Fragrance house

St. Johns

St. Johns began in the U.S. Virgin Islands in the mid-1940s, when U.S. Navy officer Captain John Webb developed a bay-rum fragrance on St. Thomas; the brand dates its launch to 1947, while another account places the West Indies Bay Company launch in 1946. Webb combined Virgin Islands bay-leaf oil with Caribbean rum and spices, and introduced bottles hand-wrapped in palm fronds in a FishPot Weave inspired by local fishing baskets. After hiring a Madison Avenue advertising agency in 1957, St. Johns expanded its U.S. profile through advertising in The New Yorker during the late 1950s and 1960s. Warner-Lambert acquired the brand in 1963, and Jerry Woodhouse bought it in 1978 before relocating to the Virgin Islands. The Welles brothers purchased St. Johns in 2016 and undertook rebuilding and revitalization of the business and brand. Following Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, St. Johns created a Hurricane Series and donated part of its proceeds to island relief efforts. Bay Rum is the brand’s signature fragrance, while its public identity combines Caribbean island heritage, the Bay Rum tradition, and handwoven palm-frond bottles. In 2026, St. Johns marked its 80th anniversary with Three Saints, named for St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix.