Would you wear a perfume that smelled like a vegetable? Avid readers may guess that I certainly would, based on a prior Sunday Service about a green perfume that smells like tomato leaf. And yes, produce-pedants, I know that’s actually a fruit. Allow it.
Social conditioning that tells us certain smells are good for certain things, and others aren’t. We’re all very comfortable with fruity perfumes, and gourmand perfumes that smell like dessert, but the idea of replicating other things we eat in the scents we wear can provoke strong reactions – and not always good ones.
Not that this troubles Jo Malone London, who, alongside nailed-on floral hits, produce a few limited-edition collections a year that feel far more experimental. Forays into the wild have included the Scented Mementoes range, inspired by British antique markets; a marmalade-skewed collab with everyone’s favourite Peruvian-British bear; and now the succinct and self-explanatory Veggies.
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Why Jo Malone London Carrot Blossom Cologne is my beauty buy of the week
A quick rundown of the range: There are four gorgeous things for your house – a diffuser and two sizes of candle in the Green Tomato Vine scent, plus a mouthwatering Tomato Leaf hand wash that would make a perfect hosting gift (re-invitations guaranteed)
Then there are those perfumes, Velvety Butternut, Scarlet Beetroot and Carrot Blossom. All are 30ml eau de cologne strength, in colourful opaque bottles, ringing in at £59 apiece, which is very reasonable for a taste of this luxury brand.
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Jo Malone London
Carrot Blossom Cologne 30ml
What does a carrot perfume smell like? To my nose, it’s fresh, with a sweetness that’s earthy enough not to feel in any way cloying. Underneath the rooty veggieness of it all, there is citrussy orange blossom and warm white musk, adding up to a pretty, outdoorsy scent that feels just right for early summer.
Carrot Blossom is the softest of the bunch (pun very much intended) so if you’re after something more straightforwardly veg-centric, I’d point you towards the loamy Scarlet Beetroot, or rich Velvety Butternut. Either way, all three are worth a sniff.
(Image credit: Future / Fiona McKim)
Speaking of sniffing, I’ve noted similarities between the worlds of perfumery and wine before (snobby, all about smell). Thanks to my previous life as a wine advisor in an independent offie, I can confirm that veggies don’t just make unusual scents – ‘vegetal’ is one of the more divisive notes in viticulture
Some of the finest wines in the world, red Burgundies to be exact, are prized for ‘noble’ vegetal notes, like leaves on a forest floor or dried herbs. But should you catch a whiff of brassica or asparagus in the very same wine, it’s a good sign the grapes were harvested too early for their own good.
It’s such a delicate business, getting things like this right, but I think Jo Malone London has more than managed it here. Plus, I’ll always applaud a brand that shoots its shot, producing something outside of the norm. Sounds good? Great! Let’s chat next Sunday.