Grossmith Phul-Nana Review (Trevor Nicholl) + Neo-Vintage Draw

June 20, 2021June 23, 2021

Grossmith Phul-Nana ©Jana Menard

Long before there was Shalimar, there was Grossmith Phul-Nana. Created in 1891 by the London-based firm, Phul-Nana – whose name means “lovely flower” in Hindi – was an early trendsetter in modern perfumery. Built around an exotic central accord of orange-sandalwood-vanilla, its lush richness set the stage for the ambery, balsamic perfumes that followed over the next few decades. Phul-Nana graced the dressing tables of a certain kind of fashionable Victorian woman – one perhaps uncomfortably secure in her sensuality and who might turn up to dinner sporting harem pants or a jeweled turban. You can almost hear the harumphing from the gentlemen in the drawing room even as they inch closer for a whiff.

vintage ad

Founded in 1835 Grossmith London rapidly became an influential and popular perfume house, with its own flower fields in Grasse and a laboratory in The City of London. Grossmith began its foray into perfumery by followed the Victorian craze for Eastern inspired everything, producing an inaugural line of perfumes featuring exotic names and unusual blends of florals, spices, and resins: Hasu-no-Hana, Shem-el-Nessim, and Phul-Nana. Today, the firm is steered and owned by descendants of John Grossmith, who revived the brand in 2006 and reintroduced the original three fragrances, tweaked for modern wearers.

Today’s Grossmith Phul-Nana is a rich, resinous, floral fragrance. Updated in 2011 by Robertet perfumer Trevor Nicholl, Phul-Nana stays close to its origins. Nicholls trimmed the sweet spice blend of the original formula and dispensed with its herbal aspects, centralizing its voluptuous flowers and honeyed vanillic notes. is languid, luxurious, and so alluringly vintage in style that it is hard to believe its didn’t emanate from a filigreed bottle in the dusty recesses of an heiress’ attic.

Grossmith Letterhead, 1930s, image courtesy of Grossmith London

Grossmith Phul-Nana EDP starts off with a lovely, spiced orange note like the waft of an Elizabethan pomander and then adds a generous dose of milky, powdery tonka bean. There’s some soapsuds neroli swishing at the top, and a welcome bitterness from the bergamot. Before long, sandalwood makes its way through, and I would almost swear there’s also a pinch of cinnamon alongside it. There’s plenty of vanilla, but not so much that one would mistake this for a gourmand. But the most surprising feature of this past of the composition is the emergence of opoponax, which dominates the middle section with its smoky, honey velveteen smell. Some tobacco-like patchouli begins to edge its way in along with touch of geranium. They veer Phul-Nana away from Shalimar-land towards the smoking room where the gentlemen have retired after dinner and are playing billiards while surreptitiously ogling the ladies.

A Word to the Wise by Charles Dana Gibson, Creative Commons

It is fascinating how subtly and yet dramatically Phul-Nana moves towards more masculine country in its late middle stages. This is not to say that the fragrance loses its femininity, but the amping of up the balsamic, earthy notes at this junction gives the EDP a touch of modernity. Where the EDP stresses woods and incense, the parfum version is a languid odalisque adorned with ylang ylang and tuberose, reclining on a bed of benzoin and tonka bean. The flowers are beautifully blended, adding richness and floralcy without calling attention to themselves. Phul-Nana parfum is rich, gorgeous creature, as full-bodied and luscious as a Gibson Girl.

In the dry-down, Phul-Nana EDP is warm sandalwood and geranium; Phul-Nana parfum, all tuberose, milled soap and ylang syrup. I’d wear the EDP most times quite happily. The parfum … well, that’s for lolling on my chaise longue while the men duel outside.

Notes: Bergamot, orange, neroli, geranium, tuberose, ylang ylang, patchouli, benzoin Siam, cedarwood, sandalwood, opoponax, tonka bean, bourbon vanilla.

Disclaimer: samples of Grossmith Phul-Nana EDP kindly provided by The Fragrance Vault. My opinions are, as always, my own.

Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor

Grossmith Phul-Nana EDP by Jana Menard

Thanks to the generosity of the lovely Jana Menard, owner of The Fragrance Vault, we have a 50 ml bottle of Grossmith Phul-Nana EDP ($295) for one registered reader in the U.S.A ONLY. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what appeals to you about Phul-Nana based on Lauryn’s review and whether you have tried and have a favourite Grossmith fragrance. Draw closes 6/23/2021.

Please visit online or in person Fragrance Vault a world-class boutique carrying over 60000 vintage, rare, discontinued, artisanal, luxury, niche, commercial, designer, and classic fragrances.

To learn more about Jana and Fragrance Vault. please read WE LOVE THAT STORE here

This is our Privacy and Draw Rules Policy.

We announce the winners only on our site and on our Facebook page, so like ÇaFleureBon and use our blog feed … or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.