The best Jo Malone fragrances: From warm earthy scents to delicate florals

Best: For an intriguing (yet wearable) men’s scent

Rating: 10/10

Hazelnuts are sexy – who knew? We certainly didn’t until we caught a whiff of this clever concoction. When it comes to popular gents’ scents, according to Laura at Jo Malone, this is a common choice among male shoppers passing through the St Pancras store, and a few spritzes will tell you why.

With its creamy, enveloping hazelnut and warm earthy notes of cedarwood and English oak, it’s nothing like any “gents’ scent” you’ve ever smelled but at the same time it’s extremely wearable and oh so dapper. It’s delicate enough to be worn during the day but smart enough for evening too – the longer it warms up on the skin, the more attractive it gets.

Best: For something fruity but sophisticated

Rating: 8/10

Not your typical fruity fragrance but the pomegranate is one of the oldest edible fruits known to humankind. Dark with slightly bitter undertones, it’s not the cheery, pretty apple and pear notes that pop up in many mainstream fragrances. Pomegranate noir is one of the classics and for good reason. “It’s our Marmite fragrance” Laura concedes, “people either love it or they hate it.”

Pomegranate noir definitely captures this fruity darkness, with sharp sweet accords with smoky undertones, making it perfect for the evening and the colder months without being too masculine. If you find it’s too much on its own, combining it with Jo Malone’s English pear and freesia or peony and blush suede can add a side of dramatic, smoky allure to these two scents for evening.

Best: For lovers of the countryside

Rating: 9/10

While many people see France and Italy as the main inspiration for “escapist” perfumes, you just need to take a trip to the beautiful English countryside or any of the city’s wonderful parks to know that this country has a variety of flowers, plants and fruit to draw olfactory inspiration from.

As a proudly British brand, Jo Malone excels in these types of scents, and English pear and freesia is case in point. A bestseller, its cheery notes of pear blend beautifully with a delicate floral freesia accord, it’s very, very wearable. An evergreen fragrance that’s sharp enough to wear during the colder seasons, while mellow so as not to be too cloying for the warmer weather. If you could bottle a Sunday teatime costume drama in scent form, this might come close. It comes in a fetching fluted bottle, and for a limited time, an eye-catching pear box.

Best: For an uplifting citrus classic

Rating: 8/10

Probably one of the most recognisable (and copied) perfumes on the planet, this scent encapsulates what W magazine beauty director Jane Larkworthy told the NY Times of Jo Malone: “You didn’t smell anything cloying; you just smelled clean and curious, and the curious part is that you were like, What is that?” This is definitely clean and curious, with fresh herbaceous and slightly pungent notes of basil clash beautifully with zesty lime and bright, sparkling mandarin, for something that’s fresh and uplifting yet mysterious at the same time.

It’s a cologne for people who find traditional colognes too flimsy and fleeting. The basil note definitely adds a vegetal element which might not be to everyone’s tastes. Our tester prefers to smell basil when it’s stirred through pasta with Parmesan cheese, but that’s the point of this scent – it’s meant to be unusual and original.

Best: For a fun, floral fragrance

Rating: 9/10

The most fresh, fun and girly of the bunch, this practically blooms out of the bottle with sweet floral freesia top notes. Freesias are known for their bright colours and strong scents, the brash cousin of the more demure rose, known for blooming in the late summer. This definitely stays true even in the colder weather, blending beautifully with our skin throughout the day without feeling suffocating as some stronger scents can sometimes do, like a heavy coat you can’t unbutton, whereas this comfortably sits on the skin like a sheer silk scarf. Youthful and spirited without being flighty or twee, it has a crisp bite of red apple at its heart but not too much to overpower the rest or make the whole thing smell like a fruit bowl.

Best: For a subtle yet sensual scent

Rating: 9/10

Salty scents are ideal for those looking for something a little different. But rather than just remind us of “aquatic” fragrance – created to evoke the salty sea air – salt accords can have a seductive side to them too, as is the case with Jo Malone’s version.

Our skin smells of salt after all, and the brand’s wood sage and sea salt scent does a great job of recreating that musky warmth, for a “your skin but better” effect, heightened by aromatic notes of sage. This was a huge hit when it originally launched and it’s no wonder; when first sprayed on it seems fairly soft and unassuming. But once it warms up on the skin it really comes into its own, becoming more charismatic as the woody sage notes come to the fore.

Best: For something light and fresh

Rating: 8/10

Jo Malone is one of those brands which often dials up its “Englishness” without becoming veering into twee territory, and this perfume is a prime example. Inspired by our never-ending love for a decent cuppa, this scent blends the aromatic bergamot that characterises Earl Grey tea, with that distinctive freshness of cucumber and a soft base of vanilla and musks – the perfect way to pep up flagging spirits. Once this had evaporated, the dry down is incredible, slightly warm honeyed sweetness that was eerily familiar – reminding our tester of their nursery school classroom (play dough, finger paints and biscuits to be exact).