The 12 best Jo Malone perfumes for chic and uncomplicated blends that instantly add luxury

From unisex scents to fresh and fruity signatures, these are the best Jo Malone perfumes to invest in, as reviewed by our beauty team...

Collage of three of the best Jo Malone Perfumes featured in this guide – Lime, Basil and Mandarin; Myrrh and Tonka; and Peony and Blush Suede – against a dark pink watercolour-style background
(Image credit: Jo Malone London/Future)

Perfume is incredibly personal – perhaps the most personal of all beauty categories – so pinpointing one best Jo Malone perfume that appeals to all is virtually impossible. That said, being extremely well-acquainted with the entire range, our beauty team is able to guide you through the chicest and best-selling scents overall.

Jo Malone London's premium and minimalistic blends are among the first to be recommended by fragrance enthusiasts. Whether they reveal the exact one they wear, however, is another matter. Known as makers of some of the best perfumes for women, “Jo Malone London is interestingly one of the only brands that, when I ask someone, 'What perfume do you wear?', they answer, "Jo Malone" – they don’t specify which one,” says perfume expert Jo Fairley, editor of digital fragrance magazine The Scented Letter.

But even if your friends won’t share their signature JML scent with you, we'll happily share all the intel you need to find your favourite (as well as how to make a saving in our Jo Malone deals hub) Weaving our personal favourites in with the brand's most popular blends, consider this the ultimate deep dive into the best Jo Malone London fragrances. We've also quizzed the brand's in-house fragrance experts for the answers to your biggest burning questions about the brand. So, without further ado...

Best Jo Malone deals

Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt Eau de Cologne Spray 100ml
Get 10% off
Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt Eau de Cologne Spray 100ml: was £118 now £105.95 at allbeauty.com (US)

You can currently nab one of Jo Malone's most iconic fragrances, Wood Sage & Sea Salt, for less. As for its scent, it's fresh, earthy and of course, slightly salty, making it a chic, vibrant and versatile signature.

Jo Malone Wild Bluebell Eau de Cologne Spray 100ml
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Jo Malone Wild Bluebell Eau de Cologne Spray 100ml: was £118 now £105.95 at allbeauty.com (US)

Enjoy over a £12 saving on Jo Malone's Wild Bluebell, a scent rumoured to be one of Meghan Markle's favourites. This floral perfume boasts a rich and musky base that is effortlessly chic.

Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia Eau de Cologne 100ml
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Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia Eau de Cologne 100ml: was £118 now £105.95 at allbeauty.com (US)

Run to snap up this unmissable Jo Malone £12 discount on the brand's popular English Pear & Freesia Cologne, meaning you can nab a 100ml bottle for less than £106. Seriously, we've not seen a Jo Malone fragrance deal this good all year...

The 12 best Jo Malone perfumes, reviewed by our beauty team

Why you can trust Woman & Home Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

How we tested the best Jo Malone perfumes

Original image showing Jo Malone London's English Pear & Freesia, Wood Sage & Sea Salt, Orange Bitters, Midnight Musk & Amber and Lime Basil & Mandarin colognes

A selection of our favorite Jo Malone scents and top five classics

(Image credit: Fiona McKim)

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 with 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.

Our Beauty Editor Fiona McKim tested the perfumes you see above, while Acting Digital Beauty Editor Aleesha Badkar also sampled a range of the brand's top scents, meaning we could compare notes.

When testing, we looked for uniqueness 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 – is that its perfumes are just really lovely. As well as well-loved classics like Pomegranate Noir and Lime Basil & Mandarin, the brand consistently launches excellent new fragrances that align with its fundamental principles: gender-neutral, luxurious, ingredient-focused and quintessentially British. As for the rest, the high-quality notes and instantly recognisable packaging play a big role in the brand's success.

  • The formulas: "I am lucky enough to know the inner workings of [Jo Malone London's] 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.
  • The fragrance names: "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."
  • The packaging: The branding is also incredibly strong – that recognisable, chic packaging makes these scents both desirable and giftable. As du Parcq puts it: “Who wouldn't want to be gifted a cream box with thick, black grosgrain ribbon?” Jo Malone London also maintains popularity by gradually releasing just the right amount of newness throughout the year – seasonal limited editions, artist collaborations and one of the most covetable holiday collections of the year, every year, keep customers coming back for more.

What is the most popular Jo Malone scent?

To answer this, we requested the top five most popular Jo Malone London scents from the brand itself. Though fragrance is incredibly subjective, best-sellers can be a useful starting point for those new to the brand or who want an easy, crowd-pleasing gift.

  • English Pear & Freesia: This fruity scent takes the top spot. "When you smell [this fragrance], you’re instantly transported to an orchard where juicy fruit mingles with blooming flowers," says Celine Roux, the brand's Global Head of Fragrance. "There’s something unexpected about the combination of key ingredients and it’s got that freshness and elegance we’re known for."
  • Myrrh & Tonka: In second place, Myrrh & Tonka Cologne Intense "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."
  • Pomegranate Noir: The brand's fragrance and Lifestyle Expert Emma South cites this as another of its 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. A jewel-bright cocktail of ruby fruits, spice and incense, [it] overtakes everything during the winter months and this is a trend we see year in, year out."
  • Lime Basil & Mandarin: Another fresh and fruity scent – and the fourth best-selling – is Lime Basil & Mandarin. "It has become synonymous with the Jo Malone London brand," says 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."

Which Jo Malone fragrance is best for weddings?

Jo Malone London stores famously offer fragrance consultations to help customers find signature scents or wedding perfumes; 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.” In 2024, Tom Hardy also joined the famous ambassador ranks for the brand's Cypress & Grapevine Cologne.

It has also long been reported that Catherine, Princess of Wales (AKA Kate Middleton) is a fan of Jo Malone London Orange Blossom, burning the candles in Westminster Abbey on her wedding day. Meanwhile 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?

This depends on the fragrance. There are two Jo Malone London perfume types, cologne and cologne intense, which have different lasting powers. Cologne (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 feeling the need to reapply.

As well as the formulation, longevity can also vary based on on the perfume notes used in the cologne. For example, citrus tends to dissipate quickly, while woods and musks tend to last longer on the skin (and are often base notes as a result). The Cologne Intense range ramps up this lasting power by using precious and heady ingredients in higher concentrations. You can therefore expect your fragrance to linger through the day when you select one of these scents.

Which Jo Malone perfume is the lightest?

Some of the lightest Jo Malone London perfumes available, 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 fragrance (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. Greener, herbal notes such as basil, cypress, and violet leaf, or splashy blends designed to replicate the ocean are also fresh-smelling.

Fiona McKim
Beauty Editor, womanandhome.com

 As woman&home's Beauty Channel Editor, Fiona Mckim has tried more products than she’s had hot dinners and nothing makes her happier than raving about brilliant finds on womanandhome.com or her instagram grid (@fionamckim if you like hair experiments and cute shih-tzus). Fiona joined woman&home as Assistant Beauty Editor in 2013 under industry legend Jo GB, who taught her everything she needed to know (learn about ingredients and employ extreme cynicism). She has since covered every corner of the industry, from interviewing dermatologists and celebrities to reporting backstage at Fashion Week and judging the w&h Beauty Awards.

With contributions from