Buly 1803 Reviewed | The Luxury Brand is Now Available at Selfridges

This week I got a chance to road test some personal care products from luxury French apothecary-style brand, Buly. Founded in 1803, Buly delivers a vibrant versatile collection of fragrances and home products, such as hand creams, shaving creams, toothpaste, alcohol-free fragrances, combs and candles.

I'm normally reticent to include the word luxury in front of any product because I always feel like that's something the brand really want you to say, whereas what is luxury to one person, could be bog-standard to the next.

I used to think Tesco's finest bourbons were luxury until I discovered they were all sourced from the same broken biscuit factory. 

But Buly, (full name L’Officine Universelle Buly) has earned the right to be given the luxury moniker. Beneficial and artifice-free, contain neither parabens, nor phenoxyethanol, nor silicon and favours formulas which are devoid of components that interfere with the aromas, such as glycerin and alcohol, and has invented the first water-based perfumes.

The products are tied together by a Napoleonic French influence dating back to the introduction of the Codex in 1806 that ushered in new requirements in the realm of perfumery, thus stimulating the inventiveness of practitioners and the quality of preparations. 

(Check out the brains on Brad! Ok admittedly that's all in the press release, but still .. ) 

The aluminium tubes are secured with metal lids, no plastic in sight. That's right, save the whales!  They're decorated with watercolour illustrations reminiscent of the Pre-Raphaelite era of which this brand would have been present (possible inspired by) during its tenure. (Not in the press release, just know my onions). 

Of the products, they aren't just luxury, but ridiculous luxury.

I thought I'd seen it all when a friend once referred me to a particular mouthwash that was selling for £15. But Buly takes the concept of vainglory far further. 

For example, the toothpaste is composed from spa water reputed to ward off oral afflictions. It's another level. I'll refer to the wonderful Richard Curtis line in the movie Notting Hill, when bumbling book salesman Hugh Grant has an unlikely tryst with an A-list Hollywood actress played by Julia Roberts and tells his roommate Rhys Ifans,

'I’ve taken love heroin and now I can't ever have it again.' 

I've currently hooked on toothpaste heroin, hand cream heroin, foot heroin etc, and how will my cosseted limbs and teeth ever be able to handle the drabness of 'everyday man' products, ever again? 

Buly is now readily available in Selfridges, and through their online store.