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Penhaligon's Discontinued Scents

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
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!
"Any other fragrance house..."

Please realize that I am cheap, and have an uneducated nose, but years ago I emailed Avon! I inquired about any plans they might have for bringing back my favorites like Blend 7, Tai Winds, etc..

They did respond, quickly. Not long after they came out with Wild Country in the boot decanter. OBVIOUSLY they were listening to ME, lol.

I now think they will be lost forever due to young men loving "Axe" type scents today, and the cost of ingredients.

VERY cool thread! I've never tried any of the scents mentioned here. But they sound divine!
 
It appears that although it was created in 1911, when it was introduced by Penhaligon's in 1985, it was called "Lords"
Ha!, you are going to trust some unidentified author on basenotes over me? :) Lots of things I remember never happened, and 1911 is a little dim in my memory right now.

The historical record as set out on-line seems a little unclear, and since Pens has removed the scent from its line up, the Pens site is not so helpful. Wikipedia says "Douro Eau de Portugal-1911; name changed to Lords, reverted to Douro." Penhaligon's own website under heritage says for 1911 "Purveyor of port, Sir Percy Croft, catches wind of Walter Penhaligon’s perfume prowess, and commissions Douro’s concoction, named after the region in Portugal from whence the port originates." I admit that is a little ambiguous. There are lots of references on-line including on B&B not by me saying it was Douro or Douro eau de Portugal and then Lords and then Douro or Douro Eau de Portugal. I really only know what I read. I doubt I had even heard of Pens when it was being sold as Lords!

I do own Douro in the bright multi-colored box. When did they switch to the boring blue box?

In any event, my real point is that as classic a scent and as classic a Pens scent Douro is, is has been treated as sort of an afterthought or something that does not quite fit in for Pens over the years.

My guess is that Pens will bring back both EF and Douro from time to time as some special re-issue. Perhaps charging a higher price for it. On some level Pens is probably correct that someone like me now owns as much EF and Douro as they are ever going to buy and so there is no use of keeping these scents in the line up if folks like me are the demographic. I take it HB is still around. I never liked that scent and would be surprised if it was outselling EF or Douro these days.

Good comments on what a clothes making place actually smells like!
 
Ha!, you are going to trust some unidentified author on basenotes over me? :) Lots of things I remember never happened, and 1911 is a little dim in my memory right now.

The historical record as set out on-line seems a little unclear, and since Pens has removed the scent from its line up, the Pens site is not so helpful. Wikipedia says "Douro Eau de Portugal-1911; name changed to Lords, reverted to Douro." Penhaligon's own website under heritage says for 1911 "Purveyor of port, Sir Percy Croft, catches wind of Walter Penhaligon’s perfume prowess, and commissions Douro’s concoction, named after the region in Portugal from whence the port originates." I admit that is a little ambiguous. There are lots of references on-line including on B&B not by me saying it was Douro or Douro eau de Portugal and then Lords and then Douro or Douro Eau de Portugal. I really only know what I read. I doubt I had even heard of Pens when it was being sold as Lords!

I do own Douro in the bright multi-colored box. When did they switch to the boring blue box?

In any event, my real point is that as classic a scent and as classic a Pens scent Douro is, is has been treated as sort of an afterthought or something that does not quite fit in for Pens over the years.

My guess is that Pens will bring back both EF and Douro from time to time as some special re-issue. Perhaps charging a higher price for it. On some level Pens is probably correct that someone like me now owns as much EF and Douro as they are ever going to buy and so there is no use of keeping these scents in the line up if folks like me are the demographic. I take it HB is still around. I never liked that scent and would be surprised if it was outselling EF or Douro these days.

Good comments on what a clothes making place actually smells like!

they can’t discontinue HB simply because it’s their first fragrance ever, so it’s kind of a marketing thing. Anyway, I think Douro is still in production, just currently out of stock.

I used it this morning and it’s just sublime. I actually like the blue box, not that it matters as I showcase the bottle on my bedroom’s shelf

I am in a similar situation here... I have a good stock of Douro, Sartorial, EF, Bayolea (EDT and AS) and Blenheim Bouquet (AS) to last me a decade or two (got a really good deal locally), so even if they brought EF back I wouldn’t purchase it
 
Ha!, you are going to trust some unidentified author on basenotes over me? :) Lots of things I remember never happened, and 1911 is a little dim in my memory right now.

The historical record as set out on-line seems a little unclear, and since Pens has removed the scent from its line up, the Pens site is not so helpful. Wikipedia says "Douro Eau de Portugal-1911; name changed to Lords, reverted to Douro." Penhaligon's own website under heritage says for 1911 "Purveyor of port, Sir Percy Croft, catches wind of Walter Penhaligon’s perfume prowess, and commissions Douro’s concoction, named after the region in Portugal from whence the port originates." I admit that is a little ambiguous. There are lots of references on-line including on B&B not by me saying it was Douro or Douro eau de Portugal and then Lords and then Douro or Douro Eau de Portugal. I really only know what I read. I doubt I had even heard of Pens when it was being sold as Lords!

I do own Douro in the bright multi-colored box. When did they switch to the boring blue box?

In any event, my real point is that as classic a scent and as classic a Pens scent Douro is, is has been treated as sort of an afterthought or something that does not quite fit in for Pens over the years.

My guess is that Pens will bring back both EF and Douro from time to time as some special re-issue. Perhaps charging a higher price for it. On some level Pens is probably correct that someone like me now owns as much EF and Douro as they are ever going to buy and so there is no use of keeping these scents in the line up if folks like me are the demographic. I take it HB is still around. I never liked that scent and would be surprised if it was outselling EF or Douro these days.

Good comments on what a clothes making place actually smells like!

One thing that you always have to keep in mind is that Wikipedia is a source that anyone can enter information on so that means at times it may not always be accurate. Even looking at Penhaligon's website from back in 2001 I found this list of their current products then:

Hammam Bouquet 1872
Blenheim Bouquet 1902
Lords 1910
English Fern 1911
Eau de Cologne 1927
Eau de Verveine 1949
Extract of Limes 1963
Esprit de Lavande 1976
Lily of the Valley 1976
Violetta 1976
Primrose 1976
Gardenia 1976
Night Scented Stock 1976
Orange Blossom 1976
Ormolu 1977
Bluebell 1978
Victorian Posy 1979
Elisabethan Rose 1984
Racquets Formula 1989
Esprit du Roi 1989
Cornubia 1991
Eau Sans Pareil 1992
Ninevah 1995
Samarkand 1995
Lavandula Officinalis 1995
Quercus 1996
LP No. 9 - Women - 1998
LP No. 9 - Men - 1999
Castile 1999


Notice here it lists "Lords" being created in 1910.

So some sources are rather vague which makes it difficult to pinpoint a time dependent upon the source. I'm not sure we'll ever get an answer as even Penhaligon's site has listed Lord's arriving in 1985 but here it's listed at 1910.

The main point though it is a scent worth having for some and it should be continued! I sometimes wonder if Penhaligon's even knows the world-wide effects of some of their scents and more importantly, even though it is a British company it is known and carried all over the world and it's offerings should reflect it wide audience even if that means creating certain scents to be sold in certain parts of the world! It also shows how difficult it is for a company that sells internationally to deal with all the markets their products are sold in!
 
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I'm not sure we'll ever get an answer

Me either. I thought there were posts on B&B from folks who claimed to have bought pre-Lords Douro, but I cannot find anything. I am skeptical of whatever Pens would say. I liked a review of Douro that said regarding its supposed lineage back to 1911 that it smelled a whole lot more like 1985 that it did like 1911.

even though it is a British company it is known and carried all over the world

Well, I think it is currently owned by PUIG International SA, a Spanish outfit that owns all sorts of brands that originated in various countries.
 
Well, I think it is currently owned by PUIG International SA, a Spanish outfit that owns all sorts of brands that originated in various countries.


Yes, they are! I knew there had been a change but didn't look into who currently owned them. I just don't always have the time! That could certainly play a part in their approach to things... if only it were a bit more positive! Maybe things will change and men will become more gentlemanly, Sir and come back to Penhaligon's for what they do best! The problem is that because of the Internet, so many businesses like this are suffering because it is a saturated market... and I know all about that! Again, only time will tell!
 
Lifestyles have changed a great deal in recent years and things have become much more casual! Men are less apt to gravitate toward gentlemanly activities and lifestyles but there are still some who do. It may be just a matter of trying to appeal a broader range of customers that includes providing for both "gentlemen" and more "regular" guys. This might include offering "classic" scents like the ones discussed here that are always available and taking a few chances on the casual side and offering some seasonal options as well. Their current price points are quite high compared to what they were in the 1980's when I first began shopping there and finding something that was $40-$50 and now is $180 is quite a large price jump in four decades. It is hard to say where things are going right now but for me, change for the sake of change doesn't work and it doesn't work for many customers as well. This is why I suggested sending them an email and putting the thought in their heads that many of their discontinued products are still desired!

+1
 
The problem is that because of the Internet, so many businesses like this are suffering because it is a saturated market... and I know all about that! Again, only time will tell!

David is a vendor, and because of that he won’t tout his own products in this thread. But I will! He makes excellent shaving soaps, shaving creams and bath soaps. Order with confidence!

Stone Cottage Soapworks...
 
saramento1,

That certainly brings back memories seeing the "Lords" Cologne and even more interesting with "Douro" by it's side! I just took a look at my stash of colognes and I found two bottles of "Lords", one with the plastic still around it which is that bottle I was talking about and another still in it's plastic with the Penhaligon's printed tissue wrapped around the outside by a young lady in one of the London Penhaligon's stores in the 1980's! I think it was selling for around $30 or $40 at that time! Boy, how have things changed and in some ways stayed the same!

Thanks for your pictures! You would be amazed how often I see one of your pictures when I have been doing some product research online! I'll take a quick look at the icon and say "saramento1!" before I click on it and view the photo which proves it is indeed yours!


appreciate your nice words!
your searches are probably getting pics from my pinterest page, which has over 1500 sotd pics.
frankly, it's easier to archive them over there than on b&b.

and you might enjoy seeing this box of douro bath soap bars.
each bar is wrapped in plastic, which is showing a little age.
earlier i also had a box of lords bath bars, wrapped in paper, which have now been gifted away.

douro soap.jpg
 
Oh, that's sad. Their offerings have been all over the place for the past few years, so this shouldn't be a surprise. I went to the Pen's shop in Century City in LA sometime around Thanksgiving in 2018. The displays in the store were all focused on their animal-headed ranges, and their traditional fragrances were all stacked up on the side. And the staff, while very pleasant, were absolutely clueless. By Christmas, the whole place was shut down and cleaned out. I had a bad feeling about the future of the brand after that. And here we go. I guess you can always opt for something like Trumper's Wild Fern. At least it's in the same ball park.
 
Bullgoose Shaving had an exclusive private label aftershave that was a dead ringer for Pen's English Fern that they just discontinued, but then recently replaced with a new version of the same (under a different private label/different maker). It's called "Sir Arthur" by Gentleman's Nod, only available from Bullgoose. I am told it is the same scent. It's about $25. They also have a new copycat of Blenheim called "Sir Winston."
 
Oh, the things I would say to echo many of the sentiments already expressed here. But I dare not.

Jan, if you express your thoughts and opinions nicely and politely then you are welcome to express yourself here. It is nice to know someone else's reactions to a topic like this!
 
I am floored that Pen’s has discontinued EF. It feels as though they have done away with the things that made them popular. If they do away with Blenheim, they will be completely unrecognizable.
 
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