Jo Malone London was created in the 80’s, but it was in 1999 that they truly got their recognition as one of the best perfume producers in the world. We have gone through their whole collection, to find the best Jo Malone scents on the market today. Which one will be your favorite?
When speaking about Jo Malone, most people tend to think about their top scent Nectarine Blossom & Honey. It’s a mature and fruity fragrance, suiting perfectly for warm summer days. It’s still one of their best.
But we realized that there are much more to the brand. Much more.
Initially, we wanted to pick the 10 best perfumes from Jo Malone – but we ended up with 10 great scents. We simply couldn’t take any of them out.
15 Best Jo Malone Scents
Our goal here is to help you find the best Jo Malone scent for you. Thus, we have reviewed their top fragrances of today and carefully categorized them all.
Jo Malone has perfumes for every season, no matter if it’s cold or warm outside. The majority of the scents work best during day time, but we also found a handful of fragrances that really blossomed during evenings and nights.
So let us present to you – the 15 best Jo Malone fragrances today.
1. Jo Malone Red Rose Cologne
Time: Day
Season: Spring and summer
Signatures: Rose, floral, citrus, green
Keywords: Feminine, innocent, soft, beautiful
Jo Malone’s Red Rose is a simple, classy blend of five notes. Lemon and mint make up the top notes, Bulgarian rose and violet leaf in the heart, and beeswax as the single base note.
The rose is easily the defining scent here, and that much is obvious even based on the name of the cologne. Jo Malone used Bulgarian rose, and though we might not be able to tell the specific tones that the Bulgarian variant gives, we smell a sweet red rose scent through the life of the fragrance.
As the fragrance dries down, the rose is still prominent, but joined by tiny notes of mint, lemon, and honey. They never get to dominate the profile of the fragrance, but they add interesting character to it.
The longevity of this scent is not exceptional in general, but for a Jo Malone scent, it excels nicely. On the skin, this can last up to 8 hours, though don’t expect any massive sillage. It is a feminine fragrance, with a soft innocence about it, so perhaps the weak projection works in the favor of that image.
2. Jo Malone London Mimosa & Cardamom
Time: Day
Season: Fall and spring
Signatures: Warm spicy, aromatic, sweet, floral
Keywords: Calm, playful, nostalgic, casual
The formulation of Mimosa & Cardamom includes only a base note of tonka bean in addition to the titular cardamom and mimosa in the top and middle notes respectively.
The mimosa is the standout in this, giving a floral sweetness bordering on powdery. With the cardamom, there’s a subtle spiciness which keeps this a fragrance for the months between the heat of summer and biting cold of winter.
This is an elegant fragrance. It is immense as a casual office scent, and is definite to have people asking for what you’re wearing. This is that ‘strong independent woman’. We find it has to do a lot to work as a unisex scent, and we find it as a safer choice for women.
As is typical with Jo Malone, the performance leaves a lot to be desired. It lasts anywhere from 2 to 4 hours before disappearing entirely. Projection is poor, to be honest.
3. Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia
Time: Day
Season: Spring and summer
Signatures: Floral, fruity, sweet, rose
Keywords: Youthful, energetic, fresh, natural
One thing we like about Jo Malone fragrances is how you never need to decipher the names of their fragrances. It makes it rather simple to purchase their scents as you know exactly what to expect inside the plain glass bottle.
In this case, pear and freesia collaborate to form a scent that paints a picture of English landscapes. It is a fruity and floral fragrance, with pear and melon in the top notes, and freesia and rose in the middle. Patchouli, amber, musk, and rhubarb comprise the base notes.
This is a perfect summer scent, as it dominated by sweet flowers and fruits, and is essentially devoid of any really prominent warm or spicy notes. This is quite a strong fragrance, and some folks might find it a bit too strong. To be honest, the sweetness can be cloying if you don’t go easy with your application.
If that’s your style however, you’ll find this to be a very fresh choice. We are getting tired of saying it, but performance doesn’t leave much to write about, unfortunately.
4. Jo Malone Velvet Rose & Oud
Time: Night
Season: Winter and fall
Signatures: Rose, oud, sweet, floral
Keywords: Luxurious, unisex, exotic, regal
Rose has a signature sweet innocence, and oud is thought of as a scent for the exotic man. We have to admit that we were curious to see how this scent would play out coming out of its solid black bottle. In addition to the two major notes, cloves and praline are in this formulation.
This fragrance opens up intensely with rose, and a little influence from praline’s creamy sweetness. The effect is intoxicating, but it’s nowhere close to the real payoff that this scent has in wait. Once it begins to dry down, it is complete euphoria.
The oud adds a warmth to the fragrance’s profile, with an exotic element. There is such an exquisite balance in this, as two stereotypically feminine and masculine notes clash to produce a unisex masterpiece.
Velvet Rose & Oud is one of the better Jo Malone scents in terms of performance, lasting quite well through the day. We got clear notes of this even after 8 hours. Projection is modest, but we’ll say that’s good enough.
5. Jo Malone Myrrh & Tonka
Time: Night
Season: Fall and winter
Signatures: Balsamic, aromatic, sweet, vanilla
Keywords: Casual, cozy, friendly, intimate
A bold quintet of notes contribute to the composition of Myrrh & Tonka. Lavender at the top, myrrh at the heart, and vanilla, tonka, and almond for the base.
The moment you spray a bit of this, you realize how potent it is. The fragrance is rather linear, so there’s not much development of the scent as it dries down. It starts rather prominently with the smokiness of myrrh and the floral tones of lavender.
This can easily be pulled off by either sex, as it doesn’t go too hard with what might consider ‘gender-specific’ tones. It is warm and comforting, and can be worn easily as a casual fragrance. This isn’t the one to try and dominate or intimidate with.
Longevity is excellent with this, staying on for more than 9 hours at a go. Rather impressive. Sillage is a bit better than average, so we can’t really complain about it.
6. Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay
Time: Day
Season: Spring, summer, and fall
Signatures: Fruity, fresh spicy, citrus, aromatic
Keywords: Mature, comforting, carefree
Blackberry & Bay adds a host of other notes to its composition which make it smell like the most beautiful forest you’ve ever been in. Floral notes, vetiver, cedar, and grapefruit are added to the mix, giving a smell akin to a beautiful orchard.
The blackberry and bay leaf dominate the scent, with the blackberries smelling only slightly sweet, as if plucked directly from a bush in the forest; and the bay leaf adding an aromatic spiciness to it. The balance is sublime.
As it dries down, cedar and vetiver add solid woody notes. Not only do we think this is a fantastic summer fragrance, but despite its feminine marketing, would work well for unisex application.
While it should last about 6 hours on the skin, projection is incredibly weak, and we could only smell it when close to the skin. A shame, as it really is a delicious fragrance, so you will need to apply heavily to reap that goodness.
7. Jo Malone Grapefruit Cologne
Time: Day
Season: Summer
Signatures: Citrus, aromatic, woody, fresh spicy
Keywords: Independent, confident, elegant, classy
This fragrance dates back to 1992, and was designed by Jo Malone herself, so it is not too much to expect something rather brilliant from this. The top notes are grapefruit and tangerine, so a citrus fragrance is to be expected.
As we applied this grapefruit cologne, we were taken in by a clean, citrus scent. It is very fresh, and smells soapy. Honestly, it smells like expensive soap with citrus flavouring, and it is rather inoffensive.
As it begins to dry down, the spiciness from the heart notes is able to come in and provide a wonderful complement to the fragrance that the citrus brings. The warm heat from the peppers is mild, but it works well.
There’s a woodiness from vetiver and oakmoss, and the mildest floral note from jasmine. This is not an excessively feminine cologne. We can see this working perfectly on a ‘boss lady’ type. An independent, strong woman.
Performance is just about average, which we won’t really complain about, considering the brand’s reputation in that regard.
8. Jo Malone Orange Blossom
Time: Day
Season: Summer and spring
Signatures: White floral, floral, sweet, fresh
Keywords: Gentle, beautiful, feminine, calm
Orange blossom, as the name announces, is the clear boss of this fragrance. The composition is overwhelmingly floral, with only vetiver present to hold back the strong floral tone. The top note is tangerine blossom, with orange blossom, water lily, and lilac in the middle notes. Iris is joined by vetiver at the base.
The opening is that of tangerines, with a sweet gentleness that puts this fragrance out to be an inoffensive blend. Give it time, and you begin to smell the floral elements coming in, with orange blossom dominant amongst them. It is mostly linear in its development from this point.
It is a fruity scent, and it is very fresh. This is a great option if you’re looking for a floral scent for summer and spring, and something less than overpowering.
One advantage to the relative weakness of Jo Malone fragrances is that it makes them rather suitable for layering. The average longevity and sillage means that they will never steal the show, but will augment whatever other fragrance you are wearing quite nicely.
9. Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir
Time: Night and day
Season: Fall and winter
Signatures: Woody, warm spicy, fruity, sweet
Keywords: Vibrant, sexy, feminine, mature
This is an interesting fragrance, formulated with an array of different fruits, flowers, spices, and other notes. The top section of its perfume pyramid is populated mostly by fruits, with raspberry, plum, watermelon, and the titular pomegranate, along with rhubarb.
Other notes range from floral tones like rose and jasmine, to spices like pink pepper and cloves. With such a wide array of scents, you may expect something constantly shifting and dynamic, but this fragrance is rather linear.
The pomegranate stands out nicely, paired well with the spiciness of the pink pepper and cloves. That spiciness makes this a warm scent perfect for winter and fall. It is a sexy feminine fragrance, and cedar and guaiac wood give a darker, mature side to it.
Pomegranate Noir will live longer on your skin than most Jo Malone fragrances, lasting a comfortable 8 hours by our watches. Projection is alright and nothing exceptional.
10. Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt
Time: Day
Season: Summer and spring
Signatures: Aromatic, citrus, marine, salty
Keywords: Calming, nostalgic, fresh, lovely
Designed to induce visions of British shorelines, this Jo Malone fragrance incorporates ambrette, sea salt, wood sage, seaweed, and grapefruit, to result in its characteristic scent.
There are no distinctively feminine tones in the profile of this fragrance, so it can work well as a unisex choice. Layering with this is also a great idea, and the house themselves even suggested some of their fragrances which might possess good synergy with this one.
Images of the beach pair beautifully with visions of summer, so the summer vibes in this fragrance are unmatched. There’s a soft, salty scent with this, and it brings to mind images of a calm ocean each time. It is nostalgic, calming, and inoffensive.
This works as a beautiful everyday fragrance, and is certain to smell different from anything anyone else has on. It’ll work well as a casual fragrance for days where you want to go lighter on your scent, and if they get close enough to perceive it, others are sure to want to know what you’re wearing.
Layering is a major consideration for us with Wood Sage & Sea Salt, due to the typical Jo Malone performance. Longevity and sillage especially leave a lot to be desired, and we can’t say we aren’t saddened by that. This is a brilliant scent.
11. Jo Malone Blue Agava & Cacao
Time: Day
Season: Fall and winter
Signatures: Warm spicy, cacao, sweet, vanilla
Keywords: Cozy, inviting, sophisticated
The discontinuation of a fragrance is never a definite pointer to it not being a good fragrance. Sometimes the popularity dwindles for no easy-to-find reason, or it is no longer a scent of the era it has found itself in. Sometimes ingredients are harder to source, and the house can no longer keep up with the demand.
Blue Agava & Cacao is one of those scents that was unfortunately discontinued, but despite this, if you really look for it, you can find it. Purchasing a discontinued fragrance sometimes feels to us like preserving a piece of what may soon be history.
The opening is reminiscent of Coca-Cola, with a sweet spiciness. This might be due to how the cinnamon, vanilla, and cocoa are coming together. Despite smelling like a soft drink, this is a sophisticated fragrance.
The cola scent hangs around for a while, before a scent like milk chocolate comes in, with flowery notes and spices providing a solid backdrop. Of course, vanilla brings its trademark creamy sweetness.
Longevity is above average, lasting more than 7 hours on the skin. The warmth in the creamy, chocolatey tone makes this a cozy winter fragrance.
12. Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom & Honey
Time: Day
Season: Spring and summer
Signatures: Fruity, sweet, green, powdery
Keywords: Mature, intimate, exotic, pleasant
This is another fragrance concocted by Jo Malone herself. Green notes, black currant, and petitgrain give the top tier of the pyramid a distinct green flavour. The heart makes use of black locust and nectarine, with the latter dominating the fragrance as its name gives away. The fruity base comprises peach and plum, with vetiver adding a woody note.
The fruitiness of this scent is unusual, but pleasant. The black currant, nectarine, peach, and plum, make it smell quite like an exotic fruit blend, and we were almost tempted to give it a taste. It is a quality mid-year cologne – perfect for the warmer months of the year.
Projection is weak with Nectarine Blossom & Honey, and people will have to move in close to get a whiff of it. This works in its advantage as the formulation seems to us like it would excel as an intimate cologne.
This is a mature, fruity fragrance. If you’re looking for something rather summery, but you don’t want to overdose on a cloying floral scent, this is perfect. The only downside to it being perfect for romantic occasions is the poor longevity, lasting nothing more than 4 hours.
13. Jo Malone Peony & Blush Suede
Time: Day
Season: Spring
Signatures: Floral, rose, fresh
Keywords: Modest, inoffensive, bright, universal
This is a distinctively floral fragrance, with the middle tier of its pyramid dominated by floral notes. Peony, rose, carnation, and jasmine, make up the heart of this fragrance. Red apple sits up top, and suede makes up the mature base.
One major thing that can go wrong with floral fragrances is for the general profile of the cologne to come off as too sweet. There’s a sweet spot that many fragrances hit, but just as many miss by miles. Peony & Blush Suede hits it rather precisely.
As it opens up, the fruitiness of the apple is apparent, followed soon after by the bright, pleasing notes of the flowers in the middle notes. The scent of peonies reigns supreme not only over the other flowers, but clearly over the fragrance as a whole.
This cologne is prime blind buy material. We find it hard for anyone to hate it, because it is honestly as inoffensive as any fragrance can be. Some may say that that is its downfall, but if you’re not looking for the sort of scent that owns the room, then this might be the one. Modest yet pleasing.
Performance isn’t the best, but with heavy enough application, you can get it to stretch out a bit more than usual.
14. Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin
Time: Day
Season: Summer and spring
Signatures: Citrus, aromatic, fresh spicy
Keywords: Striking, strong, sporty
This is another Jo Malone fragrance formulated by the name herself. First released in 1999, the fragrance is less modern than a lot on this list. The composition is purely natural, with all plant-based notes.
The top is entirely citrus-derived, with lime, mandarin, and bergamot. It explains why the opening has a citrus sourness to it, which really kicks if you’re not prepared for it.
As it starts to dry down, the aromatic nature of basil begins to materialize. The lime is at the forefront of the citrus tones, and it sticks around as the basil comes around. The spiciness makes this a little bit warmer, but the citrus notes still suit it for summer and spring.
There are no heavy notes in this, so it remains an airier fragrance through its lifetime. Unfortunately, that itself is not very long, as it projects sufficiently for about 4 hours before it begins to fade. If you want its impact to be a bit more lasting, either layer it with another cologne, or spray it a bit heavier.
15. Jo Malone Tropical Cherimoya
Time: Day
Season: Summer and spring
Signatures: Fruity, sweet, balsamic
Keywords: Unique, fun, youthful, vibrant
Tropical Cherimoya, released only a few years ago, had Jo Malone go for a more playful bottle. The glass is a light green tone, with a contrasting pink cap on top. This definitely seems like a fun summertime fragrance.
5 notes came together to produce this, with pear and passion flower in the top notes, cherimoya in the middle, and copahu balm and tonka at the base. You can tell that the constituents of a fragrance are exotic when the most recognizable are tonka bean and pear.
The other constituents in this are somewhat uncommon, so knowing exactly what notes you are looking out for may be difficult. Regardless, the most important part of a fragrance is how it all comes together. It is a splendid summer scent, with a scent quite like a fruity ice cream.
The uniqueness of the notes in Tropical Cherimoya make for a head-turner, as these scents are relatively rare and most definitely something a lot of people have never smelled before.
It lives for a short while, lasting about 4 hours. If you’ve been buying Jo Malone for quite some time, however, you should be used to this performance. Sillage, as expected, is mild.
