sillage
14 Walcot Street, BathSince 2019

sillage

/siˈjɑːʒ/nounfrom the French for the wake of a boat
  1. The trail a perfume leaves in the air after the person wearing it has walked past.
  2. A small perfumery in Bath that bottles English weather: rain on ivy, a rose after a shower, lavender at dusk and a wet moss path. Blended by hand, upstairs from the shop.
Three vials for £18 Book the blending room
A drop of rose absolute, meeting water.

The forecast

Four scents for an English week, each made from one kind of weather.

Week of 16 November

Eight hours on skinPerfume doesn't smell the same all day. Light top notes leave first, the heart takes over, and the base is what's left by evening.

0 minafter spraying

Curves show how strongly each layer comes through, measured on blotter strips in the studio at 21°C.

Perfume raw materials on a workbench: rose petals, resins, dried herbs and glass beakers
The blending room bench: rose, benzoin, orris root and cedar shavings.

The blending room

Two and a half hours upstairs with our perfumer, Ines. You smell the raw materials, build an accord on blotter strips, and leave with 30 ml of your own scent. We keep your formula on file, so you can reorder it.

  1. iSmell 24 raw materials, from bergamot to labdanum, and choose the six you like best.
  2. iiWeigh them drop by drop on the bench scales. We'll help with the ratios.
  3. iiiBottle and name it. It needs two weeks to settle, so we post it to you.

Saturdays, 10:30 to 13:00 · £85 a seat

2
£170

The sample set

Choose three of the four scents in 2 ml vials, wear each one for a day, then decide. The £18 comes off your first full bottle.

Posted in a card box that fits through a letterbox. Free UK delivery.

vial 1
vial 2
vial 3
£18

Visit the shop

14 Walcot Street, Bath BA1 5BG. Ten minutes' walk from the station, opposite the old corn market.

MondayClosed
Tuesday to Friday10:00–18:00
Saturday10:00–18:00
Sunday11:00–16:00
How long does a bottle last?

About eight months at three sprays a day. Kept out of the sun, an unopened bottle is good for five years.

Are the scents vegan?

Yes. We use synthetic musks and ambrette seed instead of animal materials, and nothing is tested on animals.

Can I return a bottle?

Unopened bottles within 30 days. If you've opened one and it isn't right, bring it in and we'll help you swap it.

Do you make wedding scents?

Yes. Book two blending-room sessions and we'll make a private formula with a run of 20 to 200 bottles.

Bath: Georgian stone buildings and Pulteney Bridge over the river
Bath, a short walk downhill from the shop.