Royal Fragrances

The best way to reach Julian Moore is simply to pop in and see him. At 29 St. James Street, the D.R. Harris main branch, where the company Julian runs has been based for an incredible 234 years. This is where you usually meet the young man clad in a suit with his red hair and friendly look. 

Within walking distance from Buckingham Palace and known for its traditional shops and gentlemen’s clubs, the area south of Mayfair and Piccadilly is regarded as a quiet antithesis to the noisy centre of London that never sleeps. Julian’s mother Alison Moore liked the “village atmosphere in St James, which doesn’t feel like the big city at all”, as she once put it. It’s a place where people know each other, set great store by face-to-face conversations with customers, business partners and neighbours, and still prefer to do business with a handshake. 

A trained pharmacist with a passion for developing new essences, Alison managed D.R. Harris for over two decades, once bringing her son Julian into the company as a temp. She has since retired and the English graduate is responsible for the management and marketing of the long-established company these days. Today, the company exports its colognes, eau de toilettes, hair care products, soaps and skin creams to 24 countries around the world and enjoys a loyal fan base that includes the British Royal Family. And yet, with its two London branches and a team of just 18 permanent employees, the brand is still something of an insider tip. 

“We could be much better known,” says Julian. “In the UK anyway, but also around the world. But radical expansion and doing intensive marketing was somehow never our cup of tea.” They know the majority of their customers personally, many of whom have been coming for decades or even hail from families who have purchased products from them for generations. “We think that’s a good thing.”

It was the time before the widespread use of electricity, when photography hadn’t yet been invented, George Washington was US President and King George III sat on the British throne when D.R. Harris first opened its doors as a shop selling remedies and perfumes to the city’s wealthy upper classes. Founded as a perfumery and pharmacy by two cousins, Henry Harris and Daniel Rotely Harris, the shop quickly made a name for itself with its “Toilet Waters” made from local flowers. Oscar Wilde was also a loyal customer and is said to have generously applied the cologne behind his ears.

To this day, the main branch of D.R. Harris is a perfumery and pharmacy in one, and members of the neighbouring gentlemen’s clubs still come here with their prescriptions and to pick up a few care products at the same time. Much of the interior dates back to the store’s founding, with wooden drawers sporting Latin inscriptions and Victorian apothecary bottles. In the 18th century, apothecaries were still called barber-surgeons. Bloodletting, tooth extractions and minor surgical procedures were part of the daily services they provided. “We’re very glad that this chapter in the company’s history is closed,” says Julian with a laugh. 

But other services have been continuously developed over the centuries. Arlington Cologne, Windsor, Lavender Water, Sandalwood and No. 14 Vetiver with Lemon are the names of the colognes that are on the shelves here today and which number among the brand’s bestsellers, just as they were 200 years ago. Some of them are modern interpretations of original fragrances, very distinctive and extremely rich. The Lavender Water is made from the stripped flowers of certain types of lavender from the county of Hertford, just like back in the day. 

Crystal Hair Cream is also part of the original range. This water-based hair fixative is said to have been used in exactly the same way by hairdressers 100 years ago. And then there’s the shaving soap, which comes in a mahogany bowl and is also steeped in tradition. Thanks to triple grinding, the soap is particularly firm, produces plenty of lather and is long-lasting. But some products have disappeared from the shelves. Crystal-clear eye drops, for example, which made eyes appear radiantly white and are said to have been particularly popular with supermodels such as Naomi Campbell. Or they disappear only to make a comeback, like Pick Me Up cocktail bitters. After the rapid remedy for hangovers following a wild night out, which can also be drunk as an aperitif, vanished from the range, quite a few customers called for years for it to be brought back. D.R. Harris recently relented, including it in production once again.

“It’s not unusual for us to tailor our range to a few requests,” says Julian. The company has a reputation for being flexible. They’ve never been that keen on expanding, so they haven’t needed to scale up production, and even producing small quantities is worth it – this allows them to quickly adapt their range. They know many of their customers personally, and for each of their 400 or so products they have at least one person in mind who buys them regularly. “That sometimes makes it really difficult to take things out of the range,” says Julian. “Because we know that they will miss them badly.” But it’s precisely this personal level that makes the company so charming.

This personal level also includes discretion. It goes without saying that the preferences of famous customers or the backgrounds of the owner family are not discussed. But we’re told this much: “The company is still 100 percent owned by the Harris family. We talk a great deal.” When the conversation turns to the Royal Warrant, which D.R. Harris has held since 1938 and which has now been re-awarded following the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla, Julian simply says the following: “We’re getting the coat of arms again. Queen Camilla has only ever awarded it to seven companies, including us. That’s really great.” Understatement can also be a corporate strategy.