In 1971, they opened a hair salon at 58 South Molton Street in London.
Caroline Burstein and Michael Collis, the two visionary founders, established their first salon on Mayfair’s South Molton Street. Naturally, they have a worldview that centers on the person, which was revolutionary at the time. They have the top stylists in the country, and their work has been on multiple Vogue covers, all thanks to the hand-mixed botanical hair care products they create in the basement of their salon. The couple’s concern for the environment is groundbreaking; they refuse to do tests on animals and they establish an in-house vegetarian restaurant. They developed a cutting-edge line of botanical hair care items that are all cruelty-free and made from renewable plant materials.
In 1984, Orange Grove was introduced, now known as Orange & Bergamot, as the signature perfume of the Orange Grove Bath & Body collection. Soon after, its creators relocated production to Mott’s Hall, Elsenham, where they grew and dried the herbs used in their collections in the barn. Finally, they have published a book titled “A Way of Looking” that articulates Molton Brown’s philosophy on individual, holistic beauty and marks the end of this thrilling era.
With the release of the Environmental Statement in 1990, they made it official that there will no be animal testing. Master Perfumer Jacques Chabert creates the signature Re-charge Black Pepper fragrance. Chabert is also responsible for another fan favorite, Heavenly Gingerlily. Carla, Jacques’s daughter and a perfumer in her own right, created the equally beloved Coastal Cypress & Sea Fennel and its popular mate Fiery Pink Pepper ten years later.
They’ve kept loyal to their founding principles: a dedication to quality, concern for the world around us, and the creation of unique fragrances.