Item: Ffern
Rating: 1
Author: Whitney D

Ffern crafts a rotating collection of organic seasonal perfumes.

Ffern is an organic perfume maker based in Somerset, England. We release four perfumes per year, at the turn of the seasons. Strictly limited edition. Waiting list now open.

Beauty

Ffern earns polarized reviews: the brand delights many with beautiful, sustainable packaging, seasonal concepts, and long-lasting wear for some, but frustrates others with scents that read similar, fleeting, or unpleasant and a subscription that feels hard to cancel. Reviews of Ffern highlight the joy of the unboxing and tester vial, yet recurring complaints cite sameness across releases, inconsistent longevity, and convoluted cancellation/return flows—making it a considered gamble for buyers.

Ffern

Fern Fall 24

Ffern Summer 25

Ffern Spring 25

Ffern Fall 25

Ffern winter 24

Fragrances

I cancelled my card before I noticed I was in a subscription thing with them. And now they don’t let me cancel the subscription unless I pay for the next fragance. This thing makes no sense

Hi there! I was just wondering if you could share how the return process works — did you reach out to them via email, or was the return label included in the order somewhere.. can’t find it anywhere? Also, do you know how to cancel the subscription? Thanks in advance. 

Omg what the hell...I'm sending mine back today, let's see what happens 

Just cancel the card. I tried that it did t work. 

Hello! I did not even notice I got into a subscription with them. I just wanted to try a fragance. Now I’ve been getting messages asking me to change my payment method so they can charge me for the next fragance. I lost my card recently so I canceled it. But thank god because now I’m noticing this. So my question is, how do I cancel? I sent like 4 emails asking them to cancel and the response is: they’re too busy right now making a new fragance. The cancellation option is not available since I have to pay for another fragance that I still don’t even have. I feel I was caught into a trap and I really feel annoyed by the situation. Any help? :(( 

I had to call them and insist that they cancel even though I had done it in writing. Scammers from what I can tell.

I hear you. Same here.   It's a deliberate scam

Winter 26 Perfumers Candle

Autumn 25 Organic Eau De Parfum

Winter 26 Eau de Parfum

Spring 26 Organic Eau de Parfum

Summer 24 Eau de Parfum

Spring 26 Candle

Beltane Eau de Parfum

Imbolc Eau de Parfum 50ml

Natural Eau De Parfum

I have mixed feelings about Ffern. It has a sustainable approach in their production, beautiful packaging, and great customer service. But having received two of their fragrances, I can’t say I’m impressed. Both were very heavy on the floral/citrus and quite similar to one another - Ffern being a subscription service, I would prefer seeing more variety. That being said, making returns is very easy - they include a sampler with your package that you can use to test. If you don’t end up liking the scent, you book the return online, and send the package back! 

Well, I recvd. My order #24 winter. it is going back as soon as the UPS store opens tomorrow.Their return policy is a joke as well it's a brand new bottle of 129. 00$$ of my hard earned money . I'm not keeping a fragrance  that doesn't smell excellent.  I have HIGH standards in a fragrance period! This fragrance should NOT BE ON THE MARKET. Do not buy!  I can find better in a dept
 Store.

Shipped and arrived just as described.  Is very lovely and clean.  I am already excited about the spring shipment.  Communication and customer service are exemplary.
 

I have tried to cancel this for months. The company is terrible and no one responds and they keep charging me. I HATE this company. Stay clear!

I was online trying to figure out how to cancel Ffern for the third time and came across this! I was hoping it was some kind of mistake that Ffern keeps sending me their perfume after I have canceled it now three times already but I see I was wrong this was done on purpose by this company! DO NOT SUBSCRIBE TO THEM!

The product itself is fine, but the first two quarters I received were nearly identical in fragrance—making it a complete waste of money to receive two bottles. Unfortunately, with a busy schedule, I let the subscription continue for another two quarters, only to realize I hadn’t even opened the boxes. This is far more fragrance than I could ever use, let alone within a single quarter.

I returned my last box in the winter and assumed that was the end of it—until I saw an unexpected charge on my credit card this month. Apparently, returning the product wasn’t enough; I was also required to manually cancel my leger space. Now, after being charged again, I have to keep my leger open just to process a return before I can cancel. This deliberately convoluted system forces customers into a frustrating loop, requiring extra steps just to stop a subscription. To make matters worse, they don’t provide an easy way to request a return label through their website, adding another unnecessary hurdle.

Once I complete this return, I won’t forget to close my leger space, ensuring I’m finally done with this overpriced and deceptive process. I initially liked the concept of their product, but the reality was disappointing—fragrances too similar to justify repeated purchases, and a cancellation system that feels intentionally predatory. After this experience, I would never purchase from them again.

Avoid this company at all costs!!!  It's a subscription that is very hard to cancel.   They make it impossible to return and then you can't cancel your account because a new perfume is going to be delivered.  So they cleverly make it all but impossible and I guess that's how they make some money out of each new customer before the customer finally succeeds in cancelling.  They don't answer emails. They claim you can create a return on the website but cleverly do not have the facility to do that on the customer portal so there is actually no way to return without getting a reply from customer services.   UPDATE! I did get a return eventually.  But they just gave me credit and then that was charged for the next perfume.  So now I am trying to return the current one.   But although now I can find a return option it tries to get you to exchange for a previous perfume (which is not refundable) or it only allows you to choose credit.  When I actually want a refund.  So now I have to go through the whole customer service rigmarole again.... In summary, steer clear!

The first fragrance was love at first smell. It was not something I’d choose for myself but I did love it. Unfortunately the next two were awful and way too floral to the point that it affected my allergies. The third subscription was a candle and perfume I decided to return because I didn’t like the smell and they arrived damaged. I sent it back with the shipping label they provided and apparently it was never scanned by usps as being received. I’m still fighting them over this. For the perfume and the candle it was something like $280? And not I’m out the money and the products that were allegedly lost in the mail. This is so frustrating! 

Do not recommend. Overpriced - you're paying for the big fat marketing budget. The perfumes themselves are not at all consistent - 2 out of 4 were okay but for the money they really aren't worth it.  There is a lot of effort in podcasts, print, stories, films - but the perfumes just don't seem very sophisticated. Winter 2025 was awful - just strong nutmeg - and Summer 2025 literally smelled like urine as a base. I complained and was told it was because I wasn't applying it close enough to my skin. At the end of the day there are better options available, and this is all about false scarcity - apply for their exclusive ledger and go the 'huge' waiting list- and you'll be on in days . Save your money.

This stuff is absolutely horrible. It lasts about five minutes. They did a very good job of lowering me in on Instagram with all kinds of claims about how you had to get on a weight list, and everybody was raving about it. So I got on the waitlist and surprise, I was approved. Then it showed up. I tried it on. It doesn’t smell that bad, but it literally lasts five minutes. I contacted the company and they gave me several excuses about how I need to put it on my shirt or other clothing items and that it wouldn’t wear off as quickly that way, so I did that And surprise. It’s still only last five minutes. It’s very expensive and it’s a total rip off, so save yourself some money, and don’t get sucked into the hype.

I loved the little clip about the perfume pink sky at night and was curious . I just received the fragrance and it’s a huge deception . I don’t know how to describe it except it reminds me of 15 years old perfumes my grand ma wanted to give me . It is not fresh and thank god it does not last more than 5 minutes ! I will never buy a perfume without trying!

Ffern presents itself as an artisanal, exclusive perfume house - but in practice, it's a masterclass in manipulative marketing and poor customer service.

Like many others, I was intrigued by their branding: seasonal perfumes, small batches, and a “waitlist” that gives an air of exclusivity. To even join the waitlist, you’re required to hand over your credit card. Huge red flag I should’ve paid more attention to.

I was notified that my “seasonal scent” was shipping followed closely by a charge to my card. There was no clear reminder, no easy opt-out, and no meaningful communication beforehand. Worse, once you try to cancel or get support, you’re met with a near-impossible customer experience. They ignore emails, bury cancellation options, and make refunds nearly unobtainable.

Bottom line: Ffern uses scarcity and curated branding to engineer FOMO, but the actual experience falls flat. Illusion of luxury.

i have gotten 2 and they both smell like alcohol and you can’t return for cash. they give you in store credit for another perfume that smells like vodka. I also think it’s scary that I have not found a way to review on their site 

I find it frustrating to deal with this company. In August, I was told that there was an exclusive summer scent available. I put my name in to buy it and was told that I had not made the lottery. Then I about a week later I just told my order was being filled and had shipped. I didn’t receive the order so I contacted them and they said they were getting ready to ship it. I then received the order and got a notice that my order was being shipped which I thought was strange. It turns out they were shipping me a second order that I had not requested. I contacted them and asked them not to ship me a second order and they told me that although it did not yet been shipped and would not be shipped until September 22, they refused to stop the transaction despite the fact that I had not requested a second shipment. I find the customer service to be passive, aggressive, manipulative, maddening. Although I have specifically told them on multiple occasions not to ship me the product they still intend to do so, which would require me to return it. I’m giving them a zero. Plus their fragrances are not all that special. 

Lovely product!
It’s only the second fragrance that I received from them but, what an amazing experience they are. Excellent natural scents and feelings. Great presentation and art work. Pricing is just fair. Extra points for plastic free packaging. Extra Points for the vibe. 

Smelled actively bad, they trap you in a subscription and make it very inconvenient to cancel. Avoid at all cost. 

I came across Ffern on social media. 
Fragrance is definitely one of my ‘things’ and the idea of a small batch fragrance produced four times throughout the year using seasonal ingredients really appealed to me. 
I especially love that if the scent isn’t to your taste you can send it back & just wait to try the next release. 
A small tester vial is sent in the same package as the main fragrance so that customers may try the fragrance before committing. 
The packing is plastic free & can be used as compost giving the brand a further sustainable platform. 

Originally I discovered Ffern through Instagram and was able to get on the ledger for Spring 2023 after falling in love with its concept. I've now received Summer 2023 a couple weeks back and have decided to keep both. I was originally apprehensive about Fferm because a lot of reviews I came across during my research mention the "sameness" of the scents - this I could see, both on actual application and just in the ingredient list provided (you can tell what the perfumer prefers). However, as the perfumes transition from top to mid to base notes, you can definitely tell a difference, and they both age wonderfully on my skin. The unboxing experience is also a treat. 

What I like most about Ffern is that they offer a small sample packaging before opening the main bottle for you to test. If you don't like it, the returns are free. The price point is rather high ($129 USD), so this gave me a lot of peace of mind in trying out the ledger model (4 bottles a year as the season changes, and you can entirely skip twice a year). When trying out the sample, I recommend letting it sit a bit before you smell it, as the initial spray has a significant alcoholic smell. 

The whole packaging is compostable, and the small sample bottle is refillable with a bit of fiddling, which is perfect for short travels or just a touch up throughout the day when you're out. 

EDIT (9/20/23): Received the Autumn 2023 fragrance a couple days ago. The scent developed quite herbal/minty on my skin, so ultimately it isn't for me. Requesting a return was fairly simple - I had a button in my tracking link I could press to request a return, which took me to a Typeform. It was a short survey confirming you were returning, any feedback you had, and whether you wanted a full refund OR if you wanted to try an old but popular ledger scent they still had on hand. I opted for a refund (which will be processed upon receipt of the return package) and promptly received a returns label in my email. Quite easy and painless, so no complaints! 

EDIT: Successfully received my refund on 9/29, which was roughly 5 Business Days after my package was successfully returned. They sent an email out to confirm the refund. I'll admit I was a bit nervous regarding the refund process, but experiencing how smoothly it went was such a relief! With how risk-free the whole process is, I'll continue to stay on the ledger (until I decide I have too many perfumes haha).

I love the first drop and its my daily scent and I love it. However the second drop was an immediate turn off and was able to return. I think the buying without knowing is something I'm a fan of but also not a fan of. The packaging is so nice and you don't know what scent to expect so its like opening a gift every time. 

I love their sustainable packaging, and that they send testers with their products so you can return the bottle without opening it. I am interested to see what they have next! 

First time subscriber and I just received the Autumn 2023.  I agree with the others, the unboxing is a lovely experience. I loved the 2 teabags. Appreciated the sample bottle.  

But....

The terracotta disk didn't really maintain the fragrance. Not even when placed on top of a diffuser. 

And.

Sprayed it on the inside of my wrist and on the back of my neck, as suggested, and I smell like I rolled in the hay.  Asked several colleagues to sample and comment and the reviews were unequivocally "thumbs down".  Not worth the expense they said.  So back it goes. 

Will stay with Joe Malone.   I had hoped this would be an amazing experience.