English Fern

English Fern starts with a sharp, almost medicinal, tone but quickly calms down to a soft green fresh scent. Great longevity for a cologne, outlasts some EDT's, silage is soft but creates a nice "scent bubble" around you. I think this is quite classy, to me feels very organic. would be a great fit for an outdoors person (as someone who grew up in Ireland I like green scents as they remind me of where I grew up). I find it combines well after a shower with Irish Spring soap. RobbieX is spot on, you will want to put some of this into a smaller atomiser, this cologne comes in a massive 250ml as is incredible value for money. As Angel in the South mentions below this should be marketed as Unisex, i think a fella wearing this would stand out as it is different to a lot of the scents that dominate the mainstream market, has the impression that it was compiled from a herb garden, really natural, a fragrance for a gentleman who doesn't need to announce himself. I also would find this very attractive on a woman due to how natural it smells. Nice! :)

This is James Bronnley's take on the fougere genre and to me it doesn't disappoint. It's traditional, restraint, perhaps a bit conservative, inoffensive, unpretentious and totally unisex. May probably not appeal to a younger crowd but has gained a long time fan base to mature enthusiasts. Fresh green top notes with a coumarin / lavender heart and a woody / mossy base that has the signature fougere blueprint as the name suggests. Although classified as a cologne the Longevity is closer to the strength of a Edt with moderate sillage. Interestingly it still contains the Evernia Prunastri extract better known as Oakmoss, so people who are sensitive or allergic to it may want to avoid. As has been noted in previous reviews, this 250ml elegant glass bottle is a great bargain for the price. In my books this is a real gem that has instantly become a favorite. Last but not least, it has the Royal warrant of appointment to HM The Queen. As the saying goes: if it's good enough for Her Majesty, it's certainly is good enough for me!

First, I love how the "this perfume reminds me of" section of Bronnley's English Fern is EMPTY. THAT'S RIGHT! there is nothing, in my experience and opinion, which comes close or resembles EF. This is a truly unique scent. That said, it may be a cologne of the past, but not necessarily in a bad way - especially in this day and age where we are resuscitating all sorts of vintage fragrances. The notes listed here left me wondering whether something was left off. I detect a strong and distinct liquorish note ... too precise not to be listed. Is it just me? Longevity and sillage (depending on weather and body temperature) can be MONSTROUS especially on clothes and if you get some on your watch leather strap ...forget it, it's going to be there FOREVER (but damn, that's such a good combination of smells that you will find yourself smelling your watch over and over) I truly believe that if this had been released under TF Private Blend and named Tousled Seed or other, people would have paid 200 pounds for a 50ml bottle.

I really do not understand why this is being targeted just for men. I have used the Bronnley Fern products since I first found them in the 80`s. I find this range of products to be wonderfully clean and fresh smelling. I worked in a London hospital and wore Fern. It is an uncomplicated unisex smell and I love it. I use to layer the soap, talc and body lotion. I do not know if it has been reformulated and is specifically targeted for the male population as I have not been able to buy it for some years now. Very inexpensive and uncomplicated for every day use. Well worth trying if you love clean, green, fresh smells.

BEF is a fragrance of its own, very unusual. In terms of smell, the best way to convey what it is like is to imagine a Caron pour un Homme with a HEAVY (and I mean HEAVY) dose of patchouli (reinforcing the minty/woody/green/medicinal aspect of lavender) and sandalwood. It smells more "upscale" than it is. I believe it is much more masculine than feminine. Don't be fooled: it is not a "cologne" in terms of projection and duration and a little goes a LONG way. It is not a particularly "fresh" fragrance so it would not work in very warm climates. In sum: very nice, inexpensive, and original.

This is a lovely fragrance and reminds me of Lolita Lempicka for men which is odd as it does not share many notes and there is no licorice in it or aniseed but there is a subtle similarity. I bought it for my husband as he had read rave reviews and it does not disappoint, it is very inexpensive so you can splash it on all over after a shower and unlike most colognes that tend to wither and die this one lingers, right on into evening. A great purchase and I agree with Angel in the South that this is not just for the guys. There is a shower gel as well which is now on my list.

Very nice potent unisex cologne with character. Starts fresh and spicy with a little sharpness to it. Then lemon and sandalwood notes appear. The dry down is the best, a really pleasant patchouli and lavender silage. For a cologne it lasts and projects well. A little retro but sometimes retro is good. I have decanted 50ml off into an atomiser as this comes in a 250ml open top bottle. English Fern has its own "old fashioned" but nice character. (I am going to try mixing 10 ml of this with 10ml of Puig Lavanda as an experiment)

A hidden gem. Wait trying to smell it up close for five minutes after applying. The opening is rather medicinal. But after a few minutes the most gorgeous lavender arises, surrounded by a clean patchouli. Lavender and patchouli. This is one of those timeless traditional masculine lavenders. A four season fragrance if ever there was one. Cheap as chips and it's sold in a giant naggin.

Unbelievable value for the price. It smells much more expensive than £20 (which is what I bought it for - 250ml). Herbal and medicinal opening (which I love), with a gorgeous dry down to an almost equal part patchouli and proper sandalwood. Reminds me of D R Harris Sandalwood. Over the moon with my blind buy. Overall: 8.5/10.

I would like to add something to my prior review: this -surprisingly- smells a lot like a mint-less Tom Ford Beau de Jour and very close to Zino Davidoff (if Zino had a greener and slightly fresher flanker).

I love this one : Simple, fresh and sweet. a smooth and very relaxing lavender for an unexpansive price. To me, smells like holidays in Devon... And I love Devon. Lovely!

A massive earthy patchouli silage and great longevity. If you love patchouli, you should consider this juice. Not expensive. But, try before you buy.

A lovely, retro patchouli and lavender fragrance. Lasts ages and silage is phenominal

i think this may be where my love for patchouli began

Recognizing that it is not listed in the scent pyramid, I am surprised that more people don't call out the strong anise note in this cologne. For me the top notes are about equal blasts of anise and lavender. I don't really notice the patchouli and although I might be mistaking patchouli for anise, I don't think so. I have a bottle of Caswell-Massey Aura of Patchouli and that is not the note I get with English Fern. (Perhaps it is the rosewood, but I would not recognize rosewood; mine is not an educated nose.) English Fern is sometimes compared to other 'old fashioned' fougeres, like Sartorial or Trumper's English Fern. For that reason I did a side by side with Sartorial and it is really not that close. Sartorial lacks the medical anise note and is, to me, a more subtle and masculine fragrance. Having said all of that I do like English Fern. After the initial blast of the top notes subsides, it settles down to a pleasing green fragrance, somewhat unisex, but on the masculine side of that in my opinion. And you certainly cannot argue with the value: you get an enormous amount of cologne for the price. And unlike a lot of big bottle, inexpensive colognes this one has good longevity.

I was addicted to Bronnley's English Fern bath salts in the early 1970s. Then I could no longer find it. A few weeks ago I was cleaning out a closet and found a half used container of the bath salts which were too old for use. I emptied it but kept the container with the company name on it. Imagine my joy when I found the cologne on the Shop London web site. I now have two large bottles of the cologne and it smells just as I remembered it. I'm an old lady now, smelling of English Fern, and very happy.

This was my Nan’s signature scent. I only found out recently when my Mum told me and I instantly ordered a bottle. How strange to smell it on my own skin. English Fern is my Nan in a bottle. It opens up very medicinal but that fades quickly, the notes transforming into this comforting, green lavender fern scent. There’s a depth and warmth to it that is utterly unique.

I have two big bottles of this..it's a fantastic scent! Lavender and herbs with moss and woods. Green, clean and fresh..highly recommend and for the price it's a steal! Could easily be unisex..please Bronnley release an EDP!

It is back in circulation as something to be layered with Ariana Grande Cloud. Cloud needs to be brought down to earth a little bit for summer.

I have tried English Fern from other companies but there is nothing that compares to Bronnley's.