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British Tales

The Favourite Penhaligon's 2020

7.2 / 10 204 Ratings

A perfume by Penhaligon's for women, released in 2020. The scent is floral-powdery. It is being marketed by Puig.
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Main accords

Floral

Powdery

Sweet

Fresh

Fruity

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Violet

Mandarin orange Freesia

Freesia

Bergamot

Heart Notes

Mimosa

Jasmine sambac Iris

Iris

Base Notes

Amber

Musk

Indian sandalwood

Perfumer

Aliénor Massenet

Videos

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Ratings

Scent

7.2204 Ratings

Longevity

7.1148 Ratings

Sillage

6.6150 Ratings

Bottle

8.4148 Ratings

Value for money

6.285 Ratings

Submitted by OPomone, last update on 08/25/2025.

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the British Tales collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Le Vie di Milano - Walking on Via Fiori Oscuri

Mohra Silky Rose

Body Eau de Parfum

1881 pour Femme (1995) Eau de Toilette

L'Instant de Guerlain Eau de Parfum

Narciso Eau de Parfum Rouge

Reviews

12 in-depth fragrance descriptions

01/19/2025

5
Pricing 9
Bottle 6
Sillage 7
Longevity 5
Scent

Reveriie
19 Reviews

Reveriie

2

Lovely spring scent overshadowed by screechy ambroxan

When I first smelled my sample it felt like a dream come true- soft sandalwood, slightly powdery florals, and a barely noticeable freshness from the citrus in the background. Unfortunately after spilling some on my hand this entire bouquet is overshadowed by the stench of ambroxan- its harsh chemical smell is the first thing I notice whenever I spray it on myself. It still occasionally makes for a wonderful spring perfume but that one note always jumps out at me.
I assume The Favourite would be a very safe and pleasant scent for anyone who isn't too sensitive to ambroxan, but it is definitely more prominent here than in any other Penhaligon's I've tried.

08/16/2023

7
Pricing 9
Bottle 9
Sillage 7
Longevity 8
Scent

Astralmonad
60 Reviews

Astralmonad

2

Beautiful scent, but gives me a headache.

My nose has progressively become hyper-sensitive since I first started collecting perfumes. I bought myself a 30 ml for Christmas alongside Elisabethan Rose at the Liverpool Penhaligon's boutique after trying some from a 5 ml sample in November. At the time this was the most beautiful scent I've ever tried, I thought that if I could pick one perfume to wear in heaven this would be it. But ever since buying my bottle I've only used 5 ml in 8 months because it gives me a headache. This is massively strong and I continue to wear this from time to time despite the somatic reaction I get.

06/05/2025

10
Pricing 10
Bottle 10
Sillage 10
Longevity 10
Scent

CurlyHen
36 Reviews

CurlyHen

2

My perfect favourite

Penhaligon’s The Favourite. It’s without a doubt my #1 and the only one with a back up bottle in my collection. I like my collection to be really varied and this is such a unique scent, different from everything else I own.

It’s a feminine, floral powdery. The opening fizz of orange, freesia and violet, the delicate powdery mimosa, the regal iris all mixed in with a sensual sweet musky woodiness.. my nose’s absolute addiction to ambroxan.

I love the fizz on my nose, the tingle in my brain, the tease of mimosa and iris, the fresh, sweet, floral prettiness of it all that then leans into a mature and sensual ambergris-esque musk, finishing with a truly stunning powdery dry down… a beautiful, unique, stunning, comforting and well crafted perfume that just brings me immense happiness when I wear it! Damn, I just love it so much, it makes my eyes roll back when I whiff it, it triggers cute aggression and makes me want to squeeze the bottle to death!

An aside - A lot of people talk about ‘compliment grabbers’ on here, and that’s not why I wear my perfumes, but every time I wear this I always get told ‘you smell sooo good’ or asked what I’m wearing.

08/08/2025

4
Pricing 8
Bottle 4
Sillage 8
Longevity 8
Scent

itscoraline
133 Reviews

itscoraline

2

Very Pretty / Very Powdery / Very Ladylike / Very Expensive

A fleeting, light citrus opening is swiftly overtaken by powdery florals and the softest of musks. The impression is gentle, refined, and well-balanced, the epitome of what I imagine a Countess in Edwardian England would wear.

But as always with Penhaligon’s, I circle back around to “but would I pay half a grand to smell like this?”

And, as almost always, the answer is no.*

And here’s the thing: hypothetically, I actually AM willing to shell out $500AUD for a perfume (insane I know, but here we are). But my bar for that pricetag is higher than “very pretty but not special,” which unfortunately is where this fragrance sits for me.

Projection is mild but longevity is surprisingly durable — I could still smell this on my wrists nearly 10 hours later. The powder and florals make it extremely feminine coded.

———————

*Exceptions are the remarkable Halfeti and the wonderfully weird The Omniscient Mister Thompson

11/01/2020

10
Bottle 6
Sillage 3
Longevity 10
Scent

Scentwitch
292 Reviews

Scentwitch

The Favourite is a favorite

Last night I slept with Penhaligon The Favourite on my wrists. It was quite enjoyable, indeed. I can see why they named it The Favourite.

The nose behind this fragrance is Alienor Massenet.

Top notes are Violet, Freesia and Mandarin Orange; middle notes are Mimosa (a fav of mine), iris and Jasmine Sambac (another fav); base notes are Musk, Sandalwood and Ambroxan.

It’s a lovely scent good for anytime of the day or night. I really enjoyed taking it to bed with me and plan on another tryst soon enough.

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