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Penhaligon's Discontinued Scents

Folks,
I was looking through the Penhaligon's website last week and just checked to see if they had my favorite "English Fern" but apparently it is discontinued! I wasn't very happy and there seemed to be other scents that I remembered that are no longer offered as well! After checking around the site I found a link where I could send them a message so I wrote this and sent it to them at this link:


"Message: While visiting London in the early 1980's I went into Penhaligon's store at Covent Garden and tried on "English Fern". I continued my walk in Covent Garden and kept sniffing that wonderful fragrance on my wrist. Finally, I decided that I just had to have it and went back and purchased my first container of "English Fern". Over the years I became more aware of perfumery from around the world and also became aware that "English Fern" from Penhaligon's became the benchmark of what a "Fougère" should smell like and other attempts at a "Fougère" should be compared! Unfortunately, you have discontinued making it! I urge you to reconsider and bring back "English Fern" now and always!"

I did hear back from them:

"Good morning David,

Thank you for you email, what a lovely story!

English Fern is SUCH a classic Penhaligon's fragrance. Sadly we have discontinued it however this does not mean it won't ever come back. As a business we have to take into consideration popularity and demand for products, You are not alone with your love for the perfume so hopefully in the future it will be a product they bring back by popular demand!

I cannot confirm this but I have my fingers crossed for you! I will pass on your message David.

I know it is not the same but if you get the chance to try, I reccomend: Blenheim Bouquet, Opus 1870 and Endymion as similar alternatives.

Thank you for taking the time to email us. We appreciate your feedback. Have a lovely day!"

Kind regards,
Penhaligon's customer service"

If you are someone that likes Penhaligon's or any other fragrance house, I encourage you to email them and tell them what discontinued fragrance you would like to see being offered again and maybe if enough guys send them messages then they will listen and bring back your most favorite discontinued fragrance! Just a suggestion, but maybe it will work!
 
I totally understand your point. I enjoy English Fern too (not my favorite Penhaligon’s though) and was lucky to get a bottle before it got discontinued.

However, they are in the business of constantly selling perfume bottles and I doubt there are too many young gents (largest buying segment today) willing to smell like an early 1900s British aristocrat and pay $150 to do so. Penhaligon’s best sellers for men are Halfeti and Cairo and those other fragrances with weird (in my opinion) animal-head tops, which tend to be on the heavier and modern sides

There are other great Fougeres out there Waiting for you to try.

people here talk so much about the old tallow-based English shaving soaps that are now gone, but again there are so many great options out there that’s hard to miss a single product.
 
So sad when the ones you love get discontinued. English Fern was indeed a great one. Have you tried looking on the discount websites? Maybe you will get lucky and find one for less than retail.
 
I used to like to go to their website and see the reviews Penhaligon's employees would leave for their offerings. Perfect British diction and stylish delivery. Haven't seen the reviews on their website over the last few years... miss 'em, actually!

Don
 
impressed that you got such a detailed response!
still lots of EF options on da bay!
i've held onto my spare as well as the elder!

penhaligon english fern antler tim zowada april 22 2018.jpg
 
Gentlemen, Thanks for your replies! Did any of you email Penhaligon's or any other company yet?

Anyway, I was looking around and saw Lp No.9 which was one I purchased along the way and quite liked so I decided to go to Penhaligon's and see how much it was now! Of course, it is another one of my favorites that is now "discontinued"! I think I am going to do through my "stash" and see what else is not being offered! By the way, where are they getting some of the names they assign to new colognes? Some of them are... a bit odd?

More later, I'm sure!
 
I found an old post of mine where I had named a few discontinued fragrances that I was aware of at the time and I did some further research and have a list!

English Fern
LP No.9
Elixir
Sans Pareil
Racquets Formula
Eau de Cologne
Extract of Limes
Amaranthine
Bayolea
Cornubia
Douro Eau de Portugal – Lords
Eau de Verveine
Elisabenthan Rose
Esprit de Lavande
Jubilee Bouquet
Lily & Spice
Night Scented Stock
No. 33 Eau de Cologne
Ormolu
Paithani
Tralala

I knew the top seven and Douro (Lord's) am really curious about Eau de Verveine and especially Esprit de Lavande and I did see No. 33 Eau de Cologne in the store many years ago but the rest are not in my memory. It is still unfortunate that so many of these fragrances are no longer available! I do remember that they brought back a few several years ago for a limited time but unfortunately I missed purchasing them! Still, I encourage everyone to just email them with a favorite and perhaps we'll get to enjoy them again sometime!
 

Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
I did email Floris several years ago. They would open the books and mix up New Mown Hay or many of their other discontinued products on a bespoke basis but the cost is prohibitive, as you might imagine. There was also an insistence on your being physically present in their shop in Jermyn St at the time the potion was being mixed, for some reason.
 
Changes in EU regulations may have forced the retirement of some of their fragrances.
Unlikely they would admit to that being the reason.
Reformulating with synthetics can be a thankless (and profitless) undertaking.
How many of us have bemoaned reformulations and refused to buy them?
Perhaps best to look for old bottles, N.O.S. or used, such as on ebay.
 
Pen's has always been terrible about discontinuing scents then bringing them back. I assume it boosts sales. Creed has done similar things.

LP No. 9 stands out as one that has come and gone more than once, if I recall. Not a scent I have much liked. They seem to like to screw around with Douro, one of my favorite scents.

I am personally amazed to see Pen's discontinue EF. What is next? BB? HB? I suppose one could argue that Sartorial is a pretty good substitute for EF.

I have not tried the animal-head scents. Seems to me Pen's lost its way when it was taken over by whomever it was, quite a while ago.
 
I did email Floris several years ago. They would open the books and mix up New Mown Hay or many of their other discontinued products on a bespoke basis but the cost is prohibitive, as you might imagine. There was also an insistence on your being physically present in their shop in Jermyn St at the time the potion was being mixed, for some reason.
Interesting about the "New Mown Hay"... It sounded like something I would really like but then after thinking for a bit, I think I actually own a container of it stored in my New York City apartment that I haven't been to in months! It may possibly be a scent from another company but I don't remember! Too bad about Floris and the bespoke $cent$! Do you know of another "New Mown Hay" scent done by another company? That I would really like to have and enjoy!
 

Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
Interesting about the "New Mown Hay"... It sounded like something I would really like but then after thinking for a bit, I think I actually own a container of it stored in my New York City apartment that I haven't been to in months! It may possibly be a scent from another company but I don't remember! Too bad about Floris and the bespoke $cent$! Do you know of another "New Mown Hay" scent done by another company? That I would really like to have and enjoy!
Foin Fraîchement Coupé by Oriza L. Legrand or Eau de Campagne by Sisley. I've never tried either, but both were recommended to me some years ago.
 
Santa Maria Novella Fieno is a fresh mown hay scent. I cannot quite remember it. It has other notes, too. But I think fieno means hay.

That's funny! I decided to do a search on Fragrantica this morning and found that! There used to be a store in lower Manhattan in Tribeca that I would visit on occasion who carried the Santa Maria Novella brand and that may be the one that I purchased many years ago there in Tribeca! Now I'm really curious and will have someone check in our apartment there! Thanks for bringing that one up!

Also, you are so right about the discontinued/recontinued aspect of Penhaligon's! What are they thinking!?!? They have some wonderful scents that they should always have and they can always try new or seasonal scents during the year but for some reason, they just don't get it!
 
I suspect the Pen's thing is Puig's influence and attempt to modernize or something or at least extract more money after Puig took over Pen's in 2015. Sort of like when Marks and Spencer bought Brooks Brothers and tried to update BB and hold onto BB's traditional customers at the same time. It did not work out for M&S. I guess Pen's is a work in progress.
 
Gentlemen, Thanks for your replies! Did any of you email Penhaligon's or any other company yet?

Anyway, I was looking around and saw Lp No.9 which was one I purchased along the way and quite liked so I decided to go to Penhaligon's and see how much it was now! Of course, it is another one of my favorites that is now "discontinued"! I think I am going to do through my "stash" and see what else is not being offered! By the way, where are they getting some of the names they assign to new colognes? Some of them are... a bit odd?

More later, I'm sure!


LP9 is nice, floral with some wood and amber. sweet and vanilla to my nose, but those are not listed in basenotes.
whatever. relatively young scent. seems to be available on da bay still. i wonder if they had to pay royalties to the Searchers, who put out the hit song?!

caties bubbles rose solingen shavemac saint charles penhaligon LP9 february 14 2016.jpg
 
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