Stephan Matthews

Monday, 2 November 2026

Three Scented Hand Washes for Winter

Three bottles of hand wash by C.Atherley, Bronnley and William Morris At Home

There was a time when every sink in the country had a bar of soap sitting beside it, usually in a dish that needed cleaning almost as often as your hands. Then along came liquid hand washes and, before we all knew it, the humble soap bar had some serious competition. Both do exactly the same job, but the addition of beautiful fragrances and attractive packaging has really turned handwashing into something a little more indulgent. With winter fast approaching, it's a good opportunity to change the scents around the house and introduce something that brings a little extra pleasure to this everyday routine.

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Thursday, 29 October 2026

MUSCAT by Ormonde Jayne

As autumn draws to a close, there’s a definite change in the air. The days are shorter, the temperatures are falling, and the lighter fragrances of summer seem less appealing than something with a little more warmth. It’s a particularly good time to explore La Route de la Soie, the collection from Ormonde Jayne inspired by the ancient Silk Road and the extraordinary exchange of ingredients, cultures and ideas along its trading routes. With fragrances drawing on everything from exotic flowers to spices and resins, there’s plenty to discover as winter approaches. One that feels especially appropriate for the season is Muscat.

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Monday, 26 October 2026

KING'S SALUTE by Grossmith London

A bottle of the perfume King's Salute from Grossmith London

Fragrance and nobility have long enjoyed a close relationship. Perfume has been associated with wealth, ceremony and the art of making an impression, so it's hardly surprising that royalty has inspired special creations. From Guerlain’s Shalimar, with its associations to an Indian emperor’s love story, to Creed’s Royal Princess Oud, inspired by royal elegance, fragrance can capture a world beyond the everyday. Sometimes the inspiration is a person, a place or a moment in history, and the stories we attach to them. For Grossmith, this connection with royalty is part of its own story, and continues with King’s Salute.

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Thursday, 22 October 2026

ORIGINAL EAU DE COLOGNE by Farina

A bottle of the Original Eau de Cologne from Farina

There are many claims made in the perfume world that companies are “the original”, “the trendsetter”, “the pioneer”, but these often end up being merely cleverly-created marketing. Making a customer feel as though they're in possession of something that is, or will be, timeless is the goal of every brand when they launch a fragrance. However, when you have a documented history stretching back to 1709 then you really can shout about your achievement. Farina is the originator of the Eau de Cologne and, after too many years of under-appreciation, the company are once again triumphantly shouting about their famous creation.

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Monday, 19 October 2026

A FLAME IN YOUR HEART by 4160 Tuesdays

The dramatic growth of independent perfumers and niche brands shows no signs of slowing any time soon. Whilst this offers wonderful choice from which customers can discover new creators and fragrances, it also brings the inevitable “rush to market” scents and “pop-up companies”. These often disappear as quickly as they arrive, and finding a permanent place within the perfume industry becomes harder with each year that passes. One company that has trailblazed British niche perfumery, and continues to be a benchmark for creativity, is 4160 Tuesdays. So, what better way to celebrate this than with A Flame In Your Heart.

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Thursday, 15 October 2026

FÉMINITÉ DU BOIS by Serge Lutens

What makes a modern-day classic? It’s a question that gets asked a lot in perfume, particularly when the shelves are filled with new launches every week. Mitsouko and Chanel No.5 have had decades to earn their legendary status, but a new generation is now beginning to share the spotlight. Creed Aventus is a good example, having become instantly recognisable and hugely influential in a relatively short space of time. For me, a modern classic needs something more than popularity. It needs character, originality and the ability to keep surprising us. Féminité du Bois by Serge Lutens definitely ticks all three boxes.

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Monday, 12 October 2026

JACK by Richard E. Grant

A bottle of Jack perfume by Richard E. Grant

There’s a big difference between having your name on a perfume bottle and knowing what goes into it. Celebrity scents have become a familiar sight, although the famous face on the box often has little involvement beyond it. Richard E. Grant had something very different in mind when he created Jack Perfume. He financed the business himself and became involved in everything from fragrance development and testing to packaging and launch. More importantly, he wanted to create something that reflected his lifelong fascination with scent. The result was Jack, a fragrance that was personal from the beginning.

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Saturday, 10 October 2026

When Did We Stop Smelling Perfume Before Buying It?

When did we stop smelling perfume before buying it?

It's a strange question because perfume is one of the few things we buy that we can't really understand until we experience it. You can read every word written about a fragrance, look at the bottle, watch a video and listen to someone describe how it develops on skin, but none of that can tell you exactly what it will smell like to you. And yet we now discover perfume in all sorts of ways before we ever put it on our skin.

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Friday, 9 October 2026

The Smell We Leave on Our Clothes

I've caught myself smelling my own clothes and wondered what exactly I was checking.

It usually happens without thinking. You pick up a jumper, a shirt or a coat and bring it towards your nose. Perhaps you're deciding whether it needs washing. Perhaps you're checking whether the perfume you wore earlier is still there. Or perhaps you've no real reason at all. You simply smell it. It's one of those tiny things we do that makes perfect sense while we're doing it, but becomes rather strange if we stop to think about it. We don't normally stand around smelling our clothes for pleasure. Yet the moment something familiar reaches our nose, we seem to want to know what it smells like.

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After twenty successful years as an actor, I decided the time was right to begin a new career, and that was in the perfume industry. Scent had always been a passion of mine, and working alongside a new group of creative minds ended up being the perfect fit.

As a Brand Consultant, Evaluator, Copywriter and New Business Advisor, the variety of work is exciting, and definitely draws on my acting background. Every day brings new challenges, experiences and delights to a workplace that is crammed full of new releases, evergreens, and fading classics.

This website brings together my ramblings on all aspects of the perfume industry from bottle design to fragrance, companies to noses, and everything in between.

Opinions are my own and do not in any way represent the views of the companies mentioned. Where products or services have been provided by the companies it is stated at the end of the article.

Companies and readers are welcome to contact me by using the Send Me A Message option below.

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Monday, 2 November 2026

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Thursday, 22 October 2026

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Monday, 12 October 2026

Saturday, 10 October 2026

Friday, 9 October 2026