I confess I know absolutely nothing about the Liz Earle brand other than that they were purchased by Avon earlier this year. They’re based in the UK and apparently known for their skincare, and they might well be widely adored — my skincare routine was fixed years ago, and I do not stray. Anyway, they released their first fragrance, Botanical Essence No. 1, last year, and this is one of those rare times when I’m reviewing a fragrance only because a PR company sent me a bottle — I had never seen Botanical Essence No. 1 in a store and had no plans to seek it out. Since it turns out to be a fragrance I love, I’m glad it showed up in the mail, and I’ll be very sorry to see it go.¹

Botanical Essence No. 1 is “over 98% directly derived from natural ingredients”, and we all know natural ingredients are usually not as potent or long-lasting as synthetic ingredients, right? The press release recommends that you “spritz all over or spray above and let the mist envelop you”, so the first time I tried Botanical Essence No. 1, I sprayed with more abandon than I normally would, and was promptly overwhelmed. Two things went through my mind simultaneously: one, I was going to have to take a shower, pronto, and two, what on earth is in that other 2%? But no, it calmed rapidly…

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