Pelegrims

Ellie has been with us from the start - pretty much everything that we make, mix, melt and blend has been made by her at some point in the last 6 years or so.

She holds everything together for us and steers the Pelegrims ship. We're lucky to have her!

Science in the Soil of the North Downs // Vineyard to Skin: traceable, potent and proudly local

The recent survey reminded us that we should re-introduce ourselves from time to time. Not the range but the science behind it.

Pelegrims harnesses the science of grapevine polyphenols to bring the grape’s potent biological legacy directly to your skin.

Amongst the vine’s remarkable compounds, Resveratrol is one of the most celebrated and is present in particularly rich concentrations in the seeds, skins and stalks (collectively known as pomace) that remain after harvest.

Resveratrol is produced naturally by the vine as a defence mechanism against environmental stressors such as UV radiation, fungal attack and drought, meaning it is essentially the grape’s very own protective chemistry.

In skincare, resveratrol is highly rated for its powerful antioxidant properties, its ability to neutralise free radicals and its role in supporting the skin’s natural collagen structure and cellular resilience.

By extracting this compound directly from the pomace of Pinot Noir and Ortega grapes grown at Westwell Vineyard, Pelegrims captures a bioactive ingredient at its most concentrated; a truly local, harvest-driven source of one of nature’s most potent skin-protective molecules.

Enjoy the Force of Nature from the Vineyard to your Skin!

Picture credit: Patrick Desgraupes (Cosmogony of Wine)

Marnie has been with us for a couple of years now, recently returning from her maternity leave to continue production of all our products. As well as helping with production she is an illustrator and designer and you'll find some of her illustrations on our products: the Grape Leaf Sheet Masks, Detox Tea, Facial Serum and Candles to list only a few!

Last week she was adding the finishing touches to our new incense cones that have been selling fast recently.

Our second fragrance...just in time for the long sunny days.

Bright and slightly fruity notes of English Peaches, Red Apples and dusty Fig Leaves have been blended with lactonic and savoury elements to evoke fresh cream, cut grass and spring water.

Our latest creation is a unisex fragrance that helps bring forward the English summer - wear summer or winter to help brighten and inspire.

Top: Fresh Peach, Cream and Red Apple
Middle: Cut Grass and Bitter Fruit
Base: Spring Water and Amber

If you’re in London this week for work or for fun at the Chelsea Flower Show and London Wine Fair, come and say hello. We’re at the Spring Fair (in collaboration with ). Lovely to meet existing and new Pelegrims fans in person.

Autumn recently joined us to work between the Canterbury store and our Folkestone warehouse, supporting both teams for making our products as well as teaching our customers about the Pelegrims story.

This is our favourite time of the year - going through the hundreds of responses to our annual survey (zoom in on the picture above - it’s cool)

The message was loud and clear: you like us for who what we stand for as much as for our products themselves. And we should approach growth with caution in case we lose our soul along the way.

Pace is something that we obsess about - we are not guided by quantitative scale at the expense of longevity of the brand. We’re not in a rush and good things take time.

Turning to your direct feedback:

If Pelegrims didn’t exist, what would you miss?
The scents and textures
Our ethos: craftmanship and traceabilty of ingredients
Supporting an independent brand

What should be be working on next
No1 request: a cream-based Face moisturiser (to go alongside the Balm and Oil)
No2 request: higher factor SPF (ideally 50)
And a long tail of great ideas which we’ll take to the R&D lab to consider for 2027

Our range of products has grown a lot over the past few years.

We're always conscious and careful not to grow too quickly but at our own pace - a pace that feels natural to us. Each new product we release has been chosen after a lot of thought and attention and the whole team gets excited when the latest formulation is ready for the world!

Here are some of the latest products that we've brought out that you may have missed but should definitely try soon. Each has been formulated and made by us in our lab (20 mins drive from the vineyard).

Try online or in store.

The first in a series of our staff portraits to show the team who make all of our products.

This is Jacob, our Customer Service Manager / Production assistant, who recently joined the team in Folkestone to answer any of your order issues, how to use advice and general assistance as well as joining us in making everything in the range.

Today he’s been finishing off a new batch of our bestselling Summer Exploration candles 🕯️

Engineered for Tired and Thirsty Hands
(And Deserves More Attention)

There are 2 of them. You probably know the Hand Cleanser - the crowd favourite, the one that gets passed around and talked about. And then there’s its often but undeservedly overlooked twin.

Meet the Polyphenol Hand Cream.
The Hand Cream was engineered for tired, thirsty hands. At its heart is our signature English Ortega Grape Vine Extract, which actively stimulates skin cell regeneration and visibly improves the skin’s appearance over time. Alongside it, Hyaluronic Acid draws moisture deep into the skin while Provitamin B5 locks it in and soothes.

The result is intense, lasting hydration that works with your skin rather than just sitting on top of it.

And the scent? Rosemary Leaf, Fig and Amber - warm, uplifting, and unmistakably Pelegrims.


However you choose it, your hands will thank you.