There’s more to Japanese brand, Shiro, than fragrance but it’s such an encompassing range with make up, fabric care, room fragrances and perfume that I had to narrow it down somewhat. Fragrance is a big part of Shiro but these are undressed, understated, natural scents designed to be a background narrative to living – you won’t find anything booming or overblown in their line up. The entire philosophy of Shiro is to be as natural as possible: they meticulously research ingredients, meet the producers and extract in the most effective ways whether steaming or simmering. Key to the skin care arm is Sake Kasu, a sake by product, and Gagome Kombu taken from kelp.
What’s striking about the products that I’ve taken a look at (above is the fabric softener in Peony and the Flaxseed Skin Soap plus the solid fragrance in Savon) is that they’re so clean smelling! The Mandarin Orange room fragrance is a bitter orange, not too sweet but very orange-y without being overwhelming. Savon just smells prettily of soap – it’s lovely – and Peony (which I couldn’t get into my washing machine quick enough) has given a fresh flourish to my towels.
Shiro has recently opened three UK stores (all London based) and a website (HERE). It’s the antidote to the ‘too-much-ness’ that a lot of brands are bringing right now – to enhance the white space we’re all craving without intruding on it with even the packaging being as low key as possible. Needless to say, it’s in the luxury pricing (also fits with the buy less but buy better trend) bracket so I think you need to feel convinced by it, which is where the UK website lets things down a little. It just doesn’t tell you enough about what you’re buying into – I hope they make it better. So, Room Fragrance is £85, Fabric Softener is £25 (also see the intriguing Anti-Mite Mists!) and Solid Fragrance is £40. The Flaxseed Soap (I haven’t tried it yet) is £22.
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