My Memories of Crabtree & Evelyn
Today, my eye fell upon a spray bottle of Crabtree & Evelyn Nantucket Briar Room Spray. I can’t believe I still own this, and that there’s still some left, probably about half of the bottle! I remember when I bought it, in my old neighborhood on the Upper West Side of New York. I believe the store was on Broadway around W. 108 St, a small neighborhood store. The old Nantucket Briar Room Spray still smells lovely and lightly floral. Impact-Site-Verification: 449181254
In addition, every morning I have my coffee in one of the Crabtree & Evelyn Anniversary Mugs that came out every year after Thanksgiving. Also called The Annual Mugs, they were introduced in 1985, the year I bought one to give to my friend, Georgette, when she and her husband moved from New York to Long Island.
From 1986 on, I collected their annual mugs with a new transferware design every year till 2018 when they were discontinued. The mugs started out being manufactured by Mason’s, a fine quality stoneware manufacturer in the UK, for at least a decade,
but after Harvey sold ownership to the companies in Kuala Lumpur and then Hong Kong, the quality of the mugs declined precipitously when manufacturing was switched to China for several years. Toward the end of their lifetime, the manufacturing of the mugs was switched to Burleigh in the UK (which was an improvement). The designs of the Burleigh mugs mimicked the originals, though the ironstone was thinner than the first decade of mugs from Mason.
History of Crabtree & Evelyn
How sad that the products have all but disappeared, and the company currently has obscure ownership.
I was curious today, so I googled “Crabtree and Evelyn”. The company began its life in Cambridge MA as The Soap Box, started in 1955 by Cyrus Harvey Jr., an executive at Janus Films, the distributor of international movies, that started its life at the iconic Brattle Theater in Cambridge MA, a historic house where foreign movies also called “art house” movies were shown. When I was a college student visiting home or friends, we would sometimes go to see movies at the Brattle. How fun to discover that a man I was unaware of, Cyrus Harvey Jr. started two companies that were part of my life for years!
To be honest, I have no memory of The Soap Box in the late 1960s even though my mother would occasionally let me take the train into Boston and then the subway to Cambridge, e.g. Harvard Square, to walk around and go shopping either with friends or on my own.
In 1971, founder Cyrus Harvey teamed up with designer John Windett in London, but the little store in Cambridge, The Soap Box, was reborn under a new brand name, Crabtree and Evelyn, that both Harvey and Windett created. Harvey was responsible for coming up with the products, and Windett created the packaging. Crabtree and Evelyn expanded its stores throughout the U.S. Because the brand had an English look and air about it, American tourists in London would often go looking for Crabtree and Evelyn stores only to come up empty. So in 1980, the first Crabtree & Evelyn store open in Kensington Church Street in London. Stores then proliferated throughout the U.S., England as well as in Canada, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia.
In 1996, after 40 years of owning the company and directing the brand, Harvey sold Crabtree & Evelyn . To me, the sale of the company from the founder to a holding company, CE Holdings in Kuala Lumpur, was the beginning of the end. Nevertheless, the day-to-day operations, i.e. research and development, manufacturing, and design, continued to be based in Alpharetta, Georgia where they had been happening in the 1990s under Harvey.
From 1996 onward, the company and brand changed hands. In 2012, CE Holdings was sold to the Hong Kong–based investment-holding company, Khuan Choo International Limited, for US$155,000,000. In October 2016, the brand was acquired by Nan Hai Corporation of Hong Kong.
Crabtree & Evelyn stores in the UK started closing in the late 2010s, and by 2019, they were all shuttered except for a new concept store in Islington area of London. In the US, the closing of manufacturing operations then based in Woodstock CT took place in 2019. The Canadian stores filed for bankruptcy that year.
In July 2019, Crabtree & Evelyn was relaunched. Under its new tagline “Born Curious, Grown Wild” designed to appeal to Millennials and Gen Z’s interest in natural personal care products, they were available to purchase online only. However, I remember that there were Crabtree & Evelyn product sets for sale at Costco for a couple of years, especially around Christmas.
Then COVID-19 hit disrupting even well-established businesses. The US website stopped all sales in February 2022, and has remained dormant since with the website just sitting there unattended at crabtree-evelyn.com. It’s weird that the website with newish, less distinctive-looking packaging and some familiar product names still has a ghostly existence with all the products listed as “SOLD OUT”.
What’s Up With Products On The Web Now?
Nevertheless, you can find some Crabtree & Evelyn products for sale here and there online. Since the manufacturing operations closed in 2019, I assume that many of the products being sold online were manufactured prior to 2019. Or maybe they were briefly manufactured in China before production ended during COVID. Buyer beware.
I didn’t know the history of this company. I’ve always loved their products. Someone is definitely still manufacturing their products because they are regularly in TJ Maxx and Marshalls in abundance. Sometimes they’ll also be on their websites.I was so thrilled to be able to buy them, again! My favorites are Sweet Almond and English Rose.
No kidding, Diana?! I haven’t seen C&E at the TJ Maxx stores near me, but I will keep an eye out for them. Sweet Almond and English Rose were both divine, though the English Rose shower gel set that I bought at Costco a few years ago lacked the lovely rose scent that I thought I remembered…but maybe it is just nostalgia. I loved their Jojoba soap that was shaped like a scallop shell. Also, I think you are right that someone is making C&E branded products somewhere. They are for sale on Amazon and online at a retailer called Eisler’s Chemist that maybe an old school pharmacy shop that I remember on Lexington Ave in NYC.
They do carry their products, but, the hand cream is TRASH. You can no longer find the real thing since the UK went out of business. I bought 2 of the recent ones. Never again! I’m done with C&E
Yup, you’re correct. Sad, isn’t it, that the original Crabtree & Evelyn is no more
I worked at Crabtree and Evelyn at the manufacturing plant in Woodstock, CT. I had to go to New Jersey to train how to make the product. I knew it was going to be a disaster and Nan Hai Corp now is in some bankruptcy problems. Nan Hai stole our jobs and karma got to them. We all loved making this product in Woodstock and always worked so hard to make sure you all could enjoy it.
Wow, Justin, so sorry that you lost your job with the original C&E! Such a loss for all of us, but especially for you and your co-workers. I still think of C&E every year just after Thanksgiving when the Anniversary Mugs used to come out. I have the entire collection except for 2 years. Sad, for sure
Vernice Wiberg. I just stayed at Hilton Inn
Chelsea New York City. This luxury brand body wash is what was presented in my beautifull suite. I came back to Sweden and managed to find the body wash on eBay. This brand is so good and smells so amazing. It’s actually sad because I wanted to start using it. Now I’ll just be left with the memory of a body wash I actually love for the first time. Nothing compares to it.
That is very interesting, Vernice, that the Hilton Inn is using Crabtree & Evelyn as amenities! Actually, that is rather exciting. Maybe they are making it again?? I recently bought Crabtree & Evelyn Summer Hand Wash at Marshall’s, an off-price store in the US, and it smells just like the former “Summer” that I used to use years ago. Thank you for taking the time to let me and everyone else know!
It’s so sad when products and companies we love disappear. *sigh* I remember Stendhal Cosmetics ad Pavlova Cosmetics from waaaay back in my teen years. And the way Yardley’s Lavender USED to smell…
Yes, for sure. I am wracking my brain, but I am not sure whether I remember Stendhal Cosmetics or whether I am just thinking about Le Rouge et Le Noir (lol). However, ages and ages ago, I am pretty sure I used to have a perfume called Pavlova, I can even sort of recall aspects of the packaging. I wonder if that scent was from the Pavlova Cosmetics that you mention. Have you tried the Yardley’s Lavender Soap lately? I’m guessing that you found that it has changed including the lovely scent. 😥
Current Yardley’s is a joke. Nothing like what it used to be. I wonder about that perfume too. I don’t recall a perfume. Hmmm. Stendhal made THE BEST red lipstick ever. I have searched for its equal for the last 40 years in vain. Alas…
Thank you for the info! I was wrong about Pavlova Perfume. It was from Payot, and the original was launched in 1922. Heck, I’m trying to figure out how to post the photo, and I don’t think it’s going to work: /Users/air/Desktop/NSDB PHOTOS 2024/Pavlova-Perfume-vintage.jpg. I searched online, and Stendhal still exists though, as you said about Yardley, it may not be the same. They have a red lipstick here: https://www.beautytheshop.com/us/makeup/lips/lipsticks/stendhal-pur-luxe-care-lipstick-305-vanina-4g-4?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAC59x6fbrYikIEsYGTl6noWwTLh1m&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-Z7_tZXiiAMVp1NHAR0E0QE_EAQYBSABEgIXdfD_BwE
I just looked up a picture of the perfume and now I remember it! The cosmetics line was a small, indie brand available only at one boutique and it was in California.
I used to buy it at a department store, B. Altman & Co., in NYC back in the day! Is the Stendhal makeup that exists now a different brand, I mean did another company buy the brand name? The Stendhal Pur Luxe Lipstick looked very nice. There were other lipstick collections, too.
Loved jojoba too, beautiful packaging. Loved their products over the decades and enjoyed the stores and outlets…sad to see what’s happened. But yes, I also see some of the products in Marshall’s.
I remember Stendahl!
Kim, I saw the large bar of C&E jojoba for sale on eBay, and the price was more than $60!!! I haven’t been shopping Marshalls/TJ Maxx in a while because I spend too much money there and I am trying to give things away! But I will go to PJs and look for C&E one of these days in the near future! What were some of the Stendhal products? I’m trying to jog my memory!!
I don’t remember anything specifically…I think back in the 70s the products were featured in department stores. Can picture the glamorous exotic advertising for Stendhal, Payot and others though I never had any of the products. Love to think of old cosmetics advertising!
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I’m in the US and loved my C&E after bath. I’ve been looking for another bottle and went to the local store about 10 years ago but they said they no longer had the splash item. I have a quarter bottle left from 40 years back- really- and now I see it on eBay for $250!!!! I am tempted but wow!!!
Wow, I can’t believe that a vintage product from C&E is going for $250! I hope my anniversary mug collection is worth something with prices like that!
Greetings fellow Stendhal-ite!
I loved all of the body lotions, especially the La Source scent. When I heard the company had shut down, I scooped up all the body lotions I could find online and at Marshalls and TJ Maxx, at the time. A few years ago, I was lucky enough to find a bottle of La Source and Sweet Almond Oil body lotions, but sadly, they were not the same formulation. When applied to my skin, the new formulation coated my skin with a white film that did not readily absorb into the skin. The original formulation absorbed immediately into the skin and left my skin feeling silky. I am so disappointed that I have not been able to find a body lotion that compares in both feel and fragrance. I’ll just keep looking. If anyone has a suggestion, I would love to hear it.
Oh no, Donna! So sorry to hear about the white film left behind by the current iteration of La Source body lotion. Ugh, it’s so sad that the original vision that the founder had for the C&E brand hasn’t been sustained. I wish another organization would buy it and rebuild the brand to its former quality level! Thank you for weighing in on the demise of C&E. While there are lots of body lotions that I like, I doubt that any of them would have the fragrance of the original La Source.
Another person missing CT&E. I worked at the store in Watertower Place in Chicago all through college in the mid-1980s. How I MISS Savannah Gardens, Spring Rain, Nantucket Briar and Summer Hill…and all of those lovely translucent soaps and triple-milled soaps. One autumn we played George Winston’s “Autumn” CD on repeat and every time I hear the opening notes it brings tears to my eyes. Such a shame.
I worked for Crabtree and Evelyn in Woodstock, CT beginning in the factory in the summer of 1997. I quickly moved into the offices, which were also in Woodstock, where I worked with Sarah Blanchard to launch their first website and then their first online store in partnership with Yahoo stores. I was briefly part of the volleyball club. I followed the company when they moved most of the offices (except for some IT, R & D, shipping, and manufacturing) up to Waltham, MA, and then back down to Woodstock, CT when that approach didn’t give them the results they were looking for, at which point I left Crabtree to return to school, around 2000. I am quite certain there was no Georgia operation, certainly not the center of the company. Maybe a factory, but that is ringing no bells. It was Woodstock, going years back, as my Aunt had worked there for two decades in IT and Cy lived nearby, in Woodstock. She and Sarah used to tell me about the old days with Cy, when Crabtree was like family, and how warm the company gatherings were. I remember all marketing and the R&D labs in Woodstock, as well as customer service. The CEO’s office was in Woodstock. Most of the offices moved up to Waltham ~1999, and then back down to Woodstock ~2000.
Thank you, Dagmar, for the detailed history of your association with C&E over the years!! I had no idea that they were based in Waltham (about 40 minutes from me) during the 1990s (?) or at anytime! And the volleyball club that you were a part of, who knew? This is wonderful. As far as the mention of Alpharetta, GA, I got that from Wikipedia, so who knows about its verity. Here’s the quotation: “In 1996, Cyrus Harvey decided to sell the company, and it was sold to Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad and operated by a subsidiary as CE Holdings. While funded and managed by the holding company in Kuala Lumpur, day-to-day operations—such as research and development, manufacturing, and design—continued to be based in Alpharetta, Georgia.” In looking for other corroboration of the Georgia location (I haven’t found any other yet, so you may have shown me an error in my blogpost), I came across a strangely optimistic British article on the company in 2008 when KLK was its corporate owner, predicting a rosy future for the brand though saying it was dropping facial skincare (a mistake IMHO) and that its packaging had become a barrier to purchase and was going to be revamped. Here’s the link in case you’re interested in this dated prognosis: https://web.archive.org/web/20170417072611/https://www.cosmeticsbusiness.com/technical/article_page/Crabtree__Evelyn__British_Royalty/49110 Thanks again for taking the time to comment about your association with C&E!
My favorite is the spring rain body lotion, I am dying to grab a bottle, but now it is sold for almost $200 on ebay. I bought them by bulk for $16 each 16 oz bottle on C&B website years ago , gave them as gifts to friends. I should have kept them for myself had i know it would close. Now i have an almost empty bottle left as a shrine in memory of my favorite scent.
I haven’t tried the Spring Rain Body Lotion, but I still have a bottle of the Spring Rain Room Spray in my bathroom that I use from time to time. It’s lovely. I love your description about the “almost empty bottle left as a shrine”. I get it. About your point about wishing you had known that they were going out of business, I agree. I knew in my heart of hearts that they were having financial problems when my yearly Anniversary Mug became either harder to get a hold of or when the materials they used to make the mug got cheaper and cheaper in the 2000s. I should have scored all of my favorites too and kept them! Sad. But thank you for taking the time to weigh in and tell me about your experiences with C&E!
I still remember walking into my first Crabtree & Evelyn shop in Paragon Singapore in the late 80s and falling in love with the brand. This was followed by visits to the Crabtree shops across UK and admiring how beautiful the shop which was filled with various delightful skincare and food items in a heritage setting. Sadly all is gone. I still see some of the classic favourites from Crabtree Evelyn in large size packaging such as bath gels and body lotions that are made in Canada being sold online. I read that the factory was in Nova Scotia. It looks like there is quite a lot of residual amount of products from Canada but not sure how fresh it is.
That’s my concern too, Gary! I think it’s been years (more than a decade) since they were manufactured by the original company. I bought the large size packaged product several years ago that was sold at Costco, the warehouse store that sells family size products, but the C&E quality was not there. Very sad!
My favorite scent on the planet is Crabtree and Evelyn, Wisteria. I’m convinced heaven smells like it. I found Wisteria gift sets at Marshall’s several years back, I suppose when they were shuttering their brick & mortar stores. I didn’t realize they had gone by the wayside all together. How sad. What a lovely store. I loved to go in there and just browse. There was one in the upscale mall (Green Hills) in Nashville, TN. I am sad today remembering all the things that used to be before online sales. I’m all for convenience, but there is nothing like seeing, touching (fabric, goodbye Joann’s) and smelling things in person.
I haven’t smelled C&E Wisteria which is too bad because I love the scent of Wisteria, especially the vine! Yes, it is very sad that Crabtree & Evelyn is no more. I agree with you that the stores were lovely for browsing and for shopping especially at holiday times. I couldn’t agree with you more about shopping in person, especially for fragrances! Thanks for taking the time to weigh in about your experiences with C&E!
My favorite scent on the planet is Crabtree and Evelyn, Wisteria. I’m convinced heaven smells like it. I found Wisteria gift sets at Marshall’s several years back, I suppose when they were shuttering their brick & mortar stores. I didn’t realize they had gone by the wayside all together. How sad. What a lovely store. I loved to go in there and just browse. There was one in the upscale mall (Green Hills) in Nashville, TN. I am sad today remembering all the things that used to be before online sales. I’m all for convenience, but there is nothing like seeing, touching (fabric, goodbye Joann’s) and smelling things in person.
I sense that the Holding Company Nan Hai Corp is actually a Private Equity firm in disguise, or ultimately controlled by one. The “rebranding” of C&E in such a way that it was destined to fail stinks of the moves of a Private Equity firm purposely destroying a successful brand in order to profit from the loss. I happen to think that a certain ubiquitous mall bath and candle products company was at the bottom of all this. The woman in charge of rebranding, Ashley Souza, had previous experience merely in helping to brand a sandwich shop in Boston previously. Said bath and candle products owner is known for buying out and sinking competitive brands in the past (for example a Canadian lingerie company).
The products I’ve been finding in TJ Maxx have a Canadian address for the company. Which means the products are from 2019 and earlier. I’ve found that the Body Mists and hand soaps are still good, less so the moisturizers (makes sense).
Wow, Polly, what an intriguing speculation on the fate of C&E! Just for the heck of it, which sandwich shop in Boston did Souza rebrand? Does that shop still exist? If you find out anything else that supports you hypothesis, hope you’ll LMK. Nan Hai Corp invests in several sectors, and its “Innovative Business” sector that invests in cosmetics seemed weird because it’s completely unrelated to its other holdings: “Nan Hai Corporation Limited is a Hong Kong-based investment holding company principally engaged in the property businesses. The Company operates through six segments. The Property Development segment is engaged in the development of properties. The Culture and Media services segment operates cinemas. The Enterprise Cloud Services segment provides enterprise cloud services. The Innovative Business segment is engaged in the retail of cosmetics. The News Media Business segment operates news media platform. The Other segments included trading of securities and property management.” Maybe you’re right that someone else was behind the C&E acquisition. Also I can’t believe that you’re still finding C&E-branded merchandise at TJ Maxx. They are incredibly old. However, I have two bottles of room spray that I bought more than 25 years ago at the C&E stores in NYC, and I kept them for old time sake, but recently I sprayed them and they still work just fine and smell just as lovely as they did decades ago. I agree with you that soaps should still be good. I am quite surprised that the fragrance in the Room Sprays and the Body Mists that you mention haven’t turned – but I guess like some vintage perfumes, quality scents can hold on over time
Dear Allison: I owned and ran a store called Fairchild’s Ltd that opened in 1983. IIt was extremely difficult to get the line when I opened. In 2000 I added a tea room Her Majesty’s English Tea Room. I was a proud supplier of Crabtree and Evelyn and remember as the changes all began. When Cy and Rebecca, his wife, first sold the company the drastic changes began including the use of synthetic bases for the scents. The art work, at one time, was not to be matched. The Lemon Cookies and Lemon Curd were always sell outs. I too collected the Mason mugs for many years and still have a few. Out of curiosity I went on line and was stunned to see the changes. Thank you for sharing this and the memories. Jacqueline Gillam Fairchild-author
Thank you, Jacqueline, for taking the time to share your connection to Crabtree and Evelyn. You certainly were involved with the company if you refer to the owners as “Cy and Rebecca”!! As a consumer (who also worked in advertising at 3 of the big NYC agencies), I completely fell for C&E’s lore. In fact, on one of my business trips to London, I took the tube on a day off to an address that must have been on a C&E product I owned. I knew that there wouldn’t be anything there about the company when I arrived at the address, but everything about the brand seemed so authentic that I needed to go and see for myself! I agree with you about the gorgeous art work, and the Lemon Curd was as delicious as making my own. I haven’t searched for Crabtree and Evelyn in a few years. What had been available was so disappointing that I would rather not know. Best wishes, Allison
Remembering C & E; wow, my favorite store. Have saved all the mailers, brochures; the soap boxes and packaging are works of art! I have a shelf in my bathroom that I keep my collection of soap boxes on. I knew all about the downfall but did find in Marshall’s some products, including Nantucket Briar. Interestingly, not the same as the original but a good substitution, bought all I could plus Iris, Rosewater, Wisteria, Lily of the Valley, Summer Hill made by a company in Canada. Every time I go into Marshalls, I see what they have. Loved the candles and the older products, Spring Rain, Savannah Gardens, Summer Hill, Lily of the Valley, Freesia, Jojoba and of course, Evelyn Rose. Some originals I am hoarding and using very sparingly. And remember the beautiful nightgowns? I have some of those too, C & E was such a romantic place to shop! Sadly, those stores are no longer.
Ooh, Crabtree & Evelyn….yes, I too loved Nantucket Briar, Summer Hill, Savannah Gardens bath gel, but there were other more exotic ones that were just incredible. Persian Lilac, which came in a beautifully illustrated box. Tiare Tahiti, another swoony jasmine scent and gorgeous box. I get so nostalgic thinking about those fragrances…. it’s now so hard to find good bubble bath–they either have very little fragrance or smell like men’s aftershave.
I did find some Summer Hill liquid hand soap at TJ Maxx the other day–it looks like it’s from Canada. I can’t recall the exact scent, but this version does smell nice. I’m going back for the bath gel tomorrow.
Gee, I don’t remember the more exotics fragrances from C&E! Persian Lilac would have been right up my alley, Kate! And yes, the packaging was gorgeous for just about all of the collections. Glad to hear that you found the Summer Hill liquid soap at TJs. I will have to make a trip there to see if I find something at my local store. I still have the Rosewater Bath & Shower Gel that I bought at Costco probably about 5 years ago. It looks like the old Rosewater and smells quite nice, though I thought that the company had been sold before when I bought it. However, it says made in the US and distributed by C&E Windsor CT, so who knows? Thanks so much for taking the time to weigh in on Crabtree & Evelyn, Kate! Hope the Summer Hill bath gel will be waiting for you at TJs 😀
Love that history. I live in England and used to love visiting C & E in Covent Garden and in Bath. My favourites were goatsmilk and patchouli. I have just had a birthday and received a bottle of Nantucket Briar shower gel, such a surprise memories came flooding back. Hence finding your history here
I suspect my present came from T K Maxx, i should keep it for posterity but no having smelt it i shall be using it. Happy days
I also loved goats milk, but I don’t remember patchouli in the stores in the US. Happy to hear about your birthday treat of Nantucket Briar shower gel! Did the gifter know about your feelings about C&E? What a thoughtful gift regardless of where it came from! I am especially glad that the scent was still lovely!
My sister worked in the corporate offices in Woodstock for a long time, and I used to love the products she’d bring home for us. When she passed away I received her collection of mugs, which have been packed in a box in my garage since 2009. I’ve decided to sell them, and I came across your website while doing research. Reading your post and the comments was a nice trip down memory lane.
Thank you, Eileen, for taking the time to tell me about your family’s relationship with Crabtree & Evelyn <3 I know you will have good luck selling your sister's collection of Anniversary Mugs. I hope you will fine someone to buy the entire collection. They are/were so lovely. Such a shame that the company is no more. Glad your sister got to work for C&E during "the glory days"!
I’m hoping you have the answer: who is the female entrepreneur with the beach vibe that did a collab with Crabtree & Evelyn? I’ve been scouring the internet and can’t seem to find her name anywhere!
To be honest, Michelle, I don’t remember that collaboration. But this is what I found on the net: “Yes, a designer with a beach-inspired aesthetic collaborated with Crabtree & Evelyn. In 2017, the brand partnered with designer Cléo Ferin Mercury to create a limited edition silk scarf featuring an all-over print of London icon stickers, which was available for free with online purchases of £75 or more from 4 September. While the specific “beach vibe” of the design is not detailed in the provided context, the collaboration was part of a broader creative effort, and the designer had previously created a scarf to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the ‘The Gardeners’ skincare range.”
Not sure if that helps since the items were not beachy in those collabs, could it be her?
Michelle – Was it India Hicks? There was a line with her name that was island themed around the early 2000’s.
I was walking down Kensington church Street in London one Saturday morning and I was looking in the window at Crabtree and Evelyn. A small navy blue 2 door car with the roof down pulled up at the lights. A lady with blonde hair and sunglasses smiled at me. I thought, she looks just like princess di.
Then I had to return to Australia and I loved visiting Crabtree and Evelyn in Canberra.
So I always loved the products, especially the special face cream. I have never found a replacement. And whenever I think of Crabtree and Evelyn I can see princess di smiling 🙂
Wow, Dani, that’s quite a story! How incredibly lucky to see Princess Diana <3 What a lovely C&E memory! Thank you for sharing it xo
Such a wonderful (but sad) article. Growing up in the 80s mall generation, C&E was ubiquitous and the stores always had an upscale presence. I always bought my mom Avocado soaps and Goat’s Milk soaps on her birthday, for years! Later on, I read an article in the New York Times about the wonders of triple milled soap and that’s when I became a soap snob! I still believe Crabtree & Evelyn shave soap was the best I’ve ever used. In fact, I still have a few tubes that I use very sparingly since I know once gone, gone forever. Thank you for sharing your memories! By the way, in our travels we stumbled over Ortigia Sicila that I read was founded by Sue Townsend, formerly of C&E.
Thank you, Michael, for weighing in on C&E. It was such a lovely brand, and the 1980s were truly its heyday in malls and in big cities. I recently found a bottle of Summer Hill hand wash, and though I don’t know when it was manufactured, it still smells divine. I’m glad you still have a few tubes of the shave soap. And thank you for the head’s up about Ortigia Sicilia. I will take a look. It sounds so familiar. I’m wondering whether I learned about it on Vietri’s website or Toscano Erborio?
Back in 1993 visiting from Australia, I had the privilege of walking past the Boston Crabtree & Evelyn store front on a daily basis for a week, whilst my then husband was on a working holiday. I drooled every day looking in those large glass shop windows, beautifully displayed. I always remember the incredible necklaces that draped across the perfumery and cosmetic products in the window dressing. At the time, I was looking for a perfume to give to my friend back in Aus, I think I could only get her a rose purse spray bottle, the Beautiful Rose or similar name eu de toilette, it truly smelled of roses. I still have my own bottle heart shaped in its box, the most creamy heavenly Lavender scent, and gosh even though it has been 33 years, this perfume remains as creamy and gorgeous as the day I bought it. Now that is true perfume. What a shame the company was sold out to ne’er do wells. I too checked out the mr google of what happened to Crabtree & Evelyn and heart sank. What a pity. Come on perfumiers like Justin B … speaking above, bring us something of your previous knowledge in a product we will proudly buy from good old US of A.
I was a devoted customer of Crabtree and Evelyn since the very beginning, since their products first came out. I delighted going into their stores and buying so many things for myself and gifts for others. It was my true go-to place. But they changed owners and the quality dropped significantly. Don’t be fooled!!! When one sees bottles of soap, of lotion, etc. for sale in stores, they are not “the real thing”, not even remotely close to the beautiful products they originally were. The ingredients they use now are just cheap, chemical stuff. Why couldn’t the quality be kept by the new owners? Such a sad thing for me. It was such a wonderful company!!!