Bluebell

Very unique - opens very much like stepping into the garden center. Wet petrichor soil smell, then into a soft floral beautifully blended with clove and cinnamon. The spice is actually what makes this feel wet and blue in my mind. Truly special.

I personally love and adore Bluebell by Penhaligons, but it’s not for everyone, and definitely not a safe blind buy. It is sharp, penetrating and loud - the complete opposite of what you would expect from the docile and delicate pale blue bottle with its demure bow. The recently released Daphne by Penhaligons might give you more of an idea of what to expect, or even the polarising Synthetic Jungle by Frederic Malle. Those two are not dupes by any means, but I am trying to set the scene for anyone considering spending a fortune on an-sniffed scent. I can imagine that Princess Diana might have worn Bluebell when she needed to face her then husband’s mistress at a social do, or Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher inhaling the strident scent during the war with Argentina. Bluebell could be the best weapon Britain ever produced for when times call for guile and guts.

Despite its sweet/lighthearted look, I think this is a very gothic scent in a wonderful way; when I wear it I feel like a sexy vampire getting into my grave on an early spring morning… (hair tousled from last night’s debauchery lol) there’s dew on the grass and the cemetery is abandoned and overgrown with flowers… yea aside from the poetry it smells like cool, wet earth, flowers, and a hint of spice and I LOVE it… but I can see where it’s not for everyone

This bottle of Bluebell looked the part to wear for a night in of watching Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella. It smells most like the part where the Fairy Godmother dotes on Cinderella and weaves her magic in the garden at night, or later that evening as the greenery becomes more humid when the Prince shows Cinderella his Secret Garden, the evening fated to rain within the next hour. The smell of innocent little fairy-like flowers getting drenched in the Springtime deluge. The smell of a little magic and hope prevalent in a dew covered garden is what Bluebell smells like to me.

Penhaligon’s – Bluebell Simple, self-assured, and possessed of a strong character. The fragrance opens with a burst of citrus, followed by a bitter-green aroma and a mysterious sweetness. The dry down carries a subtle spice of clove. Overall, it evokes the image of wild woodland flowers or flowering herbs with dense, green foliage, mingling with the damp, earthy scent of a backyard garden after the rain. Another way I would describe it: it’s the smell of walking into a fresh florist shop—the combined scent of various flowers and cut stems soaking in water, creating a moist, botanical atmosphere of "unidentified greenery." Performance & Versatility Once the opening notes settle, the scent remains quite linear and consistent. It has moderate projection and decent longevity. While it is technically unisex, it leans slightly feminine. This is not a "floral" in the traditional sense of being "pretty" or "perfumey." Instead, it serves as a symbol or a distinct memory. It is a fragrance that sets you apart. I highly recommend trying it in person; this is not a safe blind buy. The Legacy of the Scent Penhaligon's- Bluebell's most famous devotee was Princess Diana, a woman of elegance and a remarkably strong personality—a beauty defined by duty and responsibility. Penhaligon’s reportedly crafted this scent for her, inspired by her childhood memories of gardens filled with bluebells. Two other icons known to wear this as their signature scent are: Margaret Thatcher: The "Iron Lady" of British politics, known for her formidable capability. Kate Moss: The supermodel who stood out for being petite and unconventional yet radiating absolute confidence. Final Thoughts For individuals of this caliber, there is no need to scream for attention. Their mere presence is enough to command a room. Therefore, a natural floral signature scent functions simply as a personal emblem—a memory left in the air—and that is more than enough. I love this character, and I am absolutely in love with Bluebell. ❤️

This is so pretty and springy. Smells like realistic hyacinth, like a fresh cut hyacinth stem. Not much lasting power. It’s supposed to be spicy, but all I get is hyacinth. Not sure if it’s worth the price to ship it from the UK, for me personally.

I’ve smelled quite a lot of perfumes in my life. I can honestly say that Bluebell has the worst opening I’ve ever smelled. Even though I usually like floral and even green scents, I couldn’t stand it for more than five minutes — it actually made me feel nauseous and I had to wash my arm. To me it smells like rotting flowers. Definitely not a safe blind buy.

Reviewers writing that this perfume is "challenging" must have tried the vintage version of it that is still circulating on unofficial channels. It has been revisited guys, it's 2026.

good lord this one is insanely bad…… i do not pick up on ANY of the floral scents at all it just goes straight to the spice…. smells like secondhand smoke to me, i don’t smell any florals in this one for some reason

There’s a mischievous girl with a little evil simmering inside her, and she loves dark experiments. She’s also a sworn enemy of flowers. Her mother is arranging hyacinths in a vase, breathing in their beautiful scent. The girl watches from behind. "Flowers shouldn’t smell this good"... to kill them quickly, she starts adding acetone to the water, little by little, and watches. The poor flowers suddenly begin to droop and wilt. Her mother feels sad. "How did they fade so fast?" She goes to the garden, cuts fresh ones, replaces the water. The girl adds acetone again (hehehe). The flowers wilt, the mother gets upset, the flowers get replaced, and the girl pours acetone again. This endless loop is exactly what formed in my head when I smelled this. For anyone who doesn’t care about my loop, the short version is this: an acetone-tinged watery freshness, lightly sweet-leaning, hyacinth-forward, but overall a fresh floral. Clove is very noticeable in the composition, yet it never reads as a warm spice. The scent of blue water nymphs that come out at night and sing their dark songs around a pond. Tag(s): acetone, fresh, dewy, aquatic, hyacinth, nocturnal

Reviewing an old EDT sample from around 2010. Bluebell was launched in 1978. Bluebell is an unusual floral that is more challenging than you might expect. This opens with green freshness followed by a mix of florals meant to evoke bluebells. I get mostly synthetic floral aldehydes and a hyacinth accord which is musty and too clove forward. This makes the fragrance seem old fashioned. I don't find it dewy or earthy and don't think there is petrichor here. It is tenacious with good sillage. Quality- good 3.5/5 Feminine Performance- very good for an EDT Bluebell is not a lovely fresh floral, rather it is a heady musty spicy hyacinth/bluebell approximation reminiscent of Victorian times. I had a bottle of this from the early 2000's because I found it unusual; tried to love it but couldn't. This is unique and very polarizing -must be sampled prior to purchase. 6.5/10

Bluebell from Penhaligon is a lovely fragrance and I only wish I could afford it. It’s so pretty without being precious. It’s floral and buttery and absolutely beautiful. As I said, I wish that I could afford a whole bottle. I hope you are lucky enough to be able to do so!

i'm not sure if it's my skin chemistry, but i don't get any sharp or spicy notes from this. i especially don't smell cinnamon at all (which im VERY pleased about because i hate that smell). it just smells like a straight up flower petal. i wouldn't say it's bitter either. unless i just don't know how to identify notes, i think it's very neutral. this was a blind buy for me (i fell for a tiktok) but i actually think it worked out; it's definitely jarring once you first spray it but it mellows out and becomes quite soft. i didn't really like it at first but after a few hours of wear i quite enjoy it. its very different and definitely not a "perfumey" perfume. there's no chemical scent to it at all. i think this'll be super nice to layer with other floral/natural perfumes. i want to try it with miss dior blooming bouquet, replica sailing day, and clean reserve rains. also, im 23 and although its a bit of an old lady scent, i dont think its offensive at all. chanel no.5 smells like old person worse than this

I can't forget the look on my face when I first embraced the perfume (horrible), it smells very old. It reminded me of the colognes at my grandmother's house that no one has touched for years but when you open the cap it takes you back at least fifty years. What a coincidence that my 51 year old mother loved this scent. Although I love green perfumes, the opening didn't really appeal to me. I don't know if it's a myth or a fact, but it is said to be one of Princess Diana's favorite perfumes. It was a scent worthy of that time, but I don't think it is very popular today.

BLUEBELL. 1978 by Michael Pickthall First of all: kudos to penhaligons for keeping this beauty into production together with another gem: Hammam Bouquet. Given modern "fancy" no(i)ses, this choice is really courageous; but, rest assured, whoever buy these perfumes has a strong historical sense of the development of perfumery. Bluebell (campanula in Italian) is a flower not endemic to England, but many varieties can be found there. Here it is not properly the bluebell that is rendered here, but an approximation via hyacinth in combination with a muguet accord (lily of the valley), rose and jasmine. Bluebells and hyacinths are jonquilles: they bloom right before spring and as such they signal a sort of cyclical ribirth and something to rejoyce. The scent opens with a peculiar citrus accord: tangy, zesty, and a little sweet. It is like a caramelized orange: a cake for Spring break. This allumionus opening paves the way to the floral accord. There is something fresh, spring-like, akin to apple blossom (which has a very characteristic red-fruit undertone). This is not a French bouquet; there is a certain unruliness here; it is the allure of an untamed nature. And so we have the sun above (with the yellowish citrus accord), the florals in the middle and then the earth underneath. Here things get really interesting to me: no oakmoss, but a hint of soil tincture (at least in my vintage bottle - and I would hope this to be also in the current formulation), a well-balanced galbanum (to evoke the greeness of spring) and spices! tons of spices. Cinnamon and cloves are used as in many other Penhaligon's florals to construct a soil accord. there is no trace of a Parisian ambery-musky-sandalwood accord, nor of the chypre-oakmoss construction. To rule, we need first to unrule. This seems to say Bluebell to me. Rumors say this was Lady Diana's favourite scent. But it was also Thatcher's signature and that may be closer to the truth that what we would like it to be. Bluebell is cold and warm at the same time: like a prelude to spring. Follow me on IG @alexolympia6

I will start by saying that I oscillate between really liking this for it's purity and finding this too challenging. This is extremely sharp and bitter due to the hyacinth. It shocks me every time. That bitter, sharp and pungent smell LINGERS AND DEVELOPS for hours. Don’t be seduced by the gentle name (and the stupendous bottle). I’d say this is pretty difficult to wear and I’m honestly wondering what kind of skin chemistry those who can pull this off have going on (maybe a bit jealous too). On a lighter note, this would be easier to wear if it was layered with a scent like Luna or Juniper Sling I might imagine. Maybe even something sweet like Artemisia - some creativity is ideal. This perfume works if you are planning to spend the whole day outside in rainy, cold weather. Of course, I hope you know what you’ve signed up for if you wear this the whole day! On a day like that it mixes with the atmosphere and it is even a beautiful, British scent (and understandable why the royals love it). I do respect this scent because it is so far from the sickly, obnoxious, ‘girly’ gourmand mish mash you get today in most new releases. That’s what is truly hideous. This is one is certainly class. EDIT: due to the hyacinth and pungent sharpness this scent absolutely reeks of pungent dried century old rose potpourri. This literally only can work in rainy weather - sometimes.

Absolutely nothing in common with Jo Malone - Wild Bluebell which is a young, realistic green peach and persimon with some slightly sweet flowers smell, but this one is very vintage scent and I'm not a fan of that, but overall it's pleasant, also fresh, an old woman complemented it, but I would not buy it.

This scent isn’t physically available in Spain. They only make it in England 😭🥲

Apparently this was the former UK P.M. Margaret Thatcher’s signature perfume, hmmm, yikes - but, it’s also worn by English model Kate Moss! It's like bluebells in damp earth and it speaks of damp woodland to me. I was in Roslin Glen last month (famed for the scene at the end of The Da Vinci Code) and I was breathing in the swathes of fresh bluebells in the loamy forest ground. A fairy, or elf-like scent if ever there was one!

Fruitier than I expected. Reminds me of the new Chance perfume, the purple one.

smelled this while in the uk- fell in love with it and so did my partner. i love bluebells but it’s nothing like jo malone- it is earthy and spicy, much less sweet. i don’t get to see my partner often so when i think of it, i think of them too. begging pleading for anyone who is willing to sell a full or partial bottle please come my way! 🙏

Lilly of the valley and Bluebell are sisters. I'm not just saying that because they come from the same company, I'm saying that because they smell like they could be related. They don't smell the same, but that's a lot like how siblings are. They don't always look the same, but deep inside they share something most people do not. A bound indescribable by common words in the English language. When you smell they side by side, you might not see what I'm saying and you might think I am crazy. (Which I am) But in a strange sort of way, these bottles are sisters. And Bluebell and Lilly of the valley have a bound beyond just perfume. In some universe these two are real, and they hang out in a garden and talk like sisters do.

Wow this smells exactly like radish. Not in a bad way, not in a good way either necessarily. If you like the smell of radish you will like this smell, it is like identical

currently trying every bluebell fragrance i can get my hands on and this one surprised me. it reminds me of one of my favourite fragrances, cb i hate perfume's "black march", but with exactly the right character of floral. this is sort of more what i expected of their "to see a flower" which i found a little sour and incoherent. never tried anything by penhaligon's before and frankly i assumed it would smell more abstractly like "perfume" than this particular wet-earth experience. unfortunately this earthiness seems to fade quite quickly, leaving the clove, which, while warmer than anything i would typically choose, is thankfully sort of decorative and subservient to the green. i have not noticed any citrus whatsoever. i agree with the general distinction that this is not quite a "wet woodland floor" earthy but rather a "florist / garden centre" earthy. i find that this makes it particularly english and austere. i do find that the clove blends with this in a way which abstractly makes sense, but spiritually doesn't. it is richer, yet in a way cleaner and more natural, than JM wild bluebell. i do also like wild bluebell; it is brighter and a little bit more synthetic - special in its own way but doesn't for me evoke an impression of a real memory or experience in quite the same way.

I'm huge fan of the Penhaligon's design and marketing aesthetic but I have only found a few fragrances that I love from this House. This is one of them (Luna is my #1 favorite from this House). It's so unique and powdery. Lovely in the spring and summer. I also heard it was one of Princess Diana's favorites so had to explore it.

I have been wanting this perfume for a long time and received it as a gift a few years ago. I wanted this perfume because it was rumored to had been a favorite of Princess Diana. It's everything I expected it to be and more! It's fresh and almost icy floral. There is a slight hint of blue raspberry even though it's nowhere listed in the notes. It's beautiful! I only wear this for special occasions.

Smells like a elevated Anais Anais l'original that trades some of the powdery freshness for something more citrusy and spicey. If I were to come into a moderate income where £100 was mere pocket change, I would buy this in an instant. Until then , Yardleys' Bluebell and my body shop Bluebell will have to do. Fresh, simple and clean. True elegance.

I was so intrigued by what Lady Diana loved as a perfume that I had to walk into Penhaligon's and demanded a spray test. I was, well, aham, surprised. How would I describe the perfume: Well, imagine you walk into a florist shop in late winter, very early spring, around February/March. The florist is busy cutting the flowers for the bouquets. It's mainly early spring flowers, but mostly bluebells you will smell. But you will also smell the freshly cut green stems and, most interestingly, the old stale flower water as well. The stale flower water is an interesting and very brave choice indeed, but it helps to set the scene in the flower shop. So now close your eyes and image this exact florist scene and then you will know how Bluebell smells like. Would I ever be brave enough to wear it? No, I don't think so. But I appreciate the quirkiness and uniqueness of this perfume. I have no idea about it's lasting power or sillage, as I only smelled it in a perfume shop.

Smells straight up like bluebells picked in the British rain with the dirt still clinging onto its roots and leaves. A grounded floral scent. Sadly doesn't last for more than an hour on me...

I can't identify any specific notes listed; to me, this is England in a bottle. It's 'what if bluebells had a smell.' Absolutely imaginary, and it was a 'yes' from the first spray. It's a long walk in the wet countryside where early spring drops a rug of bluebells in a forest. It's cold as metal, very strict and elegant, without a hint of flirting. I absolutely understand why the Iron Lady loved it. I can't say it's a scent for an old woman; I can picture it on anyone of any age or gender. It's not too simple or basic; it's the next level of perfumery - classic but not retro, suited for any season and occasion. However, it performs best on me when it rains.