Perfume is incredibly personal, so recommending a single best Jo Malone perfume that would appeal to everybody would be nigh-on impossible. But our beauty team is very familiar with the iconic range and has shared a deep dive into the top Jo Malone fragrances in this guide. The iconic British brand creates some of the best perfumes for women, and its unisex offerings also make a fantastic purchase to see you through wedding season or for any gifts.
“Jo Malone London is interestingly one of the only brands where I ask someone, 'What perfume do you wear?', and they answer: 'Jo Malone' – they don’t specify which one,” says Jo Fairley, perfume expert and editor of digital fragrance magazine The Scented Letter. But even if your friends won’t share the exact details, we have all the intel you need.
To make this list as helpful as possible, we've interspersed the brand's best-sellers with some of our personal picks of the best Jo Malone scents to shop now. So, whether you want to know how to choose a perfume that's a crowd-pleasing classic or would prefer a niche tip-off by a beauty insider, consider this your definitive guide to the best Jo Malone fragrances money can buy.
The best Jo Malone perfumes
Top note: King William pear
Heart note: Freesia
Base note: Patchouli
Jo Malone's most popular scent, English Pear & Freesia is a light and fresh scent that combines the aforementioned notes on a base of patchouli. At the risk of stating the obvious, it really does smell how a freshly cut pear should – crisp, fresh, and uplifting.
This fruity perfume sums up everything we love about Jo Malone London as a brand, who are masters of creating modern and surprising blends out of quintessentially English ingredients.
Top note: Lavender
Middle note: Omumbiri myrrh
Base note: Tonka bean
Due to its warming nature, we would traditionally think of this as one of the best Jo Malone fragrances for winter (though it could definitely be worn year-round as a signature if these kind of scents are your preference). Jo Malone's Myrrh & Tonka is one of the brand's Cologne Intense offerings – richer, deeper perfumes created using precious ingredients. Due to that intensity, they also last longer on the skin and need topping up less.
Myrrh & Tonka may not have the household recognition of some of the other most popular Jo Malone scents, but we love the rich, velvety and ever-so-slightly sweet elements, with warming notes of vanilla, almond, and lavender.
Top Note: Pomegranate
Heart Note: Casablanca Lily
Base Note: Guaiacwood
Perhaps with the exception of Peony & Blush Suede, if there's one Jo Malone scent you've heard of through friends, family or co-workers, it's likely to be this fan favourite. With top notes of fruity pomegranate and plum paired with pink pepper and spicy woods, this warming classic somehow still has a balance of crisp freshness, too.
A truly iconic scent that most people who are interested in fragrance will have come across at some point, this classic option also comes in a cute solid duo (one of the best solid perfumes we've seen) that would make a lovely gift if you want a guaranteed success of a present for your loved one's special milestone.
Top Note: Mandarin
Heart Note: Basil
Base Note: Amberwood
Lime Basil & Mandarin is quite unique and unlike any other fragrance we've smelled (well, except all the copycat dupes it has spawned over the years, which still can't hold a candle to the real deal). Fresh yet calming, this smells like a summer holiday in a bottle.
Mouthwatering notes of zingy lime and herbaceous basil are the first thing you will smell upon spritzing this fragrance. Later, they dry down to a warm and woody base that lingers on the skin for hours. It is clean yet aromatic and loved by men and women alike, including famous faces like Sienna Miller and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.
Top Note: Red apple
Heart Note: Peony
Base Note: Suede
Instantly recognisable, Peony & Blush Suede is one of Jo Malone London's most iconic scents. The blooming heart of peony and unexpectedly soft, leathery suede base are topped off with red apple for a crisp and fresh finish.
Brides in particular love this mixture of femininity and modernity – but you don't have to be walking down the aisle to wear it. Peony & Blush Suede's inherent softness makes it a perfect daytime scent, offering a nice mood boost without overwhelming whoever sits next to you on the train.
Top note: Williams pear
Heart notes: Sweet pea
Base note: White musk
This scent has a strikingly similar name to the best seller at the top of our list, the iconic English Pear & Freesia. This fragrance is a reimagining of that classic; the brand's Global Head of Fragrance Céline Roux wanted to put a fresh spin on the scent by pairing English Pear with a different bloom. The result is a softer version of the original, as the sweet peas bring more outdoorsy notes, while the white musk is both powdery and clean at once.
Both fragrances now contain 100% natural pear fruit extract, sourced from within the food industry where pears are steamed for their juice. The result here is a sweet, sunny fragrance that’s crisp enough to almost bite into and practically fizzes with freshness. A modern classic that encapsulates the joys of summer.
Top note: Blackcurrant
Heart note: Poppy
Base note: Barley
If your perfume preference is something ultra-feminine and sugary sweet, then Poppy & Barley will get your vote. It's designed to conjure dancing across England’s meadows and it definitely evokes that kind of Enid Blyton childhood that, even if you didn’t experience it, you can definitely picture. Think hands sticky with juicy, ripe blackcurrants picked straight from the bush and frolicking in a field of poppies on the warmest months of the year. So far, so storybook.
The barley is the more unexpected element here, adding some woodiness and a hint of musk that stops it from feeling sickly. This is good news if, like us, you find those solely floral fragrances intoxicating and gorgeous at the start, only to feel like you’re enveloped in a too-sweet smog after five minutes. The perfect scent for summer, or one that reminds you of longer, warmer days when they’re shorter and colder.
Top Note: Bergamot
Heart Note: Cucumber
Base Note: Beeswax, vanilla, musk
If we asked you to name two things that were quintessentially British, we’re pretty sure that a steaming cup of Earl Grey and afternoon tea-ready cucumber finger sandwiches would both feature pretty high on the list. These are two really interesting (and remarkably fresh) fragrance notes, which is maybe why they got the call-up over other national favourites. Scones & Jam or Pie & Mash don’t have quite the same elegance, allure or wearability, do they?
When you first smell Earl Grey & Cucumber, you’ll find it’s overwhelmingly citrusy (that’s thanks to the bergamot) making it the kind of lively fragrance that helps start your day with a bit of zing and spring in your step. The greenness of the cucumber comes through after a moment, drying down to something sweeter thanks to the beeswax at the base. If you’re looking for a unisex scent, don’t let the mention of more sugary notes put you off. The honey blend features a touch of tobacco for a splash of smokiness that will appeal to all.
Top Note: Cardamom
Heart Note: Mimosa
Base Note: Tonka bean
If you’ve been lucky enough to try Jo Malone’s Mimosa & Cardamom Cologne, you’ll know that it doesn’t necessarily make the best first impression. It’s a bit like a brash guest at a party, coming in all bullish with invasive questions and shouting too loudly over the music. Give it a minute to settle, though, and it dries down into a scent that’s still intense, but much softer.
The key fragrance notes within this perfume are cardamom, a spice with a hint of lemon, mimosa, which is warm, floral and honey-like, and tonka bean, which brings vanilla notes. The result is a scent that’s hard to put your finger on. It’s indulgent, spicy and slightly sweet all at once. The best thing we can liken it to is a chai latte, though it’s more honeyed and less sugary than that. It feels cosy and inviting and is guaranteed to have people asking what you’re wearing when they hug you – whether or not you share your scent secret is up to you.
Top note: Cypress
Heart notes: Cedarwood, vetiver, amber
Base note: Moss
Many scents designed to be worn in the evening go down the super-rich floral or "whack you around the chops with spice" route, but this is different. It's incredibly fresh, but not in a zesty way, reminding us more of a bracing walk through a Nordic forest. It's crisp and green and feels just right for that time of day when the sun is slowly sinking and the night still feels full of promise. This fragrance is, as the name suggests, intense, but it never feels too much.
As well as cosy, resinous amber, this has a great herbal hit of cypress at the top, and a musty, mossy botanical base – not unlike the best lavender perfumes. It's a little punchier than you might expect and really lasts, which is handy as it therefore works just as well for day as it does for night. The notes sound traditionally masculine, which will certainly appeal to men, but we strongly believe that fragrance has no gender and absolutely love wearing this.
Top Note: Ambrette seeds
Heart Note: Sea salt
Base Note: Sage
Picture the scene: You're on a staycation, and this year you were organised enough to book a seafront cottage in that pretty coastal town that's an easy drive from home. You head out for an afternoon walk, the wind is blowing up the dunes, pulling salty sea air into your lungs, and with it, a whoosh of green, herbaceousness into your nose. This, you think, is living. You Google house prices in the area, get a shock, put your phone away and keep walking and breathing.
Are you still reading? Good, because this is that. As in, that's the smell of this Jo Malone fragrance – fresh and breezy with a slightly mossy chypre hum. It doesn't smell like anything else; it's not fruity or floral and it also makes one of the best men's colognes. Spray this on and other people will ask what you're wearing – of course, you may not want to tell them so they don't copy you, and we won't blame you for that.
Top note: Clove
Heart notes: Damask rose
Base note: Oud
In contrast to Cypress & Grapevine, Velvet Rose & Oud is as rich and luscious as a scent can be. If you're familiar with any of the best oud perfumes, you'll know this precious ingredient is very, very distinctive. Fans can recognise it a mile off, which is a good thing because lovers of oud also know this stuff smells expensive. That's because it is an expensive ingredient, but also because there's an undeniable opulent energy about oud.
Back to this specific oud perfume, though, as Jo Malone London has cleverly blended this with lots of rose, which does great things for both ingredients. It tempers and feminises oud's smokiness and elevates the rose from prim and proper floral to something a bit naughtier for a match made in heaven. It would be fair to say this is more of an evening perfume, due to its power and headiness. Then again, if you want to smell rich and sexy during the day, who are we to argue with that?
How we tested the best Jo Malone perfumes
A selection of our favorite Jo Malone scents and top five classics
To put together our list of the 12 best Jo Malone perfumes, we tested a selection of the brand's scents for a number of months and drew on our years of experience of these fragrances. Because those bottles can last a long time, you could say we're still testing! Our expert team of editors has also interviewed experts from the Jo Malone London team for more insights into what makes their scents so special, including some of their quotes below.
Fiona McKim, our Beauty Editor, tested the perfumes you see above, and our Acting Digital Beauty Editor Aleesha Badkar has also sampled a range of the brand's top scents, which meant we were able to compare notes.
When testing, we looked for unique notes and longevity that warranted that pretty high price tag. We also took note of how well the scent lasted on our skin. Some may prefer a perfume that sits subtly throughout the day, whereas others would prefer a more intense fragrance that turns heads and yields compliments.
Why is Jo Malone so popular?
Like many great fragrance brands, Jo Malone London is hugely popular not for one overarching reason, but a multitude of smaller ones. The first – and most obvious – explanation for this brand's popularity is that the perfumes are just really lovely. As well as nailed-on classics like Pomegranate Noir and Lime Basil & Mandarin, the brand consistently launches excellent new fragrances that fit with its fundamental principles – gender-neutral, luxurious, ingredient-focused and quintessentially British. These are not generic fruity-floral blends that smell like everything else; Jo Malone London perfumes are willfully distinctive. That means you won't love everything, but there's something here that everyone will love.
“I am lucky enough to know the inner workings of their perfume teams and to see their creative journey is truly an honour,” says fragrance expert and journalist Alice du Parcq. "The perfumers they work with are some of the best in the world – such as Anne Flipo, Yann Vasnier and Mathilde Bijaoui – and they work with the most beautiful, sustainable, raw natural ingredients blended with supreme high-tech synthetics and clever methods, such as headspace and CO₂ extraction.
"I also think the brand is so popular because they keep the names simple and literal, but with a romantic rhythm that lures you in," du Parcq continues. "They capture a perfect balance of sophisticated quiet elegance, with slightly bonkers English eccentricity – you can see that perfectly in the visual campaigns. They maintain this cool, fun and chic identity, and they transcend trends, so you always feel that your favourite Jo Malone London perfume will forever be relevant."
This aside, Jo Malone London's branding is also incredibly strong – that recognisable, chic packaging makes it desirable and very giftable. “Who wouldn't want to be gifted a cream box with thick black grosgrain ribbon?” adds du Parcq. The brand also maintains popularity by releasing just the right amount of newness on a drip feed throughout the year – seasonal limited editions, artist collaborations and one of the most covetable Christmas collections of the year, every year, keep customers coming back for more.
What is the most popular Jo Malone scent?
We asked the brand's in-house experts for the top five most popular Jo Malone scents as, while fragrance is incredibly subjective, this can be a useful starting point for those who are new to the brand or who want a risk-free gift.
The most popular Jo Malone scent is English Pear & Freesia, and we can see why. "When you smell [this fragrance], you’re instantly transported to an orchard where juicy fruit mingles with blooming flowers," says Celine Roux, Global Head of Fragrance at Jo Malone London. "There’s something unexpected about the combination of key ingredients and it’s got that freshness and elegance we’re known for."
Another fresh scent – and in fourth place on the brand's best-sellers list – is Lime Basil & Mandarin. "It has become synonymous with the Jo Malone London brand," says Jo Malone London Fragrance and Lifestyle Expert, Emma South. "It was one of the very first fragrances created over 30 years ago, which set the aesthetic template for everything that followed: highest quality ingredients in simple yet elegantly wrought formulas, always with an unexpected twist – in this case with the vibrant, peppery overdose of freshly torn basil. Its tantalising, zesty character has an enduring vitality and it is still one of our very top scents year-round."
In second place is the Myrrh & Tonka Cologne Intense: "[It] exudes the scent of sun-baked earth entwined with mesmerising myrrh and it is our rising star, both literally and figuratively. Created in 2016, it steadily climbed to join the top five scents, is popular irrespective of gender and paints a scene of the Omumbiri myrrh harvest under starry desert skies."
South also discusses Pomegranate Noir, another of the brand's all-time best-sellers. "This fragrance is really original as fruity scents tend to be sweet and gourmand, but Pomegranate Noir is woody, sensual, and dark," she says. "A lot of heady flowers and woods were used to create this enigmatic, sensual scent. The seasons certainly influence our tastes and, as the temperature drops, we reach for warmer layers of scent. Iconic Pomegranate Noir, a jewel-bright cocktail of ruby fruits, spice and incense, overtakes everything during the winter months and this is a trend we see year in, year out."
Which Jo Malone fragrance is best for weddings?
Jo Malone stores famously offer fragrance scaping sessions for weddings, and its most popular scent for brides is also one of our favourite feminine offerings. "Peony and Blush Suede is the most popular wedding scent for brides," South confirms. "It bottles abundant, unfurling peony petals in every shade of pink accompanied by the flirtatious bite of juicy red apple."
Which celebrities wear Jo Malone?
Jo Malone London is a cult brand with a loyal following that includes many celebrities. "Sofia Richie Grainge recently went viral talking about her favourite Jo Malone London scent, Wood Sage & Sea Salt," says South. "It is already one of our universally loved scents, a fragrance for any mood and occasion, clear-headed with the mineral bright scent of a windswept shore. Previous Jo Malone London celebrity fans have included Poppy Delevingne, Karen Elson and even Kate Moss.”
It's long been rumoured that the Princess of Wales, Catherine Middleton, is a fan of Jo Malone London Orange Blossom, reportedly burning the candles in Westminster Abbey on her wedding day, while Meghan Markle, The Duchess of Sussex, has previously cited the Wild Bluebell and Wood Sage & Sea Salt Colognes as two of her favourite perfumes.
How long does Jo Malone scent last?
Jo Malone London scents come in two strengths, cologne and cologne intense, which have different lasting powers. Cologne (or eau de cologne) is one of the lightest concentrations of fragrance available, typically containing between 2-5% pure perfume oils and lasting a few hours before needing to be topped up.
Longevity can also vary depending on the perfume notes used in the cologne. For example, citrus dissipates quickly, while woods and musks tend to last longer on the skin. Jo Malone London's Cologne Intense range ramps up the lasting power by using precious and heady ingredients in higher concentrations. You can therefore expect to get right through the day with a lingering fragrance when you select one of these scents.
Which Jo Malone perfume is the lightest?
Some of the lightest Jo Malone perfumes, in terms of how they actually smell, are Earl Grey & Cucumber, Basil & Neroli and Fig & Lotus Flower. If you are looking for a light and fresh Jo Malone perfume (or from any brand, truth be told) it's best to seek out either citrus, green or aquatic compositions. Typical citrus notes used in perfumery are fruits like lemon and lime, as well as zesty botanicals like neroli and or bergamot. Alternatively, seek out green herbal notes such as basil, cypress, and violet leaf, or splashy blends designed to replicate the ocean.
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