Jo Malone Fragrance Is the Key to Smelling Good

While this is one of Jo Malone's more well-known fragrances, I personally feel like it's not as hyped as it should be. It's the perfect unisex scent, so if you're into sharing fragrance with a partner or family member, this is one you'll both love. The notes of ambrette seeds, sea salt, and sage, are described as fresh and aquatic, but I get more of a soft, clean, woody scent. This one is particularly well-suited for layering with other scents so if you're a true fragrance connoisseur, you can't go wrong with picking up a bottle.

Marie Claire Review: "I typically stick to my gourmands but when I heard It girls Sofia Richie and Meghan Markle loved this scent, I couldn’t resist trying it. I’m so glad I did too because I think I just found my new summer scent. Wood Sage & Sea Salt is wonderfully soft and fresh, making it the ideal fragrance for daytime wear, especially in the warmer months. I especially love the combination of mineral and warm woody notes as they combine into a fragrance that feels totally unique." — Brooke Knappenberger, Associate E-Commerce Editor

If the season of Spring were able to be distilled into a glass bottle, it would smell a heck of a lot like Jo Malone’s Nectarine Blossom & Honey. If I’m being highly specific, the blend of notes is reminiscent of a sunny April day that directly follows a rainy week. It’s light and fresh without feeling aquatic or squeaky clean. The balance of florals and fruity scents has a little tingle of excitement and somehow sideswipes the chemical-smelling tinge that sometimes accompanies a first spritz.

Marie Claire Review: "This is a beautiful, light, fresh floral scent for people who don't like florals. In fact, I'd wager that you could wear it every day and still not get tired of it. For someone who is simply not a lover of green scents, this is a compliment of the highest order. ” — Ariel Baker, Beauty Writer 

This perfume is creamy, indulgent, deep, and enticing. Cardamom is pretty much a one-way ticket to my heart, but combine it with other notes like vetiver and vanilla like this perfume from Jo Malone and I am all but guaranteed to have the scent in my collection forever.

Marie Claire Review: "I’m a noted gourmand hater and have been since I was very young. Smelling like food or something familiar wasn’t something I ever wanted from my fragrances, I always wanted to be transported or wanted a fantasy in my day-to-day life. Enter Vetiver & Golden Vanilla. Vetiver is one of my favorite ingredients, it’s deep, earthy and plays well with others. This perfume is a match made in heaven, the vetiver grounds the vanilla, which is warm and full, rather than being sweet or cloying. The cardamom, tea and grapefruit notes gives this perfume a bit of bite and brightness as well. This is a new winter staple, warm, comforting, intoxicating and enveloping." — Brittany Holloway Brown, Former Art Director

If you're looking for a Jo Malone fragrance that's a little stronger—especially for the summer months— Scarlet Poppy is for you. Ambrette, scarlet poppy, tonka bean, are the notes featured in this scent and while that may sound like a combination that would result in a deep, resinous perfume, this concoction is anything but. It somehow manages to be uplifting without veering into childish bodyspray territory, and the floral notes really shine in this formula. If you're a floral lover who's just getting into Jo Malone scents, this should be the first bottle that you pick up.

Marie Claire Review: "I'm not one to experiment much with scents; I have my standard rotation and like to keep it at that! But I've been hooked on Jo Malone's Scarlet Poppy cologne ever since I got my first whiff. It's a dynamic fragrance with layers of floral gourmand, rich iris, barley, and tonka bean that combine to create a complex, sweet, yet spicy scent. On my first wear, I received not one but two (!) compliments, which is all the validation I need to make this my new everyday fragrance.” — Emma Childs, Fashion Features Editor

With the rebirth of vanilla fragrances, new gourmand scents have been hitting the market at what feels like a rapid pace. Some are truly worthwhile, but I’ll always stand firm in my love for this Jo Malone iteration. It smells sultry and seductive, while maintaining a warm and inviting edge. There’s not so much a bitter after-effect or overly baked good smell—it’s just rich and sophisticated. Because this is part of the cologne-intense family, I can also expect it to stay on my skin for hours. 

Maire Claire Review: "If you're a fan of warm or gourmand fragrance profiles, this perfume from Jo Malone is going to be a winner in your book. Lavender, omumbiri myrrh, and tonka bean combine to create a scent that's not necessarily overly food-like, but still provides that nostalgic comfort that you would feel after smelling a plate of fresh-baked cookies. It also shines particularly well in the colder winter months." — Ariel Baker

Bergamot, cedarwood, and oud, are the stars of the show in Jo Malone's Oud & Bergamot Cologne Intense. If oud fragrances typically scare you, this one is a great introduction to the fragrance family, as the additional woody and citrus notes balance out the more resinous oud perfectly. This one also layers beautifully with some of the lighter scents in the Jo Malone catalog, namely, Wood Sage & Sea Salt.

Marie Claire Review: "This perfume was the one that made me finally start to feel comfortable experimenting with ouds. It's rich and resinous, but no deeply so, and the oud note is balances perfectly so that it doesn't outshine the others, but is instead complemented beautifully. If you've been wanting to begin your oud fragrance journey, start here!" — Ariel Baker

Floral fragrance lovers, step to the front. Velvet Rose and Oud Cologne Intense from Jo Malone greets you with a potent whiff of rose on the first sniff, but as it dries down, the additional notes of clove and oud are revealed. The combination keeps the perfume from veering into the "fresh cut plants from the garden" space which makes it much more approachable for people who like scents that lean a little masculine. If you like Rose Prick from Tom Ford, you'll likely enjoy this too.

Marie Claire Review: "Another fragrance that layers incredibly well with others in the Jo Malone collection, Velvet Rose and Oud is the floral perfume for people who don't typically like that scent profile. You'll encounter a pretty large dose of rose at first, but it transforms into this sweet, complex fragrance on your skin that's hard to describe in words but in short, is so sexy. It's the perfect date night scent so I highly recommend getting a tester and trying it on the skin first, then purchasing it immediately after because I'm pretty certain you'll really enjoy it." — Ariel Baker

Jo Malone's Cypress & Grapevine Cologne Intense is clean, fresh, and perfectly unisex. If you're one of the many people who are taking a step back from gourmand perfumes, this one will be a welcome reprieve in your collection. As opposed to their traditional cologne line, this perfume is made of Jo Malone's Cologne Intense formula, so expect a minimum of six hours of wear on the skin.

Marie Claire Review: The first thing that I said when I tried Jo Malone’s Cypress & Grapevine scent was that it smelled masculine in the best way possible. Earthy and sensual, it’s the perfect fragrance (for both genders!) to wear on a night out, when you’re looking to exude mysterious, alluring energy. With heady top notes of green vines and dark woods, it works well on its own or paired with a lighter, more traditionally feminine fragrance to balance it out." — Gabrielle Ulubay, Beauty Writer

Another fruity-floral masterpiece from this brand is none other than English Pear & Sweet Pea Cologne. It's one of the more subtle scents from Jo Malone, so if you're someone who's prone to headaches or just prefers safer perfumes that you can wear to the office, you may want to add this to your list. Williams pear and sweet pea are balanced out by white musk, taking this scent from a screechy citrus to a soft, feminine concoction that you'll want to wear year-round.

Marie Claire Review: "Supposedly, this is Sofia Richie Grainge’s favorite scent. It’s a light, sweet scent that I’m super excited to wear once the weather gets warmer. Subtle, feminine, and great for layering with other scents, it has top and middle notes of Williams Pear and sweet pea, respectively, which are balanced out by a lingering base note of white musk. It’s great for pairing with oud- or wood- heavy scents if you’re looking for a more complex effect." — Gabrielle Ulubay, Beauty Writer