James Atkinsons

James Atkinson left Cumberland for London in 1799, accompanied by a bear and a collection of recipes for scents and toiletries, establishing himself at 44 Gerrard Street, Soho. His bear-grease hair pomade drew early success, and his distinctly English eau de cologne caught King George IV's attention in 1826, earning Atkinsons the appointment as Official Perfumer to the Royal Court; he expanded to a Mayfair retail shop that same year, keeping Gerrard Street as his laboratory.