Jo Malone's NEW Basil & Neroli launch

Jo Malone launch a new fragrance today – and it’s a biggie! The new Basil & Neroli fragrance is the first scent to utilise basil as one of its main ingredients since their iconic Lime, Basil & Mandarin, which launched over 20 years ago.

So, it’s a kind of a big thing. Do I love it? I don’t know. I LIKE it, but I’m just not getting enough basil, guys. I remember a Jo Malone home scent back in the early Noughties, Basil & Verbena, maybe with something else, I don’t recall. I absolutely ADORED it. I loved it so much, I sprayed myself and the rooms in my home!

This one, it’s not as intense, not as basil-heavy, and of course, neroli is much less impactful than verbena. Jo Malone London’s campaign hook for thisone is ‘have yourself a London lark’. The fragrance, they say, epitomises young, cool, London, with nods to Mod culture in the campaign images.

I just don’t know if I get it. The White Musk base just takes the freshness out of this one for me, and it starts to feel every so cloying on the dry down. The basil top note isn’t strong enough, and the neroli heart is there, but usurped in time by that musk.

Master Perfumer Anne Flipo, who created the fragrance for Jo Malone London obviously disagrees, describing this scent as ‘a fresh, sophisticated, sensual floral with green facets – stunning in its simplicity‘.

If you like florals, then you will maybe love it, but take time to let that dry down settle, because it does change from the initial spray quite a lot.

As with most new JML launches this Cologne launches with a full body range to go with it, including Body Wash, Body Creme and a Candle.

Available from September 1, the new Jo Malone London Basil & Neroli Cologne comes in two sizes, as ever, 100ml (£86) and 30ml (£42), from Jo Malone London locations, and jomalone.co.uk