Molton Brown: Positive Luxury from London

“A brand with a fifty-year history always stays true to itself and to its core values. And I want to see Molton Brown continue to grow for another fifty years or more, and I believe it will. To be honest, that is what we hoped for.”

— Caroline Burstein (cofounder)​

Basic Information

• Founded: 1971
• Founders: Caroline Burstein and Michael Collis
• Place of origin: 58 South Molton Street, Mayfair, London, UK
• Official websites: https://www.moltonbrown.co.jp (Japan) / https://www.moltonbrown.co.uk (United Kingdom)
• Current parent company: Kao Corporation

The Founders and the Brand’s Origins

The Secret Behind the Brand Name

The name Molton Brown actually combines two proper names. One is South Molton Street in London’s Mayfair, where the salon opened; the other is Browns, the nearby fashion boutique. Browns was the fashion institution opened in 1970 by Joan and Sidney Burstein, the parents of cofounder Caroline Burstein.
In other words, “Molton Brown” distilled the name of the street the Burstein family loved together with the name of the family business.

Caroline Burstein and Michael Collis

Cofounder Caroline Burstein was deeply rooted in London’s fashion inner circle. Her parents’ Browns was renowned as one of London’s leading luxury fashion boutiques, and it was in this environment that she developed her aesthetic sensibility and entrepreneurial spirit. She married hairstylist Michael Collis, and in 1971 they opened a hair salon at 58 South Molton Street.

A Revolution That Began in a Basement

London in the 1970s was alive with creativity and a rebellious spirit. The pair went beyond styling hair, beginning to make natural haircare products themselves in the salon’s basement. With their herbal formulations and distinctive scents, these products directly challenged the prevailing norms of the cosmetics industry, including heavy reliance on synthetic ingredients and animal testing.

“There was a feeling of caring. That really is the essence of Molton Brown, and the reason we created the products.”

— Caroline Burstein​

Their approach was progressive even by today’s standards. They never tested on animals, included a vegetarian café within the salon, and insisted on using only the finest plant-derived ingredients. At the time, this was a highly innovative undertaking in the British beauty industry.

A “Lifestyle Destination” That Attracted Celebrities

Their natural, individual-focused approach quickly earned a reputation, drawing film stars, musicians, and the fashion elite to the salon. Some of Britain’s leading stylists, whose work graced the cover of Vogue, were also known as regulars. With fragrant flowers in the windows and a vegetarian café inside, the salon went beyond the bounds of a hairdresser’s to become a kind of “lifestyle destination.”

1984: A Shift Toward the Fragrance Business

The year 1984 marked a decisive turning point in Molton Brown’s history. It introduced its first original fragrance collection, Orange Grove Bath & Body, entering the market with one of Britain’s first luxury hand washes. The collection was placed in guest rooms at the five-star Grosvenor House hotel in Mayfair, London, making Molton Brown one of the first brands in Britain to supply luxury hotel amenities. Today, the collection is known as Orange & Bergamot.

That same year, the founders moved production to their country home, Mott’s Hall in Elsenham, Essex. Growing herbs in the garden and drying them in the barn to make their products reflected their thoroughly artisanal approach. That legacy continues today, with the factory located just a few miles from Mott’s Hall in Elsenham.

They also published a book about this period of transformation, A Way of Looking, putting Molton Brown’s unique spirit of holistic beauty into words.

In 1993, Caroline sold Molton Brown and ended her direct involvement with the brand. She subsequently worked as creative director of her parents’ brand, Browns.

Private Investment Ownership, Then Acquisition by Kao

During the 1990s, the brand deepened its partnerships with hotels and travel companies, and in 1996 a partnership with British Airways brought its amenities on board aircraft. Later, the European private equity firm Bridgepoint Capital took a minority stake in 1994 and led a buyout by acquiring a majority stake in 2003.

In July 2005, Japan’s Kao Corporation acquired Molton Brown for £170 million, approximately ¥34 billion. At the time, Molton Brown products were available in at least 70 countries and stocked by major department stores around the world, including Harrods and Selfridges in Britain, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom in the United States, and Barneys New York in Japan.

After acquiring Molton Brown, Kao made clear that it would preserve the brand’s British character and independence.

“When Kao acquired Molton Brown in 2005, we welcomed into our corporate family a brand that shared our values, principles, vision, and way of doing business.”

— Yoshihiro Murakami, Global President, Cosmetics Business, Kao Corporation (2021)​

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The Brand’s Commitments

The Philosophy of “Positive Luxury”

At the heart of Molton Brown today is the concept of “Positive Luxury.”

It is the belief that luxury and ethical and environmental considerations are not incompatible, but can go hand in hand. Rather than a concept added later to follow a trend, this has been a consistent commitment since the company’s founding in 1971, symbolized by the twin pillars of no animal testing and the use of plant-based materials.

Fragrance as a Celebration of Individuality

Molton Brown’s perfumery philosophy puts the individual at its center. As the brand’s phrase “Made by Individual, for Individual” suggests, it has sought distinctive fragrances that bring out each person’s individuality rather than uniform scents. To achieve this, it collaborates with a diverse range of talented perfumers around the world instead of relying on a single in-house perfumer.

Jacques Chabert, a Master Perfumer, an experienced perfumer at the highest level of the craft, created the signature Molton Brown fragrance Re-charge Black Pepper. Chabert describes the composition process as follows:​

“It is an empirical process. You may need twenty, thirty, or even more ingredients to find something you are satisfied with. Achieving balance is one challenge, and giving it a signature is another. Accomplishing both is what everyone aims for.”

— Jacques Chabert, Master Perfumer​

Chabert’s daughter, Carla Chabert, also works with Molton Brown as a perfumer, creating fragrances such as Fiery Pink Pepper and Coastal Cypress & Sea Fennel. The brand’s long relationship with two generations of this perfumery family has helped shape its very identity.

“Smell the fragrance fully, with your heart rather than your head. Let go of the information and simply live with the scent. Is it love at first sniff, rather than first sight? Does it draw you in? Does it envelop you? Does it make you feel comfortable and confident? Enough to become your second skin, the scent you leave behind?”

— Carla Chabert, Senior Perfumer​

A Devotion to “Made in England”

Molton Brown has consistently maintained production in Britain since its founding. Most of its products are still made at its own factory in Elsenham, which has operated on 100% renewable energy since 2016 and recycles 97% of its waste.

“When we supply our luxury products to hotels, we use the same excellent formulas as our retail products. This is unique within the industry. We do not believe in diluting or changing our products for hotels.”

— Molton Brown, official statement​

Attention to Bottles and Packaging

Cofounder Caroline Burstein recalls their attention to packaging as follows:

“We always paid very close attention to every detail, beginning with what went into the products…”

— Caroline Burstein (from the official website)​

Molton Brown’s bottles today have a slim, elegant silhouette: bath and shower gels and hand washes come in translucent plastic bottles, now made with 50% recycled PET, while eaux de parfum are housed in beautiful glass bottles with spherical resin caps. In 2023, the brand introduced the Infinite Bottle, made from 100% recycled aluminum, which it claims can reduce plastic use by 63% compared with conventional packaging.

Selected shops in Britain also offer a fragrance refill service, an initiative that has drawn attention for being ahead of the industry.

The Fragrance Lineup

Molton Brown has developed fragrances across bath and body products and perfumes, often sharing the same names. Its perfumes today centre on eau de toilette (EDT) and eau de parfum (EDP), made in England. In 2011, it introduced a collection inspired by travel; in 2019, a new EDT and EDP collection brought together a wide range of perfumers.

2011: Navigations Through Scent

Navigations Through Scent connected places with fragrance materials by following the old spice trade routes. At its launch in 2011, the collection comprised five fragrances inspired by Egypt, China, Indonesia, England, and Canada. Jennifer Jambon, then Molton Brown’s principal perfumer, spent a year travelling and searching for ingredients to create them.

Iunu evoked Egypt through white jasmine, while Lijiang centred on osmanthus absolute to suggest the delicacy of Chinese silk and tea. Singosari drew on the spicy, woody character of patchouli for Indonesia. England’s Apuldre used juniper berries to recall lawns and gin and tonic; Canada’s Rogart paired fir balsam with maple to contrast the cold outdoors with the warmth of an interior.

Jambon sought to combine a recognisable Molton Brown character with scents that would speak to each wearer’s senses. These were the fragrances launched in 2011, rather than part of today’s regular EDT and EDP range.

2019: A New EDT and EDP Collection by a Collective of Perfumers

In 2019, the New Guard Perfume Collective brought together ten perfumers of different generations and levels of experience. Jacques Chabert, Beverley Bayne, Maïa Lernout, Sylvie Fischer, and Jérôme Di Marino were among those behind a collection of 27 fragrances across EDT and EDP. That figure counted both concentrations at the time, rather than 27 present-day fragrance lines.

The EDTs carried familiar notes from bath, body, hand, and home products into perfumes worn on the skin. The EDPs brought different materials to the foreground, giving even fragrances with the same name another character. Re-charge Black Pepper EDT, for example, combines black pepper, ginger, lemon, coriander, and vetiver. Its EDP makes myrtle pepper a signature note, with the brightness of bergamot and the depth of oakmoss.

Speaking about Re-charge Black Pepper, Chabert said, “I’m passionate about bridging the chasm between citrus and woody fragrances.” For the EDP, he chose a material that shared and amplified the qualities of the black pepper at the heart of the original EDT. The two perfumes differ in what they bring forward, as well as in strength.

The Brand’s Signature Collections

Orange & Bergamot
The brand’s oldest signature scent, introduced in 1984 as Orange Grove. Inspired by the orange groves of Seville, this modern-classic citrus fragrance opens with vivid neroli and bergamot. Known as Britain’s first luxury hand wash, it is available not only in bath and body products but also as an EDP.

Re-charge Black Pepper
A masterpiece by Master Perfumer Jacques Chabert. Combining black pepper, coriander, and vetiver, this spicy, earthy fragrance has won numerous awards since its launch in 2002 and remains loved around the world as the face of Molton Brown. Woody yet refreshing, it can be enjoyed by all genders.

Heavenly Gingerlily
Another exotic fragrance by Jacques Chabert, with notes of cardamom, ginger, and Tahitian flower evoking tropical scenery. Alongside Black Pepper, it is positioned as another fragrance that symbolizes the collaboration between Chabert and Molton Brown.​

Fiery Pink Pepper
A fragrance for women, reinterpreted by Carla Chabert from her father’s celebrated Black Pepper. A blend of pink pepper, tangerine, and patchouli creates a brighter, more floral depth. It is both a homage to her father’s fragrance and a scent with an independent personality.

Coastal Cypress & Sea Fennel
A marine fragrance by Carla Chabert. The green, woody freshness of cypress and sea fennel conjures an invigorating coastal scene.​

Carla wanted to translate blue into a scent that felt as cool and invigorating as the sea. Yet she did not like marine notes and initially avoided them. The finished fragrance included a marine element suited to the theme, with the spice of cardamom and the warmth of vetiver underneath providing a contrast to its sea-like freshness.

Mesmerising Oudh Accord & Gold
A rich, sensual EDP with an exotic combination of gold and oud, a resinous aromatic material obtained from rare wood from Asia and the Middle East. It enjoys broad support among lovers of woody-oriental scents.​

Delicious Rhubarb & Rose
A fruity-floral fragrance built around Yorkshire rhubarb and rose. Its balance of sweetness and clean freshness makes it suitable for everyday wear.​

Dark Leather
A dark, dramatic fragrance that adds an unexpected touch of lavender to smoky leather notes.​

Loïc Bisceglie, the perfumer behind the 2017 Russian Leather eau de toilette, drew on memories of his grandfather’s shoemaking workshop. As a child, he had watched leather being worked and remembered the powerful smell of black leather. In the fragrance, he combined the smoky, raw qualities of cade and birch to express leather’s complexity.

An eau de parfum joined Russian Leather in the 2019 fragrance relaunch. At the London launch event on September 5 that year, Jo Fairley chose this eau de parfum and described it as richer and smokier.

Dark Leather was previously called Russian Leather. The current Dark Leather eau de parfum is credited to Sylvie Fischer on the brand’s Italian and Malaysian product pages. However, the relationship between the formulas of the 2017 eau de toilette, the 2019 eau de parfum and the current fragrance, and the reason for the different perfumer credits, have not been established.

Rose Dunes
Created by Senior Perfumer Philippe Paparella, this fragrance combines rose and spices. Paparella points to each person’s unique genetic makeup as an important factor in how a fragrance develops and smells. Even from the same bottle, it can create entirely different impressions depending on who wears it, embodying the brand’s philosophy of valuing individuality.​

Neon Amber
A modern fragrance that adds a citrus nuance to vibrant amber.​

Its perfumer, Jérôme Di Marino, recalls that Neon Amber was a fragrance he wore himself and that it was adopted almost as it originally was. Reinterpreting the classic Amber 83 accord, he combined the creamy sweetness of tonka absolute with the fresh, mineral character of ambroxan.

The EDT opens brightly with mandarin and pink pepper. The EDP begins with bergamot and adds hay absolute as a distinctive material, giving tonka’s soft sweetness the darker nuances of dry grass and tobacco.

The Main Collections Beyond Perfume

Molton Brown organizes its product lines around individual fragrances, offering bath and shower gels, body lotions, hand washes, hand creams, and more so that customers can carry their favorite scent throughout their bodycare routine. It also offers home fragrances, candles, and haircare lines.

By the Way…

• A Favorite of Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City
  Molton Brown products were reportedly featured as favorites of Carrie Bradshaw, the lead character in the popular series Sex and the City, further raising awareness of the brand.​
• Coming to Kao’s Attention: Approximately ¥8.7 Billion in 2004 Sales
  When Kao turned its attention to Molton Brown, in fiscal 2004, the company’s sales had reached approximately ¥8.7 billion. Kao positioned it as a foundation for “earnings growth through the global expansion of its prestige cosmetics business” and acquired it for approximately ¥34 billion (£170 million), its highest acquisition price at the time.
• A Fragrance Lineage Passed from Father to Daughter
  Jacques Chabert began working with Molton Brown in the 1990s and remains a friend of the brand today. His daughter Carla followed in his footsteps and created Pink Pepper, the sister fragrance to her father’s signature Black Pepper. This perfumery lineage passed from parent to child resonates deeply with the brand’s own spirit: tradition and innovation, and the passing on of individuality.