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Eau FactsHouses and their firsts

What was Floris's first royal warrant for?

The short answer

Combs, not perfume. Floris received its first royal warrant in 1820, from King George IV, as Smooth Pointed Comb Maker to His Majesty. The London house had sold perfume since 1730, but its own history says that in the king's day finely made combs were its speciality, sold beside toothbrushes and mouthwash.

By the Fragnatique team2 min read5 sourcesUpdated

An ornate tortoiseshell comb under the words London's oldest perfumer picked by a king: why?Coming to @eaufacts

Key facts

  • 1730Juan Famenias Floris and his wife Elizabeth start selling perfume, combs and shaving products in St James, London.
  • Jermyn StreetWhere Floris began as a barber's shop and comb maker.
  • 1820King George IV grants Floris its first royal warrant.
  • Smooth Pointed Comb MakerThe exact title of that first warrant.
  • Five yearsThe minimum run of regular supply behind a warrant, Floris says.

When was Floris founded?

In 1730. The house's history says its founder, Juan Famenias Floris, and his wife Elizabeth began selling perfume, combs and shaving products that year in the elegant St James quarter of London. Exploring London describes the business as starting life as a barber's shop and comb maker on Jermyn Street, and The Rake calls the founder an immigrant from Menorca who began as a barber and comb maker.

What does a royal warrant mean?

The royal household's own site, royal.uk, says a Royal Warrant of Appointment is granted as a mark of recognition to people or companies who have regularly supplied goods or services to the Royal Household. Floris adds that the supply must have run for at least five consecutive years. The 1820 warrant gave Floris a trade title, and that title was about combs.

Why did Floris make combs?

Because it began as a barber's business. The Floris history entry for 1820 says skilfully made combs were a speciality of the house at that time, along with a collection of toothbrushes and mouthwashes, and that they were greatly valued by its elite clientele. Floris itself says its royal journey began in 1820, when King George IV appointed it Smooth Pointed Comb Makers.

Is Floris the oldest perfumer in London?

It is widely described that way. The Rake calls Floris Britain's oldest perfumer, a family firm founded in 1730, and Exploring London calls it the oldest perfumer not just in London but in the UK. Both are press descriptions rather than an official register, so read them as reputation, not a ranking.

The full storyFloris London: How a Jermyn Street Comb Maker Became a Perfumer9 min read in the Fragnatique Journal

Sources

Primary sources only. Every statement on this page restates one of them, read by the Fragnatique team.

  1. Floris London, Our historyflorislondon.com
  2. Floris London, Floris London and the Royalsflorislondon.com
  3. The Royal Family, Royal Warrantsroyal.uk
  4. The Rake, How Floris blossomed on Jermyn Street (2018)therake.com
  5. Exploring London, Floris (2022)exploring-london.com

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