Inside the Jo Malone London Advent Calendar 2023: A beauty editor's review

Easily one of the world's best-loved fragrance brands with its instantly recognizable pastel yellow-and-black packaging, the Jo Malone London Advent Calendar 2023 is officially back.

Hotly anticipated year after year, this calendar is jam-packed with miniature editions of many of the best Jo Malone London fragrances, lotions, hand and body washes, and even candles—and we don't think this year's offering will leave its loyal fans disappointed. 

Luckily enough, we at woman&home got our hands on it ahead of the official launch to give you a thorough review of the contents, price tag, and where to shop it ahead of the holidays. Do note that spoilers lie ahead for the contents, so skip that section if you'd like these to remain a surprise for December! 

A beauty editor's Jo Malone Advent Calendar 2023 review

What's the design like?

This year's Jo Malone London calendar takes the form of a two-tier chest in its signature and iconic cream-and-black color scheme, which never fails to strike us as suitably chic. One shelf opens at the top of the box to reveal half of the contents, while the rest are hidden in a pull-out drawer at the base.

Many advent calendars' contents are hidden behind doors, but here each day's fragrant surprise is hidden in a festive gingerbread-patterned box-drawer, which is adorned with the relevant number telling you when to open it. All of the products are also individually wrapped in tissue paper – so you'll really feel like you're unwrapping a gift each morning in the lead-up to December 25th.

What's inside the Jo Malone Advent Calendar 2023?

Inside the 2023 Jo Malone London Advent Calendar you'll find a mixture of miniature editions of some of the brand's best-selling and seasonal colognes, hand and body washes, hand and body creams, and even a couple of the best Jo Malone London candles in the travel size for good measure.

While some advent calendars stop on Christmas Eve, we were pleased to see that this calendar actually includes a bumper surprise for Christmas Day, too, (spoiler alert!) a 30ml cologne hiding inside in one of Jo Malone London's most popular scents. If you don't feel the need to keep the entire contents a surprise for if and when you purchase, the full list of what's inside is as follows.

1. Ginger Biscuit Cologne 9ml 
2. White Moss & Snowdrop Cologne 9ml
3. Orange Bitters Travel Candle
4. Scarlet Poppy Cologne 9ml
5. Wild Bluebell Body Mist 30ml
6. Orange Bitters Cologne 9ml
7. English Pear & Freesia Cologne 9ml
8. Wood Sage & Sea Salt Hand Cream 30ml
9. Cypress & Grapevine Cologne 9ml
10. Peony & Blush Suede Cologne 9ml
11. Wood Sage & Sea Salt Body & Hand Wash 50ml
12. Velvet Rose & Oud Cologne Intense 9ml
13. Peony & Blush Suede Cologne 9ml
14. Grapefruit Body & Hand Wash 50ml
15. Wild Bluebell Cologne 9ml
16. Myrrh & Tonka Cologne Intense 9ml
17. Peony & Blush Suede Lotion 50ml
18. Silver Birch & Lavender Cologne 9ml
19. English Pear & Freesia Body Crème 50ml
20. Nectarine Blossom & Honey Cologne 9ml
21. Lime Basil & Mandarin Exfoliating Shower Gel 30ml
22. Oud & Bergamot Cologne Intense 9ml
23. Blackberry & Bay Hand Cream 30ml
24. Lime Basil & Mandarin Travel Candle 
25. Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne 30ml

How much does the 2023 Jo Malone Advent Calendar cost and how much are contents worth?

This year's Jo Malone London advent calendar retails for $495 or £350, which, as with most fragrance brands, does make it one of the more expensive of the best beauty advent calendars. Of course, not everybody will be able to spend quite this much on an advent calendar, but if you do have this much of a budget and are a big fan of Jo Malone London, it's a great way to try lots of different fragranced options from the brand before committing to the full-sized version of your favorite. 

Where can I buy the Jo Malone Advent Calendar?

In terms of how to actually get your hands on the 2023 calendar, this limited edition is available to shop both at Jo Malone London stores and via the brand's website. It will also be available to purchase from stockists including department stores like Selfridges and Harrods. 

Jo Malone Advent Calendar 2023: the W&H verdict

Jo Malone London is a brand that does the holiday season really well, and this year's advent calendar is proof of that with its fun and festive design. As with lots of modern options, we like that the calendar could be re-used for storage once you've unwrapped its contents; popular ideas for reusing it are as jewelry storage, or for any smaller items like spare keys and crafty bits and bobs. 

There's no arguing that this calendar isn't an expensive one – those shoppers with less budget may find The Body Shop or Liz Earle's offerings more accessible – but there is a big variety of scented options on offer inside, including several of the brnad's colognes to experiment with fragrance layering. Understandably, you also won't get to try lots of different products from different brands as you would with a department store calendar, for example, but for those shoppers who love all things Jo Malone London this really won't be an issue!