Formula Fragrances

Formula Fragrances, artisan perfumery in Brighton

Formula Fragrances is a company founded in Brighton that makes perfumes in its own lab in the city. Its approach centres on formulation: it compounds Extrait de Parfum with attention to composition, balance, sillage, projection and longevity, and places the value of the product in what is inside the bottle rather than in a celebrity name, the packaging or a big advertising campaign.

The firm operates through online sales and a physical store in Brighton, and structures its catalogue around three ways to find a fragrance: interpretations inspired by recognisable profiles, original creations and bespoke blends.

Interpretations of recognisable profiles

The Inspired By collection begins with the character of recognisable scent styles. The team studies the structure and the feeling of those profiles and develops its own independent interpretation as an Extrait de Parfum. The company makes clear that it is not affiliated with, endorsed by or produced by the original fragrance brands referenced, and that those mentions serve only to help the customer understand the general style of the perfume.

The catalogue is organised into six families: woody and spicy; floral and fruity; oud and bakhour; amber, tobacco and resins; citrus, fresh and aquatic; and vanilla and gourmands. The selection includes versions for men, for women and unisex.

Among the references that appear in the shop are Cotton Skin (inspired by Valaya), Wolf of Wall St. (inspired by Sauvage), Elixir Wolf (inspired by Sauvage Elixir), Millionaire (inspired by 1 Million), Terre Absolu (inspired by Terre) and Morning Glory (inspired by Invictus). The site indicated a price range of £24 to £48 for these products.

Original creations

The second route is original fragrances, which do not start from an external reference but from a blank formula. They are developed from the house's own creative direction by exploring different notes, accords and fragrance families, and each composition is intended to stand on its own as a Formula Fragrances creation.

Bespoke blends

The bespoke service lets the customer take part in the formulation. You can choose up to three fragrance profiles and decide what proportion each should have in the final blend. That proportion determines which character leads the composition and which ones add depth in the background; there is no fixed balance, but rather the percentages chosen define the result. The company then compounds the blend according to those proportions.

The shop also offers a Discovery Box to explore the catalogue.

Features of the range

All the perfumes are presented as Extrait de Parfum and are described as vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free and phthalate-free. The firm insists that the focus is placed on the fragrance inside the bottle.

Physical store and contact

The company serves both online and at its physical store in Brighton, located in the North Laine area. Formula Fragrances presents itself as an independent business and reminds customers that all brands and product names mentioned on its website belong to their respective owners.