Overview
Naturally European is a British body-care and home-fragrance brand owned by The Somerset Toiletry Co., a family-run company based in Somerset, England. The range is built around scents drawn from European landscapes — lavender fields in Provence, the coastline of Santorini, the towns of the Mediterranean — and spans soaps, body washes, hand creams, lotions, reed diffusers and candles for sensitive as well as ordinary skin.
The brand launched in 2010, when its parent company moved from making private-label products for other firms into selling collections under its own names [2]. Its products are sold in more than 50 countries through gift shops, garden centres, pharmacies and online retailers.
Origin & ownership
Naturally European is one of the in-house brands of The Somerset Toiletry Co. (TSTC), founded in 1999 by Roger Buoy and his wife Sakina Buoy [4]. Roger was a serial entrepreneur and Sakina an aromatherapist; according to the company, the pair set out "to create beautiful and honestly priced luxurious toiletries" [6]. After roughly a decade producing body care for other companies, TSTC began launching its own branded collections in 2010, and Naturally European was among them [2].
Sources differ on which year to attach to the brand. The Somerset Toiletry Co. dates the launch of its own brands, Naturally European included, to 2010 [2]; the Giftware Association records 1999, which is the founding year of the parent company rather than of the brand itself [4]. Sakina Buoy has continued to run the business, latterly alongside her sons, and is described in a 2025 speaker profile as co-founder and chairman of a company then valued at about £16 million [6].
Products & positioning
The collection covers two areas: body care and home fragrance. Across the range, recurring scent profiles include oak moss, vetiver, sea kelp, cedar, verbena, freesia, pear, ginger and lime. Signature items include a 500ml Verbena hand wash, a Sea Kelp & Cedar hand cream made with 20 percent shea butter, and reed diffusers sold with separate refills. The company describes the line as "luxurious body care and home fragrance" intended to provide "rich nourishment and protection for all skin types, including sensitive skin."
The most recent addition is the Sea Kelp & Cedar fragrance, launched on 14 February 2025 [3]. The brand presents it as a marine-and-woodland blend, with top notes of fresh apple and sea kelp, a heart of lavender and pine, and a base of cedarwood and patchouli. In positioning, the parent company sums itself up in three words — "Creative, Innovative, Affordable" — and frames its products as "exquisitely made, honestly priced" [4].
Ethics & sustainability
Naturally European products are made in England, and the brand states they are cruelty-free and registered with The Vegan Society [3]. Its hand washes are described as free from parabens and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) [7]. According to the company, packaging uses 50 percent post-consumer recycled and recyclable materials, and soap bars are produced at its own factory in Hallatrow, Somerset, using RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil [3].
At the wider company level, TSTC has cited plans to introduce recycled plastics and Break Down Plastic (BDP) technology into its packaging, and points to in-house production as a way to reduce its carbon footprint [5]. The reed diffusers are sold with refills, part of the brand's stated move toward reusable formats.
Recognition
The Somerset Toiletry Co. has reported a number of awards, including Family Business of the Year and an International Trade Award, both in 2025, as well as an earlier Queen's Award. In 2019 the company marked its 20th anniversary with a 20-mile charity walk across the Mendip Hills [5]. Trade and business press, including the Giftware Association and Luxury Hospitality Magazine, have profiled the parent company, though coverage focused on Naturally European specifically is limited.
Current status
Naturally European is active. Its most recent documented activity is the February 2025 launch of the Sea Kelp & Cedar line, and its parent company remains an operating, family-run business distributing across more than 50 countries [6]. As a sub-brand within a larger portfolio, it has no separate corporate history or ownership of its own beyond that of The Somerset Toiletry Co.
Sources
T1 primary · T2 secondary · T3 note- [2]T1thesomersettoiletryco.co.uk/pages/about-usthesomersettoiletryco.co.uk (brand site)
- [3]T2thesomersettoiletryco.co.uk/blogs/blog/sea-kelp-cedar-a-fresh-invigorating-fragrance-is-ashorethesomersettoiletryco.co.uk (brand site)
- [4]T3giftwareassociation.org/news-and-articles/member-spotlight-the-somerset-toiletry-companygiftwareassociation.org
- [5]T3lhmagazine.co.uk/somerset-toiletry-co-celebrate-2-decades-with-20-mile-walk-for-charity/lhmagazine.co.uk
- [6]T3elitebusinessevent.co.uk/speakers/sakina-buoy/elitebusinessevent.co.uk
- [7]T3noras-shop.com/products/naturally-european-hand-washnoras-shop.com
