Reviving and reinvigorating a legacy is not a job for the faint hearted, especially in the world of perfume and beauty. This demanding market is crammed full of faded fragrances and tired treatments, and so taking the decision to fight for a scented slice of the pie is a brave move. However, when you have an instantly recognisable brand name, a tradition that is steeped in quality, and experience that stretches back decades, you have a distinct advantage. The world famous Bronnley is back on the shelves after 12 months of hard work, and the lustre has well and truly been returned to this classic British brand.
With the season now starting to well and truly turn to autumn, the pull to settle back and sink into a hot bath has returned with a vengeance. An average bathtub uses around one hundred litres of water, one hundred and seventy litres if you go right up to the overflow, which is why the “bathing experience” is definitely not something that should be rushed. Anything that can add an extra layer of pampering is always welcome and that is exactly what you get with a new decadent duo from Bronnley. So, put the plug in, turn on the taps, and let me show you their Foaming Bath Relaxant and Regency Collection.
Somehow we’re already half way through January and, as the New Year sales finally start to finish, the February fragrance launches begin to loom on the horizon. Hot on the heels of Christmas we enter the realm of the Spring scents with a promise of the warmer weather to come, but what’s available if you’ve still got a little bit of that festive money left? Well, we’re going to head back to a classic British company and a fragrance that you might have missed, English Fern by Bronnley. A staple since the 1920s, and loved by both men and women, just what makes this scent such an enduring evergreen?
Now that the first frosts have really fallen on the British countryside there are two things that are forefront in everyone's minds. Firstly, the sprouts that you buy will be slightly sweeter in taste (my mother always swore that the frosts did this to these divisive greens) and secondly, people will begin reaching for their “winter” scents in ernest. However, for those ladies that prefer a fresher scent during the colder months, because they long for the warmth that Spring promised, help is at hand in the form of this year's release from Bronnley, in collaboration with the Royal Horticultural Society. Say hello to Orchard Blossom.
A company’s follow up fragrance is always a bit of an unknown quantity in the perfume market. They desperately try to work out what made the first one so popular and how that information can be translated into number two. Bronnley found themselves in just this position after last year’s successful Pink Peony & Rhubarb and their approach is refreshingly “old fashioned”. Rather than create a variant on the first fragrance they have taken the original idea and applied it to a new combination of ingredients. Keeping the fruity floral pairing, but adding a contemporary twist, it’s time to welcome Iris & Wild Cassis.
Collaborations in the perfume market are nothing new, although a large number of them have resulted in some rather dubious creations. So, it was with some nervousness that I approached the RHS Collection by Bronnley, and in particular their new addition to the range, Poppy Meadow. A company whose foundations were built on a floral bedrock would seem the perfect organisation to work with the Royal Horticultural Society, but would their scents be challenging florals or merely shadowy petals? Let’s head down to the garden and see exactly what awaits with the 2016 release, Poppy Meadow.
The constant challenge for companies to create the latest blockbusting fragrance is one that many now approach with a reserved optimism. They often stay firmly within an olfactory style or even reinvent past favourites in an effort to hold onto an existing brand loyalty. The idea that past triumphs can again become the latest fashion is not as crazy as it sounds. After all, we can only reinvent the wheel so many times. It was with all of this in mind that I approached Bronnley's latest release, Pink Peony & Rhubarb. The name sounds like Jo Malone, the ingredients sound like Bronnley, but where will the scent take us?
Historic companies all face the same difficult task at some point in their lifetime, how to modernise without losing the essence of their founder. One way of adapting to the changing market is to keep a classic back catalogue while introducing new products, that way you cater for your traditional customer but also reach out to a new generation. The latest company to face the challenge is Bronnley, whose one hundred and thirty two year history is a testament to family ownership and hard work. Zealous Flower couldn't be more different to a tradition of triple-milled soaps, but a link with the past is very evident.
