Officine Universelle Buly luxuries

Ever since we first stumbled into Officine Universelle Buly’s debut apothecary on Paris’s rue Bonaparte, we’ve been wowed by this brand. French-Moroccan artist Ramdane Touhami (who believe it or not was once homeless on the streets of Paris) created, with his wife Victoire de Taillac the most entrancing brand, spanning fragrance.

Inspired by Jean-Vincent Bully, a 19th Century perfumer, it’s not in the least old-fashioned – yet feels wonderfully traditional, at the same time. In their boutiques, you’ll often find calligraphers, waiting to personalise items. (We did say they make great gifts!)

Everything smells amazing. It looks even MORE amazing: Buly’s products make invariably well-received gifts, because they quite simply aren’t like anything else out there – even something as simple as a box of scented matches, which are showcased above.

These treasures recently landed on our desks, and we found ourselves swooning over every one. (Note: you can find all these items in person in Selfridges Oxford Street, and ONE is available from Selfridges’ site, but the rest are to be found at Buly’s European site – which ships to the UK.)

Scented Matches (16 euros, online here) – not just good for lighting candles, these actually scent the air when lit (and if you leave the box open, you can even just smell the wood). The fragrance we received is Alexandrie (the matches – yes, match – an Alexandrie candle, in a marble vessel, which Jo bought herself some time ago, with its exotic, not-quite-like-anything-else scent of mint, ginger and blackcurrant.)

Double Pommade Concrète Hand and Foot Cream/£45 for 75g – buy here (you can also buy via Buly’s own website, price 42 euros, here). Rich, intensely nourishing, with wafts of sweet orange and eucalyptus – so it’s clean-smelling, but not antiseptically so.

Huile de Savon/40 euros, online here). This comes with its own pump (though it seems almost sacrilegious to replace the metal cap with it!) All-natural, it can be used in the shower, leaving skin wonderfully softened and fragrant – no need to moisturise, if you pat dry. We’re crazy for the fragrance we received, which is Huile de Savon Berkane Orange Blossom.

Order online from their website, meanwhile, and items can be calligraphed, as they can in Buly stores.

Savon Superfin/30 euros – buy here. HOW much for a bar of soap, we hear you chorus? But the boxes can be treasured FOREVER, and the soap can scent your lingerie drawers for years if you want to ‘save it for best’. An honestly foolproof gift, meanwhile. (We’re very much enjoying the scent of the soap we were sent, Lichen d’Écosse, which smells green, mossy and woody and frankly like a walk in a damp forest; you also get a choice of illustrations when ordering online.)

Unsurprisingly, Officine Universelle Buly was last October snapped up by luxury supremos LVMH, owners of Dior, Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co. (but also beauty brands like Benefit, Guerlain and Acqua di Parma). Nothing, however, has changed about Buly – except that the brand now has even deeper pockets, with which to create visual and olfactory magic. (And hopefully, a proper flagship boutique in London, before too long.)

Meanwhile? Get yourself to Selfridges. Or even better, Paris!