Ffern - Winter '20 Organic Natural Perfume

Ffern - Winter '20 Natural Organic EDP

Who?

Ffern are a small batch, artisanal, natural perfumiers who produce just four blends a year based on the seasonal equinoxes and solstices.

Every batch is strictly limited and when they have all sold out, no more are made. This adds to the sense of mystery and intrigue and certainly added to my feeling of urgency to get on the production ledger!

Hand-blended in Devon at the turn of the seasons.

The Production Ledger

We are committed to small batch production processes - and there’s a limit to how much we can produce in any given season. That’s why we use a production ledger.

The ledger is a list of names. Each season, when we’re preparing to blend, age and bottle our fragrance, we calculate our batch volume based on the number of names on the ledger. Everyone on the ledger receives a 32ml bottle of fragrance per season.

Space on the ledger costs £69 per quarter. You are free to leave at any time, and every bottle ships with a sample vial. You can try the sample at home and decide whether you’d like to keep that season’s fragrance. If not, simply return the bottle with our free postage label, and your account will be credited with the full amount.

Ffern

Click here for details on how to join the waiting list.

I'd noticed the name Ffern flittering around social media for a while but it was only when Sandra from Beauty Balm Blog, tweeted a picture of the delivery of her bottle of Ffern Winter '20 that I really sat up and took notice.

For £69 you receive a limited-run bottle of seasonal natural and organic EDP (32ml) plus a 2ml vial sample which you can try before committing to the full size. These come alongside a pack of information cards about the process, the brand and the ingredients. Postage is included in the price.

This is the 2ml sample vial which you can test before opening the full size bottle.  Returns are easy, if you decide that after trying the sample, that the scent is not for you. You can either obtain a full refund, or wait for the next batch to be produced.

Main box is sealed - try the sample before you commit.

The whole concept of Ffern intrigued me but at the same time I was acutely aware that I may just be succumbing to an idea or an experience rather than a product.

I felt slightly dubious but terribly excited in equal measures about the almost secret society of Ffern. I had to text a number to apply to their waiting list and then heard back via text that my name had been accepted for the Ledger waiting list. And then just over a week or so later, I received another text saying that I could join The Ledger.

And then I paid my £69 in order to receive a bottle of the latest Ffern offering Winter '20 - without having a clue whether or not that I'd like this perfume.

Packaging 

Without exception, the Ffern packaging is one of the most exciting sustainable packages I've ever received!

The box is made of pressed layers of cardboard with the shapes of the bottled box and boxed sample hollowed out inside. The larger box was quite stiff to get out of its space and I was worried about damaging the box - but with a bit of attention, I finally freed it without damage.

After all the hoopla of applying to join the Ledger, I was slightly concerned that the product might not live up to my extremely high expectations.

But Winter 20 absolutely walks the walk! It was pretty evident, almost immediately, that there was so much more to Ffern than the whole secrecy and waiting list ritual. As soon as I opened the 2ml sample vial I was absolutely hooked. I absolutely had no words and just kept repeating, " Oh my God! OH MY GOD!!!"

Ingredients

Nutmeg - Myristica Fragans

Top/Mid Note: Spice, Wood, Powder, Nutmeg, Resin

Peppermint - Mentha X Piperita

Top Note: Cool, Sharp, Mint

Bergamot  - Citrus Bergamia & Lemon Rind - Citrus limon
Top notes: Bright, citrus, floral, earl grey

Patchouli - Pogostemon cablin
Mid note: Sweet, dark, earth

Tarragon - Artemisia dracunculus
Base note: herbaceous, sweet anise, spicy licorice, basil

Ceylon cinnamon bark - Cinnamomum verum
Mid/base note: warm, spice, wood, dried fruit

Liatrix Leaf - Liatris adoratissima
Base note: tobacco, hay,  coumarin

Olibanum - Boswellia carterii
Top note: Incense, pepper, spice, old wood, pine, resin

Guaiacwood - Bulnesia sarmientoi (aka Palo Santo)
Base note: Wood, earth, tar, smoke, rose

Rosemary - Rosemarinus o cinalis
Top note: mint, cool, fresh

Red Cedar - Juniperus virgiana
Mid/base note: pencils, wood, dry, hazlenut

Vetiver Root - Chrysopogon zizanioides
Mid/base note: wood, earth, smoke, root

Balsam Fir - Abies balsamea
Mid/base note: fresh, green, balsam, licorice, sweet, jam

Black Peppercorn - Piper Nigrum
Mid note: spice, pepper, warm, fresh

Oakmoss - Evernia prunastri
Base note: Forest floor, green, wood, earth

Clove Bud - Syzygium aromaticum
Top/Mid note: warm, sweet, aromatic

Interestingly, there is a difference between the sample vial compared with the perfume spray, albeit minutely. Needless to say, the spray lasts longer than the sample. It's a tricky one if you're undecided - to keep or return the full size? But the full size of the perfume, I found, offers even more complex layers than the sample seems to hint at. I was fully convinced by the sample alone, but I'm even more delighted after opening the sealed full size box.

The peppermint is more pronounced as a top note with the spray - I could barely detect this at all from the 2ml sample vial. The mint, herb and citrus top notes together provide a little piquant shock introduction.
It's a very kaleidoscopic scent - every time I sniff my wrist another note makes itself known.
But it's the dry-down that really gets my heart singing. I'm reminded of bonfires - all wood and smoke; the Ecclesiastical scent of incense; and the earthy and resinous evocations of woodland.

It's been a few weeks now since receiving Winter 20 and my enthusiasm for it hasn't waned in the slightest. Every single time I wear it I'm blown away by just how beautiful and intricate this scent is. I think I can confidently pronounce that this is my favourite scent that I've ever owned.

I'm certainly looking forward to what Spring 20 will bring.