Burberry London Eau de Toilette

Burberry London Eau de Toilette was launched in 2006, created by Olivier Pescheux of Givaudan — returning from his co-creation of Montblanc Legend EDT (2011, with Pierre Wargnye), referenced in the Legend Spirit EDT descriptions. London is Pescheux’s earlier work and his most explicitly heritage-driven commission: a brief built directly around Burberry’s British identity, from Thomas Burberry’s founding of his outfitter in Basingstoke, Hampshire in 1856 through to the development of gabardine (the weatherproof fabric Burberry patented in 1888, used in Scott and Shackleton’s polar expeditions) and the trench coat, to the house’s 20th century transformation into a global luxury brand. The fragrance is the olfactory interpretation of that heritage: a nine-material pyramid built around a Leather, Cedarwood and Geranium heart that references the classic British masculine accord tradition — leather, wood and the rosy-green of geranium being the characteristic materials of British masculine perfumery from the mid-20th century through to the 1990s. At Oh So Luxe in both 50ml and 100ml; for the contemporary Burberry masculine expression, Burberry Hero EDT offers the contrast between the house’s heritage and its current direction.

The opening of Bergamot, Artemisia and Cardamom is the most characteristically British and the least conventionally fresh top tier in the session — Bergamot’s familiar brightness immediately modified by the dry, bitter-herbal quality of Artemisia in a way that signals this composition’s character from the first seconds. Artemisia — most likely Artemisia absinthium (Wormwood) or a related species, first named appearance in the session — belongs to the Asteraceae family alongside Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus) and Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris); in perfumery it contributes a dry, green-bitter, slightly camphoraceous, distinctly herbal quality that is sharper, more austere and more specifically ‘medicinal-green’ than Lavender, Rosemary or Basil; its combination with Bergamot and Cardamom gives the London opening a distinctly cool, dry, slightly bitter freshness that is less immediately approachable than a standard citrus-aromatic top and more specifically ‘British winter’ in its character. Cardamom returning in its warm, aromatic, slightly spiced role, moderating the Artemisia’s drier edges. The heart of Leather, Cedarwood and Geranium is the most explicitly and confidently leathery heart in the session — and the one that most directly references the classic British masculine accord tradition. Leather as a named heart material — in modern fine fragrance, constructed through synthetic accord materials including birch tar-derived compounds, labdanum-adjacent resins, and various aromatic synthetics (Iso E Super, clearwood-adjacent materials) that together evoke the characteristic warm, slightly smoky, animalic-dry quality of leather without requiring restricted animal-derived materials; its placement at the centre of the London heart, flanked by Cedarwood and Geranium, creates the composition’s defining character. Geranium — Pelargonium graveolens and hybrids, commonly called Geranium in perfumery though botanically a Pelargonium, first named appearance in the session — Rose Geranium oil (Pelargonium graveolens var. roseum) has a complex, simultaneously rosy, slightly minty, slightly fruity, green and earthy quality; it is the defining floral-aromatic of classic British masculine perfumery (present in countless traditional aftershaves and colognes) and its use here alongside Leather and Cedarwood creates the most specifically British masculine accord in the session — the geranium’s rosy-green freshness preventing the Leather from reading as purely animalic while adding an unmistakably British floral touch. The base of Sandalwood, Amber and Musk is the most classically constructed and deliberately understated base in the Burberry masculine range — three warm, familiar materials providing clean, lasting depth without the resinous complexity of the M7 or Opium pour Homme bases.

How to Wear

Apply to pulse points — wrists, neck, chest. Two sprays; London has moderate projection with a settled, close drydown as the Leather and Sandalwood base develops. The Bergamot, Artemisia and Cardamom opening is immediately dry and distinctive; the Leather, Geranium and Cedarwood heart arrives within fifteen minutes as the composition’s most characteristic phase. The Sandalwood, Amber and Musk base lasts six to eight hours on skin. Suited to office, formal occasions, and cooler weather; the 50ml is the ideal starting size and the 100ml the better long-term value for established wearers. For the contemporary Burberry masculine direction, Burberry Hero EDT is the contrast.

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