Fragrance house

Yardley Of London

Yardley of London traces its formal origins to 1770, when the Cleaver family founded the London soap and perfumery business that became Yardley. William Yardley took control in 1823, and the company later traded as Yardley & Statham and Yardley & Co.; by the late nineteenth century, it was exporting soap internationally. Yardley opened a New Bond Street retail shop in 1910 and received its first Royal Warrant in 1921 from Prince Edward, the Prince of Wales. English lavender became a defining part of the brand’s fragrance identity: in 1932, the company commissioned research into lavender species and developed its own Lavandula angustifolia cultivar for use in its fragrances. During the 1960s, its advertising embraced contemporary fashion and popular culture through Twiggy, while Linda Evangelista became the brand’s face in 1996. Ownership changed from Procter & Gamble to Lornamead in 2005, followed by Wipro’s acquisition of Yardley’s UK business and selected European markets in 2012. English Lavender is a signature scent at the heart of Yardley’s ranges, alongside longstanding favourites such as English Rose.