The Limited-Edition Highlands Collection includes Jo Malone Mallow on the Moor, Wild Achillea, Melancholy Thistle and Highland Heather photo by Rachel
“With the Scottish Highlands, nature runs wild in such a dramatic way. We really wanted to embrace this with this collection.” – Céline Roux, Global Director of Fragrance, Jo Malone London
Campaign image via the brand
Our family is spending the summer in the subtropical climate of Taipei, Taiwan. Hot wet weather with multiple monsoon cycles have proven a tough match for the perfumes I brought with me from the Midwest of the United States. Much like Taiwan, many places in the world have summer temperatures that can reach tremendous highs of 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) and above. High humidity can add to sweltering summer days and make fragrance decisions even more crucial. Luckily, Taipei is a major metropolis with great shopping and a knowledgeable fragrance community to help me find the right scents to battle the heat. After an afternoon of searching, we found a light and lovely elixir just right for our subtropical adventures. Jo Malone Mallow on the Moor offers an answer for what to wear on hot summer days and sultry summer nights. The Highlands of Scotland have a climate that is cool and rainy with a brisk boreal wind ranging over its moors of purple mallow, yellow yarrow, and sharp thistle. This crisp and softly rugged beauty is the perfect remedy to the dog days of summer. The results have been transportive. Jo Malone Mallow on the Moor, one of the four colognes in the brand’s 2023 Limited Edition Highlands Collection capture the ink-blue hours of cool air in the early morning, and the soft, gentle floralcy of the Scottish moors.
Scottish Mallow Flower pixels
The mallow flower blooms with bright mauve-purple petals and dark veins, standing almost 4 feet tall. Mallow flowers are wild blossoms growing freely in meadows, hedgerows, and fallow fields. Spreading over the moors in Scotland, the mallow flower has a musky floral softness that smells of the Highland windswept wild “outside.” Jo Malone Mallow on the Moor was created by Givaudan master perfumer Yann Vasnier. It opens with a violet leaf note that has a photorealistic fresh foliage and crushed leaves dynamic. This green and airy spiciness elevates the fresh and cooling aspects of the cologne. The heart of Mallow on the Moor leads us to the soft powdered floralcy of the small purple Mallow blossom. An evocation of orris with texture and fine powder brings to mind billowy blouses and ethereal loves of Victorian romances. Luminous violet tones with a hint of cherry tumble into the almondy heliotrope of the base. Cool and solid oak provides floorboards for the fragrance. The pitch-perfect balance of feminine softness is a kind of chiaroscuro to the bright, wild and cooling qualities of the rest of the collection. The Scottish Highlands evoke romantic images of cool misty moors, wildflowers entwining castle walls, and ruggedly beautiful purple fields. Jo Malone Mallow on the Moor is a sweetly gauzy almond-floral scent highlighting the purple and musky mallow flower opening over the moors in its purple splendor. Yann Vasnier has captured the most romantic aspects of this rugged landscape in a superb cologne just in time for summer.
Givaudan Perfumer Yann Vasnier via the perfumer and Jo Malone Mallow on the Moor via the brand collage
Jo Malone Mallow on the Moor is an especially beautiful scent to wear on a summer’s night. The gentle floralcy and billowy muskiness bloom in evening air. After studying the flora and fauna of the Scottish Highlands, Yann Vasnier found a way to capture the subtlety and softness of materials in a way that is suited to summer temperatures. According to Yann, “Mallow on the Moor is a soft, powdery and charming scent that takes its cue from purple mallow flowers. I presented a mallow accord to Céline that she was really keen on from the start, so after that it was just a question of trying to create the right balance of softness, sweetness, and powderiness in the fragrance.” As Yann further recalls, “to retain a sense of petaly freshness in the top, we used violet leaves to keep things green and fresh. In the heart, we worked around orris and heliotrope for softness and, in the base, we blended exclusive roasted oak to represent the earthy, peaty textures of the moors.” This roasted English Oak absolute was developed by Yann specifically for Jo Malone London and provides a supportive tone and artistic gesture toward ancient woodlands where they grow. Yann says, “our priority was creating a sense of softness and comfort while capturing the petaly charm of the purple mallow flower.”
With Jo Malone Mallow on the Moor, Yann Vasnier and Céline Roux lead us to the most unexpected places. We have the chance to venture to the windswept edges of the garden, where the wild things are.
Notes: Mallow Flower, Violet Leaf, Heliotrope, Roasted Oak, Orris, Musk
Bottles my own, opinions my own.
~ Rachel K. Ng, Senior Contributor
Jo Malone Highland Collection Images courtesy of Jo Malone collage by Rachel
Note: Céline Roux, Global Director of Fragrance for Jo Malone, gathered three perfumers to work on the Limited Edition Highlands collection. Anne Flipo was drawn to an examination of the thistle, which is the national flower of Scotland. According to legend, when a Norse army was attempting a sneak attack on a Scottish military encampment, a barefoot Norseman had the bad luck to step on a thistle; his painful cry alerted the Scottish camp and saved Scotland from the invasion. Her work resulted in the rock-ribbed and tonic Melancholy Thistle. Marie Salamagne focused her creative energies on the experience of hiking in the Highlands, noting the minerality of the land. Her study resulted in the willowy gentle delicacy of Highland Heather. Yann Vasnier was especially taken with the flora and fauna of the Highlands. He also created Wild Achillea cologne with Louise Turner. This is a rugged and windswept evocation of the boreal aspects of the Highlands.
Available on Jomalone.com
I will be reviewing Wild Achillea as well
Make sure to check out Editor-in-Chief Michelyn Camen’s excellent article covering Jo Malone’s 2019 Limited Edition Wild Flowers and Weeds Collection here.
Please also spend time with Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor Ida Meister’s lovely review of Jo Malone’s Silver Birch and Lavender cologne here.
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