How Covent Garden is becoming London's beauty capital

Covent Garden has its sights set on becoming London’s beauty capital, and with four luxury fragrance houses preparing to open or expand in the neighbourhood this year, it's headed that way. Byredo, Matiere Premiere, Initio Parfums Privés and Parfums de Marly are all committing to new stores.

Byredo is set to open a 1,100 sq ft boutique inside the Market Building, joining its existing location in Seven Dials. The new space will showcase its high-end fragrance alongside make-up, home, leather goods and accessories.


Parisian brand Matiere Premiere has chosen Covent Garden for its first UK flagship, opening at 31 King Street. Co-Founder and General Manager, Cédric Meiffret, said: "Covent Garden has long been a location that embraces and celebrates innovation, creativity, and craftsmanship. There is no other place more suited to host our first UK flagship. This location will be an opportunity for clients to experience the direct link between the most beautiful natural raw materials and Matiere Premiere fragrances, surrounded by the top labels within the luxury beauty industry."
Initio Parfums Privés will make its UK debut by moving into Parfums de Marly’s former space in the Market Building. Meanwhile, Parfums de Marly itself is upsizing to a new 1,000 sq ft boutique at 31 James Street, placing it alongside Apple, Glossier and Charlotte Tilbury.

Julien Sausset, CEO of Parfums de Marly and Initio Parfums Privés, commented: "Our move to James Street echoes the sheer growth we’ve experienced at Covent Garden, and the loyalty we have built with landlord Shaftesbury Capital and the numerous visitors over the years.

"Our new space at James Street will allow us to elevate our customer experience even further and offer more services and ranges that reflect our heritage, opulence, and artistry. We are committed to being part of Covent Garden’s impressive luxury beauty line-up and look forward to seeing this grow even further."
Shaftesbury Capital sees the influx of fragrance names as proof of Covent Garden’s unique pull in the luxury beauty sector. William Oliver, Director of Retail and Restaurant Leasing, said: "Four exciting new fragrance brands have committed to Covent Garden, which speaks volumes about our role as the leading destination for luxury beauty in the UK, already home to a host of world-class fragrance houses and an epicentre where brands can launch, innovate, and thrive.


"We deliver unparalleled quality, and this is shown time and time again by prominent names in the industry continually choosing Covent Garden, as we continue to lead the way and curate a world-class beauty environment."
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This year alone, Covent Garden has welcomed a wave of prestige beauty activations. Earlier this month, Aveda launched its first immersive experience in London to mark the debut of its new Miraculous Oil. Last month, Never Fully Dressed popped up in Covent Garden to celebrate the launch of its fragrances. This followed Sculpted by Aimee's pop-up in the area in June.
According to Shaftesbury Capital, the property group behind much of Covent Garden’s retail leasing strategy, beauty is now one of the district’s most powerful traffic drivers. Glossier’s flagship location on Floral Street, for example, has become a consistent crowd-puller, helping to cement the area’s status as a launchpad for digitally savvy and community-driven brands.

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The four openings will sit alongside an already heavyweight line-up of niche fragrance, including Creed, Diptyque, Jo Malone London, Le Labo, Miller Harris and Penhaligon’s, plus luxury beauty players such as Chanel, Tom Ford, Glossier, Guerlain and Charlotte Tilbury.
The news also builds momentum ahead of Covent Garden’s first Big Beauty event, a 10-day celebration of beauty and wellness running from 4-14 September, which will see the Piazza and surrounding streets transformed into a multi-sensory playground.