Penhaligon's Regent Street — Local services in London

A really awful experience. I went with my team (5 of us) on 6th October 2022. Only one of my team members was white/Caucasian. The all Chinese staff treated him like a king, they followed him around offering fragrances for him to smell, were polite to him, etc. I am black, I got told off for not putting the tester back the right way, I had to ask multiple members of staff for assistance before they would pay me any attention. And at the end a Chinese guy with long hair which he wore slicked back and probably in a bun or a pony tail left me speechless….I tried to ask about a mini fragrance set, at EVERY sentence he interrupted me before I could even complete my question. He was trying to preempt my questions and talk over me but he guessed them all wrong, so I had to keep repeating myself. When he finally did answer his responses were rude and one worded and he said them all whilst looking away as though I was wasting his time. He made me feel as though he believed I was black and therefore had no money and was useless to him. The irony is I am the boss of the white guy who he was attending to so diligently and my salary is double that of his, so the joke was on him as a customer service representative really. Even my white colleague was shocked at how different the service was that he got compared to me and all of my team agreed not to buy anything out of principle. I have always been intrigued by Penhaligon’s fragrances but always found them too harsh and heavy handed, I assumed there had to be more to them, hence going to this store to see if I could find one I liked. But alas, it was their staff who were harsh and heavy handed. I can safely say I will NEVER bother it by a Penhaligon’s fragrance, EVER and cannot recommend them to anyone after this customer...

I don’t typically write reviews, but I visited this store on Saturday, 19th April, on Regent Street, around 3 pm to purchase a perfume. There were two retail assistants — one male, who was genuinely helpful, and one female (short, dark hair, olive skin) whose behaviour was rude and unprofessional. She approached me and asked if I’d tried the latest perfume release. I responded in a friendly manner and said, “No, but I can’t make my mind up — they’re all so nice.” Her reaction? An eye roll and a dismissive walk-off, as if my comment was somehow weird or beneath her. It felt like I’d said too much and made her uncomfortable… I don’t know. It was just very odd and unnecessarily catty.

Both my partner and I noticed it immediately. Her attitude came across as petty, immature, and unprofessional for someone representing a brand that sells luxury products. If she isn’t neurodivergent, then she clearly lacks basic training and interpersonal skills to perform her role with even a shred of professionalism.

I’ve had warmer, more respectful service in high-street shops like H&M. Frankly, I think some luxury brands should be made aware when their staff are underperforming — especially when expensive products are being sold by people who act like they’d rather be anywhere else.

Next time I'll take my money to another store with more professional service. The Head office as been notified of the male who did a great job and served me...

I was lucky enough to find myself in Penhaligons this summer after a very difficult period in my life - I was taking my nose for a walk around some different perfumes, going to a couple of my favourite brands - and I ended up here. The staff were very kind and helpful - none more so than the amazing Shivani who went well out of her way to make sure I had a great experience. She paid attention to me and made me feel very seen in terms of whatI look for in a fragrance - even got me a sample of Bluebell which she decanted for me and I treasured that for about a week until it finally ran out and back to the store I went, to buy an engraved full bottle. She had great instincts and in the moment she gave me the sample, she had made that future sale! Generosity of time and samples always goes down great with me - I am trying to learn perfumery and having something to take home makes a huge difference for me. Having the sample gives me a chance to become completely obsessed with a fragrance to the point of putting down the money for it which in this economy, is not as easy as it could be - the sample helps you realise it is worth it and you need it in your life. I am so grateful to Shivani and everyone else at Penhaligons regent street for maintaining such a lovely space....