Isabelle Ramsay-Brackstone
Isabelle Ramsay-Brackstone arrived in Bermuda from Montreal with a finance degree and a restless curiosity about scent. In 2004 she took the helm of Lili Bermuda, the island’s historic perfume house founded in 1928, and immediately began translating the archipelago’s salt-kissed breezes, limestone cliffs and sugar-cane fields into liquid memory. Her first breakthrough, a citrus‑green composition that captured the early‑morning light over Hamilton Harbour, earned praise from local artisans and secured her reputation as the island’s voice in perfume. After the sudden loss of her husband Kirby, Isabelle turned grief into a renewed commitment to the craft, expanding the atelier’s laboratory and inviting community members to witness the making of each bottle. Today she balances stewardship of Lili’s heritage with a forward‑looking curiosity, guiding a team of junior noses while still formulating each accord herself.
The hits
Notable creations
The signature
How Isabelle composes
Isabelle’s technique blends classic French atelier methods with Bermudian improvisation. She builds a foundation of citrus, marine accords and white musk, then layers in unexpected notes such as roasted coffee beans from St. George’s market or the faint resin of native mangrove bark. Her preferred ingredients include Bermuda cedar, pink pepper, and a rare sea‑salted fig that she cultivates in a rooftop garden. She favors slow maceration, allowing each element to speak before she balances the composition with a precise touch of vanilla bourbon. The result feels both polished and spontaneous, a scent that feels as if it were discovered rather than manufactured.
Philosophy
What drives Isabelle
Isabelle believes a fragrance must read like a diary entry, honest and immediate. She starts each project by walking the shoreline, noting the way sea spray mixes with tropical foliage, then records those impressions in a notebook. The scent, to her, serves as a bridge between place and feeling; it should evoke the exact moment she experienced, not an imagined ideal. Sustainability guides every choice—she prefers locally sourced ambergris alternatives, responsibly harvested seaweed extracts, and ingredients that respect the island’s fragile ecosystem. Her work aims to preserve Bermuda’s character while inviting the world to taste its quiet confidence.
The houses
Maisons Isabelle composes for
In the same league