I’m Ridiculously Picky About Perfume – Here’s Why This Jo Malone Scent Won Me Over
Main image – Courtesy of writer
Full disclosure: I am ridiculously picky about perfume. Despite not having a hugely sophisticated nose, unless something is just citrusy enough, light enough, fresh enough and fruity enough, chances are I’ll wear it once and never reach for it again.
And if it eventually dries down to an overpowering musk? You’ve lost me completely.
Which makes the fact that I keep coming back to Jo Malone London’s bestselling English Pear & Freesia Cologne (£88 for 50ml from Jo Malone London UK / $125 from Jo Malone London US) all the more impressive.
There is a catch though; this cologne (and yes, it most definitely is one – a distinction whose importance will become more apparent below) isn’t cheap, and its lightness notoriously comes with a relatively short wear time.
So despite my love for it, with those two caveats hanging over it, would I really recommend it? Read on to find out.
AT A GLANCE
Jo Malone London English Pear & Freesia Cologne
- Main notes: Williams pear, freesia, rose, patchouli and white musk
- Smells like: A fresh, fruity English country garden
- Feels like: 90s British romcom main character energy
- Wear time: Around 4-5 hours on our reviewer
- Best for: Spring, summer and early autumn
- Not ideal for: Winter or anyone wanting a powerful, long-lasting scent
- Our rating: 4/5
- Our verdict: Fresh, feminine and beautifully wearable. Expensive for the wear time, but a scent we keep coming back to.
Jo Malone’s English Pear & Freesia Cologne notes and details
Firstly though, some context. Because although the fruity, floral name of this scent suggests spring, its influences are actually all autumn.
Launched in 2010 and created by nose (the beautifully descriptive industry term for fragrance creators) Christine Nagel, English Pear & Freesia takes its inspiration – rather delightfully – from Keats’ classic poem, ‘To Autumn’.
“The scent is all about the enchanting appeal of an English orchard, right at the point that summer turns into autumn. Inspired by fruit trees laden with juicy, just-ripe pears,” explains Jo Malone London’s Vice President of Global Fragrance Development.
Image – Courtesy of writer
That means instead of the simply light fruit notes you’d expect, English Pear & Freesia actually offers a slightly more complex scent profile, nudging it into the chypre fruity category.
Available in four sizes- 9ml, a 30ml, a 50ml, and 100ml- the main thing to bear in mind here is that this fragrance is a cologne, not an eau de parfum.
- Top notes: Williams Pear, Melon
- Heart notes: Sweetpea, Freesia, Rose
- Base notes: White Musk, Patchouli, Amber, Rhubarb
And since colognes sit at the bottom of the concentration strengths (traditionally with an essential oil concentration of around a third of that in an EDP), you can expect them to have both a much shorter wear time (the length of time people can smell this on you) and a lower projection (how near someone has to be to smell it on you).
If you prefer to wear your scent in different ways though, English Pear & Freesia is also available as a hand cream, hand & body wash, body creme, and reed diffuser.
First impressions
As I said, I’m ridiculously picky with scent, but the sharp yet sweet initial tang of English Pear & Freesia had me from first spray. It’s juicy, it’s fresh, and – to me at least – it absolutely screams English country garden, which I personally love.
After a minute or two, that initial freshness mellows into a warmer, richer scent as the freesia begins to come through – giving it a slightly more grown up hit than its first notes. (Don’t be fooled though, this is definitely still a daytime scent, even at its richest.)
More than that though, since I really am a sucker for some quality packaging, the combination of the scent and the heavy yet minimalist bottle here instantly did what I strongly feel any fragrance investment should – it made me feel special as soon as I first tried it.
It projected decently too. I wouldn’t say someone on the opposite side of the room to me was going to be able to detect my presence purely by scent alone, but it was enough that friends I was chatting closely to could smell it straight after first application.
But my initial joy here wasn’t to say that I’d found long term love. After all, I still had that dreaded musk note to get to, and to see how long the whole thing wears for.
Wear time
Which leads me neatly to my next thought – how long did it take to get down to its base notes and how long did the whole thing last?
Well, as with most Jo Malone London colognes I’ve tried, I’m pretty much only getting base notes within two hours of applying it. That means the musk and patchouli come through quite noticeably at that stage, which I don’t particularly love. Having said that, on me at least, they’re not especially old-fashioned; just more grown up and intense than I would like.
Image – Courtesy of writer
Overall, the whole cologne scent lasts around four or five hours on me before you can’t smell much at all anymore.
But here comes the caveat to my caveat. Yes, I do think the wear time could be longer- especially for the product price- but actually for a cologne, and a light and fruity one at that, I don’t actually think this performs badly.
My verdict
Since my initial spray, I’ve now been wearing the cologne a few times a week for over 12 weeks (since it was awarded Finalist in this year’s Live That Glow Independent Beauty Awards), and my views haven’t changed.
I love the light, breezy, quintessentially British scent- it’s both feminine and fun yet classic and sophisticated at the same time- and I can forgive the shorter wear time. After all, it does say ‘cologne’ on the label.
My one niggle though? The price, which I think is pretty steep for a non-eau de parfum.
To make mine go further, I’ve taken to layering it over the absolutely exquisite Jo Malone London Wild Bluebell Body Creme I treated myself to earlier this summer. This not only makes the scent profile even more floral, it absolutely transforms the wear time, meaning I can still smell the combination on me when I get home at the end of the day.
The brand seems to actively encourage scent layering too, helpfully suggesting three fragrances to combine with English Pear & Freesia on their website (Grapefruit, Peony & Blush Suede, and English Oak & Hazelnut, in case you were wondering).
I can’t help feeling that scent layering is probably an effort and expense step too far for many though, so Jo Malone London, if you’re listening, I implore you; please include an eau de parfum version of this in your permanent line up.
What other users are saying
Speaking of which, reviews of this cologne seem to be split firmly into two camps; those who can’t live without it, and those who are disappointed by the wear time or base notes. There really doesn’t seem to be much middle ground.
On Reddit, user samyantiago says, “It’s my everyday,” while Disastrous_Joke5898, adds, “I get the most compliments when i wear this.”
Bubblekitty607 goes further. “I really enjoyed this one! It’s pretty simple notes and nothing innovative, but it was such a pleasant and light scent. Perfect for this heat. It was fruity without being too sweet, aquatic, floral, and soapy. I felt so feminine and lady-like with this on.”
But some didn’t get on with its base notes. UncannyProjection explains, “It’s the deep drydown that’s the real problem for me. Only the patchouli remains. It has a musty, dusty air to it, and that does not sit well with my nose, and my senses.”
While plnx8 criticises the scent’s strength. “My job molone [sic] has no projection and doesn’t last.”
Overall value for money
If I were awarding this on a purely per cost-per-minute basis, I wouldn’t be able to be too generous here. I find I have to top this fragrance up more frequently- and apply more initially- than I do with some of my favourite eau de parfums which are a similar price.
As with all Jo Malone London though, you’re not simply buying a fragrance, you’re buying the experience. And this is the sort of fragrance I could imagine all the most glamorous women in an early 90s Richard Curtis film wearing.
So for the way English Pear & Freesia makes me feel- delicate, feminine, and 90s romcom main character levels of special (‘Is it still raining? I hadn’t noticed”)- I have to say I’m on board with the price here.
Image – Courtesy of writer
If you are looking for a similar scent profile for a lower cost-per-wear ratio though, Lumira Sunsoaked (another finalist in this year’s LTG beauty awards), shares the same pear and rose notes and is similarly fruity yet sparkling (on my skin chemistry, at least).
It’s still not cheap at £150 for 50ml from Boots UK, but I can still smell it on my skin and clothes at the end of the day.
On the other hand, if you’re happy with the wear time/projection of English Pear & Freesia but want something even more floral, allow me to recommend fellow Jo Malone London cologne, Wild Bluebell. Fantastically fresh and oh-so feminine, it’s genuinely become my new daily favourite.
The takeaway
So overall, can I recommend Jo Malone London’s English Pear & Freesia? Yes, but with (yet more) caveats. Firstly, do try it in store and then let it develop on you first before diving straight in to purchasing. After all, if you hate patchouli or white musk you might not be pleased with its deep dry-down notes.
And secondly, do bear in mind that this is a cologne, not an eau de parfum- as I keep saying- and may not have either the wear time or projection that you want from it.
Beyond that though, buy, enjoy, and ready your wardrobe for some British romcom main character finery to match this lovely scent.