JOIN the AFICIONADOS
Get the insider news and lowdown on what we've been up to, where we've been, and who we've met along the way. Be the first to discover new places and get the scoop on our favourites.
In the heart of England's Somerset rolling countryside lies Commune, a brand synonymous with ethical elegance and natural craftsmanship. A vision brought to life by husband-and-wife duo Kate Neal and Rémi Paringaux, Commune is rooted in the belief that everyday rituals should be as meaningful as they are sustainable.
Commune is not skincare as usual. It is a philosophy in recyclable aluminium. It is the return to rhythm and slowness, to finding harmony in the everyday. Their formulations – body wash, body cream, shampoo, conditioner, hand wash and hand cream – are crafted in the UK from 99% naturally derived botanicals, free of the chemical culprits that clutter most bathroom shelves. The packaging is precise, tactile, and considered: bespoke pumps, clean lines, endlessly recyclable vessels.
The brand’s signature scent, Seymour, reads like a perfumer’s poem. Grapefruit and lemongrass spark the top, a heart of geranium, clary sage and lavender slows the tempo, while galbanum, hiba wood and cypress bring it all down to earth. It is fresh yet grounding, elegant yet quietly radical.
What distinguishes Commune is not only what is inside the bottle but how the whole is conceived. Every detail, from the choice of oils to the weight of the pump, has been made with longevity and beauty in mind. It is an approach rooted in design integrity: never cut corners, never compromise on materiality. That design-first philosophy is a throughline of the founders’ lives – Paringaux with his background in creative direction and publishing, Neal with her deep knowledge of luxury fashion, sustainability and natural perfumery. Commune is their combined lexicon translated into a daily ritual.
Beyond the formulations, Commune moves into the home with its candle collection, where scent becomes architecture. Each fragrance is sculpted with the same perfumer’s precision as their body products, poured in soy and beeswax blends, housed in sleek aluminium vessels crowned with tactile stone. They are objects to keep, to refill, to cherish.
Community is more than a name. Commune sees self-care as an act of connection: to self, to place, to one another. Its founders speak of “celebrating the world at our doorstep,” a philosophy that resonates in Bruton, where international art rubs shoulders with Somerset soil. The brand’s store here is not simply a shopfront but a gathering space, a quiet counterpoint to modern noise.
Commune’s reach extends beyond Somerset to global stockists such as SSENSE, Harrods, Goop, JOYCE and Estelle Manor. Yet its Bruton flagship is its truest embodiment, a physical anchor for a brand that has always balanced the intimate with the universal.
Commune is for those who appreciate beauty without excess, design without waste, ritual without pretence. It is luxury recast through responsibility, an everyday indulgence shaped with conscience. In Bruton, among the galleries, kitchens and chapels, Commune finds its natural habitat – a place where care, craft and community speak the same language.
Commune’s hand cream continues the brand’s design-first approach to daily ritual. Formulated with 99% naturally derived botanicals, it nourishes with rich fruit oils and natural butters while avoiding synthetic fragrance, parabens and sulphates. Light in texture yet deeply restorative, it absorbs quickly, leaving skin balanced rather than coated. As with all Commune creations, it comes in recyclable aluminium with a bespoke reusable pump – a small act of care for both body and planet.
Commune extends its ethos into home fragrance with a candle collection shaped around three families: Vetiveria, Osmanthus and Nymphaea. Offered as Lux for day or Nox for night, they are poured in soy and beeswax and set in recyclable aluminium vessels crowned with stone. “Our candles are a sensory dialogue with nature,” says co-founder Kate Neal, designed as lasting companions to Commune’s wider ritual.
“We believe self-care should be an act of mindfulness, a way of connecting with the world around us,” says Kate Neal. “Our products are more than just beautiful—they’re a commitment to sustainability and thoughtful design.”
This philosophy touches every aspect of Commune’s process, from responsibly sourced ingredients to packaging designed with longevity and elegance in mind. By choosing Commune, you’re supporting a movement that prioritises the planet without compromising on quality or sophistication.
Entrepreneur turned sustainability crusader Sian Sutherland thinks we can and should be tackling the plastic crisis head on - PlasticFree’s goal of eradicating one trillion pieces of plastic waste from the global economy by 2025.
read more
Where wilderness leads, we follow. Wildland revives Scotland’s lost forests with raw ecology, bold vision and wild stays – untamed, off-grid, and stitched with soul.
read more
Wellness and the Alps have always been inextricably linked due to the abundance of fresh mountain air, crystal clear water and the proximity of nose-tingling pine forests.
read more
How do you get, in thought, from a theatrical backdrop of the UNESCO-listed lake hideaway in Switzerland and an Irish bolthole on a remote island to watching a vintage episode of The Waltons?
read more
Remote, raw, and radical – Orkney’s conservation fight is rewriting the story of island survival with dogs, birds, and 6,000 stoats. Nature is taking back control.
read more
Where wilderness meets radical architecture, soulful stays and culture-led adventures – join us in chasing raw nature, good people and unapologetically beautiful escapes across the wild corners of the world.
read more
Cryo at –110°, forest rituals, biohacks and breathwork – Forsthofgut’s waldSPA Health carves out a bold new rhythm of Alpine wellness where design, diagnostics and elemental nature power the body back to life.
read more
The botanics of nature from cold-pressed organic, virgin Opuntia (Prickly Pear) oil infused with the aromatherapeutic benefits of Geranium Bourbon, Neroli, and Spanish Sage.
read more
Manhattan goes minimalist. Hidden in The Greenwich Hotel, Shibui Spa channels Japanese Onsen rituals, ancient bodywork and luxury healing in a space built from 250-year-old temple wood.
read more
When passion, innovation and technology come together the results can be powerful. Climeworks, founded by university pals Dr. Christoph Gebald and Dr. Jan Wurzbacher, is an ambitious yet wholly operable business that captures existing carbon dioxide directly from the air.
read more
Ariane was living in New York as a lobbyist for sustainable and organic farmers when she felt the pull of her family’s farm in Tuscany. With her experience in sustainable agriculture, she decided to begin the journey to organic certification for her rice farm.
read more
The ancient Caledonian forest and its temperate pines are still in evidence and here red deer, osprey, golden eagle and the native wolf can be seen. Sea cliffs, mirror-like lochs and peaty bogs reveal more diversity from guillemots, otters and seals.
read more
Get the insider news and lowdown on what we've been up to, where we've been, and who we've met along the way. Be the first to discover new places and get the scoop on our favourites.