It’s likely that you have experienced Bramley already, even if you’ve never bought something from the range. Whether it’s a hand wash in your favourite country pub or a shampoo tucked into a boutique hotel bathroom, Bramley has become a staple supplier to British hospitality. Hannah Poon speaks with founder Chloë Luxton about a formula that hasn’t changed in 17 years, and the royal request that she thought was a prank.
Hand soap is rarely the first thing you notice when you check into a pub or country hotel. Yet those small, discreet details are what can truly elevate your experience. With a gorgeous scent and luxurious lather, a trip to the bathroom can have you walking back to the table insisting everyone smells your hands… It starts a conversation without even trying.
And that’s exactly what Chloë Luxton wanted when she founded Bramley over 17 years ago. She didn’t just want to create toiletries; she wanted to create an experience for customers. It’s a sentiment that has stayed true to the brand to this day.
Back in 2009, she and her husband Charlie packed up their lives in London for a fresh start in the countryside. They purchased The Beckford Arms in Tisbury and transformed it into a charming country escape with rooms.
However, when hunting for toiletries to include in the bathrooms, Chloë says she struggled to find products that weren’t packaged in single-use plastics or were made with synthetic ingredients. With sustainability at the heart of her beliefs, she took it upon herself to create products for their guests.
Chloë got in touch with an apothecary from Somerset and had a range of six products created: a hand wash, hand cream, shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion.
“It was everything you need for a night away, and each of the products had been carefully created with essential oils that were beneficial for their use (rosemary in the shampoo to support hair growth, for example).
“I’d found a beautiful book on our honeymoon with floral illustrations and used those on the original designs. When the pub opened, the toiletries were ready for the guests, and people seemed to really love them. “For me, it was seeing the men smell their hands when they left the bathroom that made me realise how good they were. Women do that all the time, but men usually pay no attention,” Chloë says.
“It was seeing the men smell their hands when they left the bathroom that made me realise how good they were”
Chloë Luxton
Chloë knew she was on to something when people started to ask if they could purchase the products. And that’s how Bramley was born.
The brand has grown slowly and organically, with much of the emphasis on elevating hospitality experience. As well as her husband’s line of pubs, hotels and restaurants, Chloë began supplying her creations to carefully selected locations – most notably, The Pig Group.
As well as increasing her hospitality customers, Chloë gradually added new formulas to the range. However, she says the original six have not been altered since they first appeared at The Beckford Arms.
“They’re just as good now as they were then, so why would I change them?” she admits.
Much of what followed came from Chloë’s own personal life, rather than a business plan.
When she became a mum, she created Little B as she couldn’t find anything she wanted to use on her children’s skin – or on the side of her bath. And as a dog lover, she launched Digby to create a wash that really worked at getting rid of smells (which Chloë herself admits is “disgusting”, especially when they roll in fox poo).
Hand soap is rarely the first thing you notice when you check into a pub or country hotel. Yet those small, discreet details are what can truly elevate your experience. With a gorgeous scent and luxurious lather, a trip to the bathroom can have you walking back to the table insisting everyone smells your hands… It starts a conversation without even trying.
And that’s exactly what Chloë Luxton wanted when she founded Bramley over 17 years ago. She didn’t just want to create toiletries; she wanted to create an experience for customers. It’s a sentiment that has stayed true to the brand to this day.
Back in 2009, she and her husband Charlie packed up their lives in London for a fresh start in the countryside. They purchased The Beckford Arms in Tisbury and transformed it into a charming country escape with rooms.
However, when hunting for toiletries to include in the bathrooms, Chloë says she struggled to find products that weren’t packaged in single-use plastics or were made with synthetic ingredients. With sustainability at the heart of her beliefs, she took it upon herself to create products for their guests.
“When you arrive at The Beckford Arms, you almost feel like you’ve taken a wrong turn into a private country estate. There’s a lake on the left and parkland on the right – you almost stumble upon the pub. I wanted toiletries in the bathrooms to reflect the beauty of the countryside we were in,” Chloë says.
Chloë got in touch with an apothecary from Somerset and had a range of six products created: a hand wash, hand cream, shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion.
“It was everything you need for a night away, and each of the products had been carefully created with essential oils that were beneficial for their use (rosemary in the shampoo to support hair growth, for example).
“I’d found a beautiful book on our honeymoon with floral illustrations and used those on the original designs. When the pub opened, the toiletries were ready for the guests, and people seemed to really love them. “For me, it was seeing the men smell their hands when they left the bathroom that made me realise how good they were. Women do that all the time, but men usually pay no attention,” Chloë says.
Chloë knew she was on to something when people started to ask if they could purchase the products. And that’s how Bramley was born.
The brand has grown slowly and organically, with much of the emphasis on elevating hospitality experience. As well as her husband’s line of pubs, hotels and restaurants, Chloë began supplying her creations to carefully selected locations – most notably, The Pig Group.
As well as increasing her hospitality customers, Chloë gradually added new formulas to the range. However, she says the original six have not been altered since they first appeared at The Beckford Arms.
“They’re just as good now as they were then, so why would I change them?” she admits.
Much of what followed came from Chloë’s own personal life, rather than a business plan.
When she became a mum, she created Little B as she couldn’t find anything she wanted to use on her children’s skin – or on the side of her bath. And as a dog lover, she launched Digby to create a wash that really worked at getting rid of smells (which Chloë herself admits is “disgusting”, especially when they roll in fox poo).
With botanicals at the heart of Bramley, Chloë grows a lot of the ingredients right here in Somerset. Their homegrown lavender, chamomile and rose petals are all used in the products. By using natural essential oils, they send a message directly to the brain, which is exactly why Bramley’s tagline is ‘botanical magic’.
“Once you discover essential oils, you don’t go back. My daughter is 11, and whenever we’re in a high-street shop and she wants me to smell a product, I can instantly smell the artificial ingredients. They just smell fake. I’ve seen the benefits of aromatherapy over the years. It’s so special. It’s authentic, and that’s why we’ve always stayed true to the ingredients,” Chloë says.
“When I saw the email, I thought it was a joke. I thought I was being pranked.”
Chloë Luxton
Chloë created Bramley to complement her husband’s charming country pub, but now it’s a staple in British beauty and wellness. Even if you’ve never owned a Bramley product yourself, you’ve likely used it in a pub or hotel. And that reach took Chloë further than she ever could have expected.
During lockdown, the now Catherine, Princess of Wales reached out personally, asking Chloë to help create care packages for families in need.
“When I saw the email, I thought it was a joke. I thought I was being pranked, but when I realised it was real, I just felt really honoured that they’d even heard of Bramley. Catherine asked if I could put together some products for families living in poverty, particularly from our Little B collection, and I was delighted to help.
“We give a lot of toiletries to charity and if there’s anything we can help with, we do try to. We’re long-standing supporters of the charity Plantlife, which works to protect and restore wild plants and flowers and connect people with nature. Obviously that’s very important to me,” Chloë says.
While sustainability and natural ingredients are being pushed in the industry, Bramley has been doing it all along. While they might be a staple in British beauty, they are fundamentally a small business with a small team.
“It is a very competitive market, and you do have to stay ahead of the game. However, we’re an independent brand, meaning we can try new things and have fun. We don’t take ourselves too seriously. I want the products to speak for themselves,” she says.
And 17 years on, that same instinct is shaping what’s next. At the end of last year, Chloë opened her flagship store in Bath’s Shires Yard to connect directly with consumers.
“I’m trying to make the shop a community. We hold workshops, pop-ups with other brands and even yoga. I wanted the shop to be a place where people come to breathe and chill out. And it seems to be working – someone took a nap in one of our chairs a few weeks ago!” Chloë says.
Bramley has evolved into a heritage British brand, with the original toiletries, skincare and now even a dedicated treatment cabin at her husband’s brand-new hotel, Teffont House.
While the products do ultimately speak for themselves (and they are exquisite), it’s Chloë herself that really sets Bramley apart.
Her mission has always been simple: create the best products with the best ingredients. 17 years on, she’s still very much at the helm of the brand, coming up with ideas and keeping Bramley true to its original mission.
By working with nature, every item in the Bramley collection offers a special moment and you don’t even know it’s happening.
bramleyproducts.co.uk