Our Journal
From thoughtful tips on fragrance and home living, you’ll find guides on how to enjoy our products, the stories behind our fragrances, and glimpses of life on our island home. Our journal is where we introduce you to the team behind Essence of Harris and share the inspiration that shapes everything we create.
Journal
Happy Holidays from Essence of Harris
As the year winds down, we wanted to take a moment to pause and reflect on the past year. Here are some highlights from 2025 that have made our year extra special...
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Thank You! From All of us at Essence of Harris
(1 min read)It is no secret that the last several years have been difficult on small businesses – particularly those on remote islands like ourselves. As everyone continues to venture in this new season of uncertainty in the world – our team knows one thing is for certain, that our loyal customer base will continue to support us and our mission to showcase our island home. Our most recent Black Friday was our largest to date - this is as a thank you to all of those who love our products and continue to support us, we wanted to ensure that despite current economic circumstances, everyone had a chance to take home the scents of the Isle of Harris or buy a gift for that special someone. Your purchase from us ensures we can continue to employ local individuals and build a brand that helps sustain the economy here on the island. As we look to the new year, sustainability will remain at the forefront of our business. We recognise the pressing nature of the climate crisis and respect that our customers want to purchase products they know are not contributing to the situation. We continue to innovate new packaging and glass solutions that maintain our premium quality but are kinder to the planet. Our refill stations in both our Tarbert and Prince’s Square stores remain open, and we sell refill options for our diffusers and hand & body wash. Our followers can also expect an expansion on our home living line in 2024. We’ve begun this journey this past year with the addition of our Harris Sands blanket and matching scarf – both 100% Merino lambswool and woven in the Scottish Highlands. The pantones of this collection have been inspired by the colours of our beloved Classic collection. Merry Christmas to all of our customers, near and far!
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Transforming Princes Square
Transforming our store in Glasgow’s Princes Square We’re super excited to share the new look of our Glasgow store in Princes Square. This year we decided to bring a more experiential, Hebridean feel to the shop. Our home on the Isle of Harris is at the heart of the brand and we thought it was important that our roots could be felt in our Glasgow store too. This led us to a complete redesign. When you enter the store, you’ll now be greeted with a wash of natural tones and textures echoing those found on Harris. A combination of characterful wood paired with rich blue walls, curved smoky glass and soft lighting create an atmospheric, coastal vibe. Bespoke lighting by Midton hangs above our scent station where we invite customers to discover each unique fragrance belonging to both our ‘Classic’ and ‘Elements’ collections. From the whipping fresh saltiness of Mara to the soft, sunny warmth of Losgaintir, each hand-poured candle sits on top of the star ingredient which when blended together create our luxury scents. We’ve kept our bespoke refill station which is a popular addition to both Glasgow and Tarbert stores. Customers can bring in their empty hand and body wash and refill them for less; saving their pennies as well as the planet. For those ordering online, diffuser refills as well as hand & body refill pouches can be purchased. This reduces single-use plastics as our refills use 80% less plastic than buying new! Sustainability is something we are very passionate about and we’re constantly learning and striving to implement this into our brand. You’ll notice little nods towards this throughout the store, like our candle jars repurposed as plant pots, empty diffusers storing matches or displaying stems of refreshing eucalyptus. For us, the design is all in the detail. If you look closely at our display wall, you’ll notice the organic de-bossed shelves cast dappled shadows across the blue to which look like the reflections of light dancing across water. So much of what is special about our Island is the beauty of nature and the lifestyle which accompanies living in this remote, beautiful landscape. To celebrate our home even more, you’ll now find gorgeous products by other Hebridean creators like Ruth A Morrison, Islewear and The Resin Chapter as well as from other Scottish independents like Iona Crawford and Zoe Scott who fit with out values and aesthetic too. We can’t wait for you to visit soon and see our transformation for yourself!
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We are in this together
The world has started to slowly open back up again; some of us have headed back to work, have dropped our children back at the school gates again, have started eating out at restaurants or have ventured out to see friends and family. And as lovely as it is for some of the routines of our pre-lockdown lives to resurface, it can be a difficult move to jump back fully into our “old” way of life. We completely understand that. It can be scary to face a world where so much of what we knew was closed off to the public for such a long time, and it can take time to adjust to some of the new guidelines and practices in place. We want to reassure you that we are here to help, and we want to try and make things as easy, relaxing and safe for you all as possible. - - If you visit either our Glasgow or Tarbert stores, you will find our team on hand to help- they are all wearing protective face coverings, and will talk through any queries or questions you have whilst remaining a safe 2m distance from you. Directional markers are on the floors of both shops to ensure that anyone visiting our store remains at a safe social distance. Additionally, our hand sanitiser is available throughout the shops to use and can be purchased should you wish to take one home with you, for use when you’re out and about. - Alternatively, if you don’t feel comfortable about heading in to see us in person just yet, we are now offering free one to one virtual consultations, so you can explore our Princes Square shop virtually, and from the comfort of your own home. You can take part in this consultation via Zoom, Facetime or a simple phonecall, and one of our brilliant team members will happily chat through any questions, comments or queries you have. - Creating calming experiences is what we love to do, and whether that experience is instore or virtually, we hope it will allow you to enjoy a moment of tranquillity amongst the hustle and bustle of this new way of life. - Sending our best wishes out to you all, from our island home to yours.
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New York, here we come!
January has gone by in a flash and it's hard to believe we are in February already. It's been a busy start to the year for the team at Essence of Harris as we get ready to head overseas to attend the NY NOW trade show in New York. It’s an exciting time for us here at Essence of Harris HQ as we prepare to fly out and showcase our hand poured, Scottish products to everyone in Manhattan. We lasted attended the show back in early 2020 and we can't wait to head stateside to see all our US customers in person after a long break due to covid-19. - The NY NOW trade show is held within the Javits Centre each year, and if you’re attending, you’ll find us at Booth 1749 between 6th- 9th February, exhibiting from 9am-6pm every day. We’re displaying our products in the Wellness Section of the show and can’t wait to be alongside some like-minded businesses all focused on wellbeing and relaxation! - Essence of Harris is a brand built on the love of the island we call home, and we hope to share that passion and the unique magic of the Outer Hebrides to as many people across the Atlantic as we can. We hope you can join in the journey with us; follow along on our social channels for all the updates! - You can read about the trade show here.
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