Empressa
Pay your way with
or 3 interest-free payments of€12.87with0% APR
- Authentic original perfume
- Try before the full bottle
- Travel-ready 3ml, 10ml, 30ml
- Long-lasting scent
Empressa by Penhaligon's opens on ripe blood orange and peach, brightened by bergamot, mandarin orange and a touch of pepper. Rose and geranium take over next, given texture by dewberry and cassis and lifted with neroli. The base is where it turns rich: patchouli, brown sugar and cacao sit under vanilla, sandalwood, olibanum and amber for a warm, slightly powdery finish. Launched in 2014, it is worn mostly by women who want a fruity floral with real depth rather than something thin. Voters place it in spring and autumn, worn through the day, and it works well for the office. Most wearers vote its longevity moderate, and the sillage vote lands there too, so it stays close rather than filling a room. A 3ml decant is enough to wear it to work for a week and see how it settles.
Ships within 1 working dayFree EU shippingFree shipping to
Selling out fast
Due to high demand, quantities are limited.
89% sold
Ends in
30-day money-back guarantee
Try it worry-free. If the scent isn’t for you, tell us within 30 days and we’ll refund your order.*
50,000+ scent lovers and counting
The community verdict
For someone drawn to soft fruit and rose, Empressa opens with blood orange and peach, then settles into brown sugar and patchouli. Most find both its lasting power and projection moderate. Spring days suit it best, including work; autumn is another option, and it can be worn in the evening.
Summarised with AI from perfume-community reviews
- Topfirst impression
- Bergamot
- Blood Orange
- Mandarin Orange
- Peach
- Pink Pepper
- Basewhat lingers
- Amber
- Brown sugar
- Cacao
- Musk
- Olibanum
- Patchouli
- Sandalwood
- Vanilla
- Brand
- Penhaligon's
- Scent profile
- For women
- Launched
- 2014
- Decant sizes
- 3ml, 10ml, 30ml
We ship across the EU. Orders over €75.00 ship free. Returns are accepted within 30 days of delivery.
Penhaligon's Empressa, hour by hour
How it opens, settles and lingers on skin.
Blood orange juice and brown sugar on a spring picnic rug.
What you smell
First spray0–15 min
- Bergamot
- Blood Orange
- Mandarin Orange
- Peach
- Pink Pepper
Heart15 min – 2 h
Dry-down2 h – 3–6 h
- Amber
- Brown sugar
- Cacao
- Musk
- Olibanum
- Patchouli
- Sandalwood
- Vanilla
- Lasts
- 3–6 h
- Moderate
- Sillage
- Moderate, 2 of 4
What wearers say
Votes from fragrance communities, most-voted answers first.
Longevity490 votes
Most voted: 54%Moderate
28%Long lasting
Sillage579 votes
Most voted: 58%Moderate
19%Strong
Season490 votes
Most voted: 44%Spring
34%Autumn
Time of day490 votes
Most voted: 49%Daytime
25%Evening
See all votesHide votes
Longevity490 votes
- Very weak4%22 votes
- Weak9%42 votes
- Moderate (Most voted)54%263 votes
- Long lasting28%139 votes
- Eternal5%24 votes
Sillage579 votes
- Intimate15%88 votes
- Moderate (Most voted)58%334 votes
- Strong19%109 votes
- Enormous8%48 votes
Season490 votes
- Spring (Most voted)44%218 votes
- Summer14%71 votes
- Autumn34%167 votes
- Winter7%34 votes
Time of day490 votes
- Daytime (Most voted)49%241 votes
- Office15%73 votes
- Evening25%124 votes
- Night out11%52 votes
Which size is right for you?
Every size is decanted from the same original bottle.
At 3 sprays a day.
Loved by 50,000+
Why scent lovers try it with us before they buy the bottle.
Hand-decanted from the original bottle
Decanted by hand from authentic bottles, never diluted.
Wear it for days before you commit
Live with it at work, at night and at the weekend before you buy a full bottle.
Just like the full bottle
A fine-mist atomiser sprays like the original, so it opens, projects and lasts on your skin the way the full bottle does.
10ML vs a blind buy
What a decant gives you that a bottle bought unsmelled can’t.
Why 10ML?
Blind buy
Authentic original perfume
Yes
Yes
Smell it on your skin before you buy
Yes
No
Try several scents for one bottle’s price
Yes
No
Travel-ready atomiser
Yes
No
No full bottle wasted if it’s not for you
Yes
No
If you like Penhaligon's Empressa
Perfumes that share its most characteristic notes.
- Save 38%
Shares cassis · peach
- Save 38%
Shares brown sugar · mandarin orange
- Save 38%
Shares peach · geranium
- Save 36%
Shares cassis · rose
- Save 36%
Shares cassis · peach
- Save 36%
Shares cassis · mandarin orange
- Save 38%
Shares olibanum · rose
- Save 36%
Shares cassis · peach
Layer it with
Chosen for jasmine, vetiver and orange blossom, notes that often share a formula with its neroli, geranium and mandarin orange in the perfumes we stock.
Penhaligon's
Empressa layered with
- Save 36%
- Sale · 10% off
- Save 37%
- Save 36%
The house
More from Penhaligon's
Penhaligon's goes back to 1870 in Britain, when William Henry Penhaligon, a barber from Cornwall, founded the house and later served as perfumer to the court of Queen Victoria. Today it pairs that history with playful, character-led scents, many named like people in a story. Warm spice runs through much of it: cardamom, saffron and black pepper over vanilla, amber, tobacco and sandalwood. Start with Halfeti, woody and spiced with an aromatic lift. Changing Constance is caramel and vanilla with a peppery glow, and The Blazing Mr Sam is tobacco and spice over woods. Empressa is the bright one, citrus and fruit.
Frequently asked questions
What does Penhaligon's Empressa smell like?
Penhaligon's Empressa opens with Bergamot, Blood Orange, Mandarin Orange and Peach. The heart brings Cassis, Dewberry, Geranium and Neroli. It dries down to Amber, Brown sugar, Cacao and Musk.
Is Penhaligon's Empressa long lasting?
Shoppers on fragrance communities most often rate its longevity as moderate (54% of votes), and 33% rate it long lasting or eternal. They most often rate its sillage as moderate (58% of votes). How long it lasts on you also depends on your skin and how much you apply.
Is Penhaligon's Empressa good for summer?
Shoppers on fragrance communities rate it mainly for spring; summer takes only 14% of season votes.
Is Penhaligon's Empressa good for winter?
Shoppers on fragrance communities rarely pick it for winter: only 7% of season votes go to winter.
Is Penhaligon's Empressa for day or night?
Shoppers on fragrance communities mostly wear it by day: 64% of time-of-day votes are for daytime or the office, 36% for evenings and nights out.
Can I wear Penhaligon's Empressa to the office?
Shoppers on fragrance communities rarely pick it for the office: only 15% of time-of-day votes go to the office.
Who makes Penhaligon's Empressa?
Empressa is made by Penhaligon's. It was launched in 2014.
How many wears is a 10ml decant of Penhaligon's Empressa?
A 10ml decant of Penhaligon's Empressa holds about 200 sprays, roughly 67 days of wear at 3 sprays a day. The 3ml decant holds about 60 sprays, around 20 days. The 30ml decant holds about 600 sprays, around 200 days.
Which other Penhaligon's perfumes can I try?
Besides Penhaligon's Empressa, 10ML has Halfeti, Changing Constance and The Blazing Mr Sam from Penhaligon's, each decanted from the original bottle.
Is this Penhaligon's Empressa decant the original perfume?
Yes. Every Penhaligon's Empressa decant is filled by hand from an original Penhaligon's bottle, with nothing added or diluted, so it opens, dries down and lasts on your skin the way the bottle does. We sell only authentic originals.
What is a decant?
A small amount of a perfume, taken from its original bottle and put into a travel atomiser. You get the real fragrance in a size that lets you live with it for days before you decide on the full bottle.
How does the money-back guarantee work?
If a scent isn’t right for you, get in touch within 30 days of it arriving and we’ll arrange a refund. Terms apply. See our refund policy.