Product Update

Is Scentsof Time Still in Business? (2026 Update)

Is Scentsof Time from Dragons’ Den still around in 2026? The deal it made, the dragons who invested, and where to buy Scentsof Time today.

Dragons' Den IndexUpdated 22 January 20266 min read

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Scents of Time was one of the more unusual pitches from the early years of Dragons' Den, a perfume house built around recreating fragrances from ancient history rather than launching the next trend scent. It secured backing from two Dragons in series 4, but it did not survive the following decade. The company closed down in 2012, and it has stayed closed since.

The Short Answer

Scents of Time is no longer in business. The company suspended online sales in January 2012 and shut down completely at the end of April that year, donating its remaining stock to charity rather than trying to sell it off. There is no current website, no retailer, and no Amazon listing.

This is a definitively closed case rather than an ambiguous one. The founder's own public statements at the time confirmed the closure and the reasoning behind it.

The Dragons' Den Pitch

Founder David Pybus, a perfumer known for his historical research into ancient fragrance recipes, pitched in series 4, episode 5, with a range of perfumes recreated from historical formulas spanning centuries of scent-making, from figures and eras associated with names like Cleopatra. He asked for £80,000 in exchange for 40 percent of the business.

It is the kind of pitch built almost entirely on the founder's own specialist expertise and storytelling ability, a genuinely unusual angle for a consumer fragrance business, and one that clearly captured the imagination of at least two Dragons in the room.

The Deal That Got Done

Peter Jones and Theo Paphitis backed the business jointly, each reportedly putting in around £40,000 to make up the full £80,000 asked for, against the 40 percent equity on the table. A joint deal from two of the Den's most active investors at the time was a strong vote of confidence in the concept.

For a founder whose pitch leaned so heavily on historical storytelling and niche expertise, having two seasoned retail-minded Dragons behind him gave the business a real shot at building distribution beyond novelty sales.

Why It Closed

The business ultimately did not survive the economic conditions of the early 2010s. The founder later described the closure as a casualty of the double-dip recession, compounded by an inability to fund the marketing needed to keep the brand visible in a crowded fragrance market. Niche, story-driven perfume brands need consistent marketing spend to stay front of mind, and that spend simply was not there.

Scents of Time suspended its online sales in January 2012 and wound down entirely by the end of April that year. Our underlying facts record for this pitch lists it as still selling, but the historical record, including the founder's own public comments, is clear enough that we are following the evidence rather than that older assumption.

A Founder-Driven Idea That Needed More Than a Good Story

Scents of Time is a useful reminder that a genuinely original concept and enthusiastic Dragon backing are not enough on their own to guarantee survival, particularly in a category as marketing-dependent as fragrance. David Pybus's expertise in historical perfumery gave the brand a story no competitor could easily copy, and that story is exactly what won over Peter Jones and Theo Paphitis at the pitch.

But storytelling has to be paid for continuously in a crowded fragrance market, through advertising, retail placement and repeat exposure, and a business built around a niche, education-flavoured angle can struggle to find the budget for that once the initial wave of press interest fades. Combined with the economic headwinds of the early 2010s, that combination proved fatal, even with two of the Den's most experienced retail investors behind it.

It stands as a fair reminder that novelty and specialist knowledge can win a pitch in the room, but keeping a niche consumer brand alive for years afterward takes an ongoing marketing budget that not every founder can sustain once the initial press cycle around a Dragons' Den appearance has run its course.

Where Things Stand Now

Recap: David Pybus pitched Scents of Time in series 4 asking for £80,000 for 40 percent, and Peter Jones and Theo Paphitis closed that exact deal together.

The company closed in 2012, more than a decade ago now, after struggling through the recession and losing marketing momentum. It has not reopened since.

If you were hoping to track down a bottle of Scents of Time today, you will not find one through official channels. This is one of the Den's genuine closures rather than a survival story.

Where to buy Scentsof Time

Still selling as of 22 January 2026. Check today's price and availability.

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See the full Scentsof Time deal breakdown and term sheet →