Penny Ellis
Penny Ellis joined Floris in 2012, stepping into the rarefied world of one of Britain's oldest perfumery houses as Bespoke Fragrance Manager. At Floris, she works alongside Nicola Pozzani under the direction of Edward Bodenham, the ninth-generation perfume director guiding the house's ongoing legacy. The Jermyn Street atelier has been composing fragrances since 1730, and Ellis occupies a singular position within it: she creates private formulations for clients seeking something entirely their own. Bespoke perfumery demands a different skill set than commercial fragrance creation. Ellis must listen closely, ask the right questions, and translate a client's vague preferences into something tangible and wearable. Her career at Floris represents a specific kind of mastery, one built on patience, material knowledge, and the ability to capture something personal in a bottle. Rather than chasing mass-market recognition, she has quietly built a practice centered on individual relationships and the intimate art of made-to-order scent.
The hits
Notable creations
The signature
How Penny composes
Working within Floris's tradition, Ellis gravitates toward classical materials and time-tested construction. Her compositions tend toward refined elegance, favoring natural raw materials and the kind of complexity that reveals itself gradually on the skin. She draws from the house's extensive library of aromatics, many of which have been part of Floris's palette for generations. Her style favors balance over boldness, subtlety over spectacle. Clients who commission bespoke work with Ellis can expect compositions that feel considered and enduring rather than trendy or attention-seeking. She has a particular affinity for florals, reflecting both her name and the house's signature strengths, though her bespoke work spans the full range of familial categories depending on each client's wishes.
Philosophy
What drives Penny
Ellis approaches perfumery as a collaborative dialogue. Each bespoke commission begins with conversation, an exploration of what the client hopes to carry with them. She works to uncover not just preferred notes but the emotional territory a fragrance must inhabit. Her practice at Floris draws from the house's deep archive of natural materials and classical structure, but she brings her own sensibility to every composition. The philosophy at the heart of her work is service and specificity. She believes fragrance should mean something to the person wearing it, that a scent can hold memory, aspiration, or identity. This makes her role part therapist, part translator, part artist. Ellis has embraced the quieter demands of bespoke work, finding creative fulfillment in solving each unique problem rather than in building a public reputation.
The houses