Atkinsons

Atkinsons is a British perfume house founded in London in 1799 [4]. It built its early reputation supplying scents and toiletries to Regency and Victorian society, earned a royal appointment under King George IV, and after a long dormant period was relaunched in 2013 under Italian ownership [4]. The house is sometimes listed as Atkinsons of London or Atkinsons 1799, and today sells fragrances internationally, with its contemporary range organised into collections such as the Oud Collection and the Reserve Collection.

The company is owned by Perfume Holding of Italy, which acquired it from Procter & Gamble in 2008 [4]. It remains active, with a current e-commerce range and live social channels.

James Atkinson opened his perfume business at 44 Gerrard Street in Soho in 1799, having arrived in London from Cumberland. According to the company, he carried with him a collection of recipes for fine scents and toiletries — and, more memorably, a live bear that he kept outside the shop to attract attention. The Perfume Society's profile repeats the story, describing the premises as "that marvellous perfume shop with the most terrifying bear" [5]. The chained bear later became the firm's logo and a recurring motif in its advertising.

One of Atkinson's signature early products was a bear's grease balm scented with rose, sold both as a skin preparation and, per Wikipedia, as a hair pomade marketed to encourage hair growth [4]. The brand says this balm "nourished the skin and bewitched the nostrils." Bear's grease products of this kind reportedly remained in production into the First World War era.

In 1800 the house launched its English Eau de Cologne, a scent it describes as "fearlessly English" — warmer and spicier than its Continental rivals — which it credits with winning over high society.

Royal patronage followed, though the date is recorded differently across sources. Atkinsons and The Perfume Society both place the appointment in 1826, when King George IV is said to have named the house Official Perfumer to the Royal Court of England [2][5]. Wikipedia instead dates the warrant to 1832, describing James Atkinson as "Perfumer to the Court of St. James" [4]; it also ties that year to the firm's relocation. The company moved to 24 Old Bond Street in Mayfair in 1832, around the time James's brother Edward joined and the business was renamed J. & E. Atkinson Ltd. Its 19th-century clientele, as recorded in brand and editorial accounts, included figures such as Beau Brummell, the Duke of Wellington, Admiral Nelson, Lady Hamilton and Sarah Bernhardt, along with several European royal courts.

The house collected medals at the major international exhibitions of the period — London in 1862, Vienna in 1873, Melbourne in 1875, and the Paris Expositions of 1878 and 1889 — and took the Grand Prix at the Paris Exposition of 1900. Its Burlington Gardens building, completed in 1926, survives as a Grade II listed structure.

After falling dormant, Atkinsons was relaunched in September 2013 under Perfume Holding, with a new range created by perfumers including Christine Nagel, Karine Dubreuil and Benoist Lapouza [4].

Perfume Holding of Italy owns Atkinsons, having bought the brand from Procter & Gamble in 2008 [4]. There is some ambiguity in the corporate detail: the official online store's footer lists EuroItalia s.r.l. as the legal operating entity for VAT purposes, while Wikipedia and the brand's wider records identify Perfume Holding as the owner and parent [1][4]. The packet records Perfume Holding as the parent company.

Atkinsons presents itself as a heritage house that reworks fragrances from its 18th- and 19th-century archive using what it calls premium ingredients, while keeping the "fearlessly English" character of its origins. Its stated positioning is summed up in the line "a legacy of excellence, a soul of character, a signature for today" [1]. The brand's pricing places it in the luxury fragrance tier.

The current range is grouped into themed collections. The Oud Collection — the line that gives this entry its retailer name — is built around oud and includes Oud Save The King and Oud Save The Queen [3]. The Reserve Collection gathers higher-concentration Parfum Intense releases such as Born For Eternity and Ambre Royal. Among the house's better-known fragrances is 24 Old Bond Street, a unisex cologne named for its historic Mayfair address.

24 Old Bond Street won a Fragrance Foundation Award in the Perfume Extraordinaire category in 2014 [5]. The Perfume Society maintains an editorial profile of the house covering its founding, the bear story, the royal warrant and the 2013 relaunch [5].

Atkinsons is active. It operates a live e-commerce store carrying current collections and maintains accounts on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Facebook. The brand has traded continuously since its 2013 relaunch under Perfume Holding's ownership [4].