Lili Bermuda Perfumes

The Bermuda Perfumery was founded in 1928 by William Blackburn (W.B.) Smith and his daughter Madeline Scott. English chemist Herbert Scott conceived the idea of salvaging the scent of lily blossoms that were thrown away because the bulbs were more valuable. He worked at research and experimentation for four years. He finally solved th problem by employing the enfleurage method of extraction. The extraction plant has become a popular place for tourists since it opened.



With the assistance of Eminent French Perfumers, Easter Lily Perfume, also marketed as Madonna Lily Perfume, was first produced experimentally in a small wooden building in Bailey's Bay. The family gradually acquired the surrounding properties to a total of six acres, which is immense to Bermuda standards.

By 1929, new fragrances were added, such as Sweet Pea, Eve, Gardenia, Passionflower, Jasmine, Oleander and Jonquil. Most were successful but not all. Jonquil was judged to be too sweet and heavy by the public and was dropped.

The precious Bermuda Flower Perfumes are attractively packages, the motif being a rich simplicity appropriate to the excellent quality of the product. Each package and bottle bears the famous Lili crest. Crystal bottles were made in France by Verreries Brosse.

• Package No. 1 - Bermuda Easter Lily, Oleander, Jasmine or Sweet Pea scents - the attractive purse size - One Dram.
• Package No. 2 - Bermuda Easter Lily, Oleander, Jasmine, Sweet pea or Gardenia scents in a Native Bermuda Cedar an Mahogany Gift Case - One-half Ounce.
• Package No. 3 - Only Bermuda Easter Lily Perfume is available in this lovely Easter Lily Bottle and Native Bermuda Cedar and Mahogany Gift Case - Just under half Ounce.
• Package No. 4 - Bermuda Easter Lily, Oleander, Jasmine, Sweet Pea, Gardenia or Passion Flower scents in a Bermuda Cedar and Mahogany Gift Case with a cut crystal bottle - One Ounce.
• Package No. 5 - Bermuda Easter Lily, Oleander, Jasmine, Sweet Pea, Gardenia or Passion Flower scents in a Bermuda Cedar and Mahogany Gift case with a cut glass bottle - Three Ounces.

Bermuda and the Perfumery prospered, even during World War II. The Island was essentially insulated from the cataclysms that were shaking the rest of the world and there were enough visitors to sustain the Perfumery. The pace of life in Bailey's Bay was still determined by the clip-clop of the horses as the carriages moved, leisurely, over the powdery white coral roadways.

The war finally ended and tourism took off in Bermuda. The Perfumery was now an attraction, and, the carriage drivers started bringing visitors in large numbers- no doubt prompted by the silver threepence per load which W.B. cheerfully gave them. The gardens were coming into their own and traditions were being established. One was the decoration, in its entirety, of the screen at Holy Trinity Church with Easter Lilies from The Perfumery on Good Friday. Another was the sending of Easter lilies to the Queen Mother.

In 2004, the Brackstone family acquired the Bermuda Perfumery and moved its operations to historic Stewart Hall in St. George's in the heart of UNESCO's World Heritage Site. The same traditions and methods of perfume making are still pursued to this day with the guidance and assistance of Mr. David Botello, the Perfumery's perfumer for the past 43 years. Each bottle continues to be filled individually by hand by our dedicated staff. Everybody at the Perfumery is very proud of our perfumes and is dedicated to manufacture the highest quality perfumes with the best quality ingredients from around the world.

The perfumes of Lili Bermuda:

• 1929 Easter Lily
• 1932 Cedarwood for men
• 1933 Passionflower
• 1933 Gardenia
• 1933 Jasmine
• 1933 Sweet Pea
• 1933 Oleander
• 1939 Eve (heavy, strong cedar noted perfume)
• 1940 Wild Jasmine
• 1940 Moon Mad
• 1948 Jonquil
• 1989 Paradise
• 1989 Frangipanni
• 1989 Bermudiana
• 2006 Coral
• 2006 Lily
• 2006 Navy Lime for men
• 2007 32 Degrees North for men
• 2007 64 Degrees West for men
• 2007 Pink
• 2009 Somers for men
• 2009 South Water
• 2009 South Water for men
• 2009 Fresh Water
• 2010 Petals

The Miami News, 1941:

"I'll settle for that new perfume by Lili, the makers of those famous Bermuda perfumes, "Moon Mad" makes one feel as looney, as drifting as a fair Ophelia."

 

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle,1941:

"Moon Mad Scent. Herbert Scott, the clever young man who, with his equally clever wife, built a perfume business out of his knowledge and skill in chemistry and her cultivation of their beautiful garden in Bermuda, makes individually styled perfumes to order for a list of about 25 private patrons a year. He creates a certain scent for each of these women, in addition to the regular production of the famous Lili perfumes from the Bermuda laboratories. ' For one of these women some time ago Mr. Scott created a perfume at a fee of $100 for the first two ounces. It seems that the scent so intrigued the lovely lady's friends that they pestered her until she told them where she got it and prevailed upon Mr. Scott to release the secret of that particular scent. That's how it is that "Moon Mad," the newest Lili scent, was put on the market, actually a "custom-made" perfume. It is described as having "a tender, gossamer quality" which becomes "more poignant and compelling . . . intoxicating as the heady fragrance of myriads of flowers. In the languorous night." Packaged in a round bottle."