We recently fell head over heels for Spring 25, Ffern’s latest seasonal fragrance—a lush, luminous ode to violets that somehow bottled both fairy-tale nostalgia and a sunlit forest floor. (If you missed that feature, catch up here)
But the more we learned about Ffern, the more we wanted to pull back the curtain on the duo behind the brand. Because this isn’t your average perfume house. Ffern is a lesson in living well—rooted in nature, guided by the seasons, and built with a kind of thoughtful restraint that feels downright radical in today’s fast-paced world.
In this candid conversation, co-founders (and siblings) Owen Mears and Emily Cameron share what it really takes to run a values-driven brand, how they balance creativity with craft, and the small rituals that keep them grounded through it all. It’s a little bit scent, a little bit philosophy—and a whole lot of inspiration.
Living Well with the Founders of Ffern: Owen Mears & Emily Cameron
When you first envisioned the brand, what did you feel was missing in the industry that you wanted to bring forward?
Owen: Ffern was founded with the mission of restoring perfume to its artisan roots. Very early on, before we even made our first perfume, I became fixated with a 19th century maverick chemist and perfumer called Joseph Robert. In 1884, Robert developed the process for extracting absolutes (twice-purified perfume oils) from natural ingredients. It was an incredible innovation! But when we started looking at the modern perfume industry, we couldn’t understand why so many artisan techniques like Robert’s had been lost.
We really wanted to reinvigorate these lost arts. So we set out to take natural ingredients – with all their beautiful molecular complexity – and the techniques used to grow and extract them more seriously than anyone else making perfume today.
The ledger model feels as much about conscious living as it does about exclusivity. How did that idea come about—and was it always part of the vision?
Emily: It came together quite organically, growing out of our love for the seasons and for nature. We didn’t set out to be exclusive, but by making just enough fragrances for the members named on our ledger (as well as a few bottles for our archive), we’re able to maintain our high natural and ethical standards. Our ledger helps us keep production and waste to a minimum, as it means that we are never making more bottles than we need.
Do you have a daily wellness practice or routine that supports your creative and mental clarity?
Emily: Whether I’m in the studio or out in the countryside with my children, I try to make some time in the day to really notice the seasons changing around me. Long, hot baths with essential oils, and reading novels before bed are my rituals.
Owen: If I need a moment of calm, to settle myself I’ll light a scented candle. I think life is enhanced when it’s tied to ritual, and of course, I believe in the anchoring power of scent, particularly when you’re in a low energy state. There’s something very warming and almost primal about lighting a flame.
Working closely as siblings and co-creators requires both trust and shared vision. How do you divide roles creatively, and what do you each bring to the process that the other might not?
Both: At a high level, Owen drives product development and Emily is focused on creative direction, storytelling and the brand. Like most business partners, we ask each other for advice and share ideas with each other constantly.
And we are incredibly lucky in that many of Ffern’s values stem from our shared childhood in Somerset. We loved growing up together (along with our brother Matthew) and were always creating things like elaborate dens or, as we got older, short films. Sharing such formative years puts us in a unique position where we don’t have to explain much to each other. Instead, we can get straight to the heart of things, and focus on the challenges that come with pursuing Ffern’s ambitions.
What has surprised you most about running a values-driven business in a fast-paced, highly commercial world?
Emily: We’re constantly amazed by the level of support and engagement we receive from our community. We never expected the relationship to become so symbiotic – it’s genuinely such a privilege to see them connect with what we do. Some of our members have been with us since the very beginning, and we’re surprised and delighted each season by how many members share feedback that enables us to respond to their needs.
Do you ever think about what the scent of ‘Ffern’ might be, if the brand itself had a signature fragrance?
Owen: If it’s not too much of a cop-out, it’d be impossible to pick one scent. The very nature of our fragrances (no pun intended!) is that they are seasonal, and as such, this means they change. We believe there is beauty in the ephemeral, cyclical parts of nature, so the concept of sticking to just one signature scent is one we actually enjoy disrupting…
But in terms of notes, there are of course qualities and scent profiles we return to. At Ffern, we love a fougère or chypre aspect – there’s usually something sparkling and floral, and something earthy and grounding, almost mineral, to anchor each fragrance we make.
What’s your process for conceptualizing each new seasonal release? How far in advance are you dreaming, researching, and developing the scent and story?
Emily: We work about a year ahead – giving ourselves time to develop our creative vision, research new ingredients, test them, develop the blend, create the fragrance… We often begin with a specific moment or place – an evocative memory from the season that will guide us along. I will then create a short story and a moodboard that roots our concept in clear visuals. It’s then that we start collaborating and developing the scent with our in-house Nose, Elodie Durande.
Owen: Once the fragrance has been created, it goes through a two-stage barrel-ageing process. In natural perfumery, where the scope for chemical interaction is much greater than in synthetics (natural ingredients contain far more molecules) this process can make an enormous difference to the end result. All of this is to say that we have a very long production timeline. It means we can’t follow trends (even if we want to) and have to draw down for our inspiration, turning to memory and nature.
Has building a sustainability-led brand affected your personal relationship with consumption and the things you choose to bring into your own homes?
Owen: Sustainability is something we’ve always championed, long before starting Ffern. And actually now, it’s not that we just want to be sustainable, but we want to get to a point where we’re making a positive impact.
It’s so hard to disentangle Ffern’s values from our own personal habits, but certainly the sustainable and seasonal approach is one we value in other brands and items we consume. For example, I’ve spent years developing the reusable electric-forged recycled stainless steel vessel for our Perfumer’s Candle. It involved so much searching and passion that after going through that process it would be very difficult to consider adopting a throwaway mentality.
What advice would you give to someone building a brand from a place of integrity and restraint, especially in a world that rewards visibility and volume?
Emily: Hold tight to your vision. You should never be afraid to challenge accepted norms and do things differently. There were things when we started Ffern that others in the industry might have considered radical – like our insistence on using only the highest quality natural ingredients, or our refusal to use plastic in any item we create. These were matters we didn’t compromise on, and they have served us in the long run. In our studio, we try not to send work into the world until we are really proud of it.
If someone were to look at Ffern as a reflection of your personal values, what do you hope they’d see?
Emily: Awe and reverence for the natural world, appreciation for beauty, and an encompassing desire to find and bring joy.
Complete this sentence: Living well means… Emily: Feeling grounded and a part of nature her rhythms.
The post Living Well with Ffern Founders Owen Mears and Emily Cameron: On Scent, Storytelling, and the Quiet Beauty of Seasonality appeared first on The Chalkboard.