-cut
Have to say: we’ve always loved this store. But sitting in the quiet private space at the back of the newly revamped 125 Regent Street, its velvet curtain opened so that we could watch customers drift in one, two, three at a time to try the fragrances arrayed on the magnificent lion table just inside the door, we could see them falling for its considerable charms.
It’s the bronze lion table – designed by Hamish Mackie – which of course first catches the eye, a majestic showcase for the collection. But maybe this space ultimately feels so welcoming because the store’s designers, Michaelis Boyd, previously worked on Soho Farmhouse and other hospitality venues. From the concentric wood-block floor which somehow beckons you in, to the comfily and geometrically upholstered seats at which you can sniff your way through the collection, via the smooth, invitingly tactile cabinetry – well, it’s almost enough to make you want to move in.
But first things first: wash away all that London grub at the beautiful sink to the right of the door, with its whisk-you-to-a-misty-valley mural of rolling pastoral hills and wildflowers by artist Claire Basler, offering Penhaligon’s Luna, Quercus or Halfeti cleansing and nourishing options, to de-grime. Then you’re all set to sniff to your heart’s content.
But elsewhere, to make for simpler scent shopping, Penhaligon’s has grouped their fragrances to help simplify selection, for scent-lovers. Knowing you love a specific style of scent, you can work your way through an edit of ambery, woody or floral fragrances, for instance.
And if you don’t have a clue what you like, no matter: the sales staff we chatted to are helpful, knowledgeable and not in the least pushy.
All the Portraits are lined up together, too, an ever-expanding family of spiffy fragrances – as well as the newer Potions & Remedies collection, which references vintage apothecary bottles and traditions, infused with a mood-boosting or even wellbeing vibe. The latest to reach for when fortitude is required is Bold Blend, by Paul Guerlain, zingy with peppermint and black pepper, aromatic with sage and violet leaf, and with cypress and cypriol for a smoky dry-down.
An interesting element of the refurbishment is its paint colour – ‘William’s Green’, a restful green designed to feel timeless and sophisticated, and now registered as a Pantone shade, no less. We fully expect this to be rolled out across new Penhaligon’s refurbs, notwithstanding the fact that each location very much has its own sense of place and space, side-stepping any cookie-cutter feel.
Until the limited edition of 155 bottles is snapped up – one for every year of Penhaligon’s existence – the Regent Street store also happens to be the only UK location to get your hands (make that wrists) on the exclusive collaboration with artist Maggi Hamling. With a long tradition of artistic collabs, Penhaligon’s invited one of our most significant living artists – famed for her vast ‘Scallop’ sculpture on Aldeburgh beach, frequently inspired by the sea, moonlight and her favourite indigo pigment – to reimagine Endymion Concentré as a collector’s objet. Hand-numbered and engraved, each flacon of this is jauntily accessorised by a bespoke indigo ribbon, which Hambling herself designed, and accompanied by a signed print of one of her ink drawings. With rich notes of nutmeg, leather and incense, it’s lavender-led – which makes it bang on trend for summer 2026, as well as being rather timeless.
Last but not least: the refill station, where you can watch your favourite Penhaligon’s scent being topped up before your very eyes.
Not for sale – but customers want it to be!
Cabinetry by White & White
Bold Blends front and centre atop the majestic lion
With different services on the menu – read more here – spanning a 30-minute exploration of the fragrance families (From Floral to Fougère), Scenting The Scent (to take you through the candle range), via A Marriage of Fragrance wedding scent profiling (£50 advance payment, redeemable against any purchase), this is a space most definitely worth adding to anyone’s must-visit scent shopping list.
Whether you visit solo – or with your perfumed pride, prowling alongside.
125 Regent Street, London W1B 4HT
The ‘washing station’ just inside the boutique