“Whenever there is a royal happening, a royal point of business, we’ve produced something special,” Nicola Pozzani says. Pozzani is the perfumer who was tasked with making a special fragrance for England’s Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday, two years ago. “I was in charge of the creation, so I was very nervous that I was entrusted with that mission. But thank God she liked it, and we know that it was appreciated.” Pozzani works at Floris, a fragrance and toiletries boutique that is the official royal perfumer.
The Jermyn Street shop is older than the United States as it was founded in 1730 by Spanish perfumer Juan Famenias Floris. Today, the family-owned emporium (it’s operated by 9th-generation members of Floris’ lineage) makes bespoke fragrances for the Queen and toiletries for HRH the Prince of Wales.
In anticipation of the upcoming royal wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Floris created a scent for Markle. The citrus-inspired perfume was custom made and delivered as a gift to Kensington Palace. A similar fragrance, Bergamotto di Positano, is available at Floris. However, for the ultimate Floris experience, why not make a personalized perfume with Pozzani?
“Very often people are overwhelmed with the number of fragrances that are available nowadays. Most of our clients mention how stressful it is to go to a department store and choose a fragrance. There are so many smells,” Pozzani says. “This is when our experience becomes a favorite; because you can come in, book your appointment, sit down for two hours, go through the entire collection, and find your very own scent. You have the chance to think about what perfume is, and what it can mean to you.”
The dashing Italian will guide you through a series of smell tests to craft a unique scent. The fragrance recipe will be stored in Floris’ extensive perfume notes. With Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, and Oscar Wilde’s scent combinations among its pages, you’ll be in good company. Whenever you need a new monogrammed bottle of the scent, all you have to do is order it, and your completely custom perfume will arrive at your doorstep.
“Once the fragrance is made for the person, the formula stays with us. We know the recipe, we know what they like,” Pozzani explains. “Whenever they want it again, whether they live in Sydney or LA; they give us a ring, we repeat the perfume formula, hand blend it here, and we’ll send it out. So everybody can have their scent again.”
If two hours isn’t enough time to develop your unique scent, Floris offers a more luxe experience, where many perfumes are made over the course of several months until your ideal perfume is discovered. “People come here, we make the fragrances for them, they walk away, they go on holiday, they travel, they call me, and they tell me what they think about the fragrance. So there is the beautiful exchange that happens,” Pozzani says. “Often those that choose the bigger service are the ones that love custom made.” It’s a journey that’s indeed fit for a royal.
